I’ve been using Symantec/Norton security software exclusively on all my PCs and Macs for at least a decade. This review pertains to the PC/Windows environment only. Over the past few years I had been noticing system slowdowns that seemed to be related to things like auto-download and installation of frequent updates of virus definitions. I figured that’s the price I’d have to pay to keep my PC and data safe. I’ve been reading over the past year or two, though, that McAfee users seemed to feel the software and updates didn’t bog down Windows (XP) as much.

I used to keep a Windows machine running after I switched to Mac, just to keep using QuickBooks. The full version of QuickBooks for Windows is a godsend for small businesses, with just about every feature every small- to medium-sized business needs. The Mac version is pared down, though. I’m not going to go through all the features it has and doesn’t have. For a business investment like this, you really need to go look at the full list of features yourself on the Intuit website.

Dragon 11 definitely recognizes words more easily than prior versions, and not pausing while you speak is less distracting; HOWEVER… it means that when the garbage that frequently pops out comes, it is much later than you’ve said it so you don’t get to correct it right away. I’m typing this review by hand, even with fibromyalgia, because by the time Dragon loads and you make all the corrections, it’s easier to just type short things.

Fix-It utilities seems to do a fine, if temporary, job of speeding up network browsing time and PC performance issues. But everytime you want to fix a problem, you are asked whether you want to register the software. If you don’t, the program closes. No program you pay for should force you to register in order to use it, especially when cnet.com puts it in the center of the pack, ranked below some shareware programs.

It’s a great fallacy that the best way to learn a foreign language is the way that babies learn it, i.e., through total immersion. This is because:nn1. Babies don’t have any other way to learn language; andn2. Babies’ brains are wired for language acquisition in a way adult brains aren’t. (BTW I have a degree in Linguistics, so I’m not just making this up). Rather than trying to teach how to use Spanish, the program just plunges you in by giving you random words and phrases by categories (countries, food, etc.

I switched to Norton after a decade + with Trend Micro, and I’m not really happy with the switch. It is, of course, difficult to tell how well any security program is working without intentionally visiting infected sites, which I’m not about to do. So I’m operating on the assumption that Norton is detecting viruses and spyware as well as Trend, though I have no way of being sure. My problem with Norton is that it makes everything else run very slowly.

I’ve been using WinZip in one form or another since I got my first computer twenty-five years ago and it’s still the best program out there for compressing and decompressing large files. The new version has a more intuitive user interface and can work automatically with many common email formats, including gmail. For most people there’s no reason to upgrade from prior versions, but for anyone wanting to make sending large files faster and more convenient with great reliability and no loss of data, I can’t recommend this more.

This product is quite easy to install and simple to use, but doesn’t have much explanation about the laws of particular states and the different options available. The forms are pretty basic. They are good if you are leaving the bulk of your estate to one or two people and making a few specific bequests. I wanted to use this to update a new will, since my old one is about ten years old, but ended up just typing the new one in because my old form is much better for where I live.

It’s always hard to review security software unless/until it doesn’t work, and as far as I can tell, AVIRA works just fine so far. However, it doesn’t work as quickly as Trend Micro, and the interface and installation aren’t quite as easy or user-friendly. Fact is there are probably better software security suites out there, and the price has come down on pretty much all of them. This is one place where it pays to find a really good suite, or to look around for the best low-priced one you can find.

Corel Studio has the best preview of any product I’ve ever used for organizing digital photo files; that said, however, I really prefer the more powerful editing options of PhotoShop and end up using Corel to look at my photos, but Photoshop to edit them. It’s quite possible that the newer version of the software has improved on the editing options; if you’re considering buying the older version of Corel Studio at a bargain price, however, unless you primarily want software for organizing and viewing your photos, you’re probably better off shopping around for a used copy of Photoshop.