Restarting Software Gadgets in 2012

Software Gadgets hasn't been all that active in the past couple of years. I intend to change this in 2012. I will be adding limited coverage of MacOS X software. Unfortunately, I only have access to an older and somewhat hardware limited Mac. It runs OSX 10.6 (Snow Leopard) fine, but does not well OSX 10.7 Lion at all well, so I will be limited to software that will run on Snow Leopard. I've discovered that there is a lot of that to look at, however -- and it will all be fresh and new to me as the last time I played with a Mac it was running System 7 on a 68000 chip.

I've also decided that I probably will not be upgrading my system to Windows 8. Windows 8 looks like a minor update for desktop users with the desktop becoming secondary to the new "Metro" interface designed for tablets with touchscreens. I'm not sure what Microsoft is thinking, but I can't see desktop and laptop users flocking to this in droves as it adds nothing but an extrastep to get to the desktop. I really doubt tablet users will either given that it Android tablets seem to be winning the hearts and minds of many users and there is no "Microsoft tax" to pay for core operating system (and Android has open app stores unlike gated communities that Apple has and Microsoft plans to have): growth in the tablet market seems to be in the less expensive end, especially as those interested in expensive tablets seem to opt for the Apple iPad.

Unless there are major changes to Windows 8 to make it a worthwhile upgrade for desktop users, I will skip Windows 8 just as I skipped Windows Vista. I will be finding ways to use third party software to add new features to my Windows 7 system to make it more useful to me, just as I did with my old Windows XP system when I decided to skip Vista. Of course I will be talking about my finds here on Software Gadgets.

Finally, I will be covering more shareware and commercial software in 2012. The focus will still be on freeware and open source software, but there are a lot of very nice commercial programs that are excellent "software gadgets" that deserve some coverage as well. Many of the best aren't well known (and often aren't that expensive) so coverage here might really help people find them who otherwise would never hear of them.

Here's to a great 2012!