Software for a song - 30 shareware packages for under $30 - Buyers Guide

Home Office Computing, Nov, 1995 by Lynn Ginsburg, Mark Binder

Event Manager 1.31

WIN

Although your computer may stay on round the clock, you can't. Why not let your system take care of some time-consuming tasks while you're snoozing happily in your bed? Event Manager can take care of business in your absence, launching applications and conducting prespecified tasks, such as running a daily backup or downloading a file from a BBS. Event Manager can automatically launch applications and send keystroke macros to the program, letting you run complex, nested command sequences. If using this kind of power and functionality sounds daunting, don't worry. Event Manager offers excellent and informative onscreen context-sensitive help. $10; SRO Systems, 909-337-7535, srosystems@aol.com

FeeRate Calculator

For Windows 1.1

WIN

When you need to charge an hourly fee for your services, how do you determine the right rate? Rather than just hazarding a guess, FeeRate makes the job a no-brainer by asking you to fill in your annual business expenses, cost of benefits, number of working weeks per year, billable hours per day, and your desired annual salary. Based on that information, FeeRate calculates how much you'll have to charge per hour to make your desired salary. For a onetime registration fee of $5, FeeRate can put you in the know and your business in the black. $Tesserax Information Systems, 714-840-8822, 72247.1463@compuserve.com

File Finder 3.1

WIN

If you've stashed a file and can't remember where, File Finder can locate it. File Finder searches across multiple drives simultaneously, within specific subdirectories, or even in archives that contain compressed data. Besides searching by file names, strings, or regular expressions, you can specify file-creation dates and times as well as file sizes. Select from the push-button options and File Finder flies through its search. The program displays the search results in a separate window, where you can double-click on any file to launch it. File Finder provides the functionality that Windows's File Manager left out. $20; Simian Id Software, 314-781-8709, 73613.3606@compuserve.com

FlashWrite ][ 1.1.0

MAC

Let's face it, like many text editors, Apple's Notepad program is only two steps above useless. FlashWrite ][ is a miniature word processor that takes the notepad concept as far as it can go. You can import and export text, undo mistakes, and print. You can add as many pages as you want with up to 32,000 characters per pale. This desk accessory is especially handy as a mini-word processor for PowerBooks as a hedge against the infamous Microsoft Word energy drain. $15; Ambrosia Software Inc., 800-231-1816, ambrosiasw@aol.com

How to Write a Business Plan

WIN

When you're planning to open a new business, it's important to keep start-up costs to a minimum. How to Write a Business Plan won't cost you a dime and may actually net you some money in the long run. A document rather than a program, this text tutorial takes you through such basics as understanding what a business plan is, what it should contain, and why you need to have one. How to Write also provides a questionnaire that helps you choose the right kind of business for your interests and talents as well as a checklist of all details you should consider when launching your business. Freeware, American Institute of Small Business