WHY Software Companies Offer…FREE SOFTWARE!?

Here is a subject I know a little bit about :))) Lets take for instance AVG free edition.... Great Anti virus by the way and for the average home user it is completely free. Now to be able to use this wonderful software in the work place such as the shop I work in, you must pay a corporate price, you are then given license to put it on many many computers. Were as the home user usually has a lap top and desk top. Now the paid versions offer IT support 24-7. There are other options that are added that might be needed in the corporate setting as opposed to the home user. But same great core in both the free and the paid. So in that sense yes they are making a way for themselves in the market place. Now DIVX is free, and another fantastic program. It's basic core software suits again just your normal home Joe doing some light editing of music and movies, while offering a paid version that meets the demands of more experienced users. I have never seen a freeware that was offered only in an old version. You are right about trying to break up the monopoly that Microsoft and its cronies have built. There are some software developers that would love to give Microsoft a black eye by offering great programs equal to or the same as programs we are paying top dollar for. Firefox was built on the lack of protection that IE gave us. Man it is great and now these guys are not only our heroes but getting filthy rich, from other software programs that piggybacked firefox. One program that is truly a free office program as good if not better then Microsoft office is OPEN OFFICE.org it does everything MO does except it does not cost you 300.00. It has power point, word processors, what ever you need from Microsoft office you will find in this program. To serve humanity, my dear Kamran To serve... thats why!

I think that companies offering freeware are giving away for all of those reasons except the last one. they definitely do not want to help humanity. but it is probably to get information from you. I always have tried to find sites with free software and can never actually download anything for "free"

lol...all I know is they want us to test their wares..they want to hear feedbacks from people they give it out for free I guess.

One of the reason is the maintenance. Handling the maintenance would be more lucrative and before the user knows it, he/she has spent considerable amount already on the software for its upgrade and maintenance even if the original software was offered for free. Another reason is also to introduce the software to the market and test the software first and if the user likes the software, he/she has to pay for the full version already. It is really a way to drive sales to most of them.