Product Description

Rudy Rucker has seen the future. . .and it is extreme.

The Godfather of cyberpunk--a mad scientist bravely meddling in the outrageous and heretical--Rucker created Bopper Robots, who rebelled against human society in his award-winning classic Software.

Now, in 2953, "moldies" are the latest robotic advancement--evolved artificial lifeforms made of soft plastic and gene-tweaked molds and algae, so anatomically inventive and universally despised that their very presence on the planet has thrown the entire low-rent future into a serious tailspin. So the moon is the place to be, if you're a persecuted "moldie" or an enlightened "flesher" intent an creating a new, more utopian hybrid civilization. Of course up there, there are other intergalactic intelligences to contend with--and some not so intelligent--who have their own agendas and appetites.

This is scientific fabulation at its most brazenly inventive--funny, cutting-edge and deeply informed. No writer alive puts it all together like Rudy Rucker.Artificial life forms made of soft plastic and gene-tweaked mold and algae, moldies are evolved robots in the year 2053--anatomically inventive and universally despised. In a sleazy, low-rent future, sexual fraternization with moldies is strictly taboo--a societal sin that is of no concern whatsoever to Randy Karl Tucker. A Kentucky boy who has seriously strayed from the Heritagist religion1s stern teachings about the evils of artificial life, Randy feels a definite something for Monique, moldie bookkeeper and maid at the Clearlight Terrace Court Motel But Monique1s sudden and inexplicable abduction from the planet--coupled with unsettling revelations about Randy1s own dubious origins--is dragging the degenerate flesher and all those around him into an ugly, conspiratorial mess. . .even as it pulls an unsuspecting humanity ever-closer to a stunning encounter with intergalactic intelligence.Amazon.com Review
In Wetware the chip moldvirus destroyed the sentient robots called boppers. But the virusitself has spawned a new life form called moldies. The moldies arebeings made out of a sort of malleable plastic called imoplex. Humansand moldies live in an almost-amicable truce, but radicals (andnot-so-radicals) on each side wouldn't hesitate to use--ordestroy--those on the other. When a moldie called Monique becomesensnared in a grand plot that seems to be either the work ofanti-moldie humans or anti-human moldies, everyone becomes involved inan effort to either save or destroy the Earth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Unfortunately, I had to pay for this book
My feelings for cyberpunk have turned progressively more negative with the passage of time.More and more, the writing is beginning to sould like an an overly-long stream of existential consciousness with jumbled dialogue, forgettable characters, utterly unrealistic happenings and a plot that redefines that term.SOFTWARE was the best of the trilogy because it was more interesting and at least it was readable.

WETWARE is really a series of vignettes of titled characters.Yes, there is a connection among the various players but on the whole, the work is a rambling barf of images and newly defined terms. Oh those blasted terms!The sheer volume of made-up words, future tech inventions, new speaking manners and hard-to-imagine ideas (the "dimension" thing still makes no sense after repeated readings) makes the book a chore instead of a pleasure.If Rucker had stressed either the terms or the inventions or the new crazed mode of speaking, that would have been sufficient.

Maybe this Brave New World of nihilism, obsession with new experiences via drugs or tech toys, this existence instead of living, this cheapening of life - maybe that is what we have to look forward to but I don't have to read about it.The ending, perhaps meant to be transcendent, instead turns into action-packed silliness.It reminds one of the old novels where aliens from the planet Bogo warn Earthlings to stop their atomic testing or else.To top it off, we defeat these vastly superior species. My grade:D

Decent, Not Great, Cyberpunk From Randy Rucker
At his best, Rudy Rucker demonstrates that he can write truly engaging cyberpunk science fiction tales that are heavily infused with his knowledge of mathematics (In real life he is a professor of mathematics as well as a science fiction writer.). I honestly don't know what to make of "Freeware", which is the third of his "ware" novels chronicling the evolution of both humanity and self-replicating AI life. Here he introduces us to "Moldies", a plastic-derived AI life form that has developed an uneasy truce with humanity and colonized the Moon after the "bop" AI life forms were killed off by a virus. Alas "Freeware" isn't as funny as Neal Stephenson's "Snowcrash", though Rucker often tries to be, mixing up fast-paced action sequences with lots and lots of kinky sex. (I'm not troubled at all by the sex, but I've seen it done with more realism and finer literary technique from other science fiction writers.). So hardcore fans of Rucker's work may find "Freeware" quite enjoyable; for me it's a bit of a disappointment.

Not Free SF Reader
Evolution continues rapidly in Rudy Rucker's freeware.From bops, big bops, little bops through meatbops we have yet another life form appearing in freeware, and it is sentient mold.

These moldies, being more organic, can interact with humans differently, and in some cases very closely.

More of the burned out beach bum and borg style can be found here.

Not Rudy's finest hour
With all the predictions and future strangeness this comes off as Sodom and
Gomorrah: the characters are mostly seriously morally challenged ( bright like Molly).
It comes off with the feeling that it was written by a person on pot having a dream that turns rapidly into a nightmare.
The ideas of using
aperiodic tiles as computers has so far not had anything but virtual fruit like this.
Written before the current quantum computing doctrines came in
and AI went out of fashion, this novel has a genealogy of humans and moldies
and some sexual content that might be too much for a lot of people.
The two other novels I've read by Rudy Rucker were much better than this one.

Stuzzy
I've never thought of Rucker as a great writer, but he never wants for interesting ideas.While his characters tend to be fairly broad and cartoonish, the bright colors of his invented slang and weird technology make for a nice pleasant brain buzz.

In "Freeware", Rucker continues his little AI saga begun in "Software" and "Wetware".The boppers (the little AI robots featured in the first two novels) are all dead, but their spirit (or at least their core software) lives on in the "moldies", who are basically big pieces of self-aware floppy plastic infected with a stinky fungus.Of course what Rucker immediately wants to investigate is: Can you have sex with a moldie?The answer, of course, is yes.

The plot meanders through the backstories of its various characters (which also help shed light on the events which have occurred since "Wetware"), shows off the interesting abilities of the moldies (some of which require some suspension of disbelief), showcases exciting new fictional mind-altering drugs, and eventually comes to the Big Reveal, which I found fairly interesting.Although this sort of thing (I'm not going to say WHAT sort of thing) has certainly been done before, I don't think it's ever been done in quite this fashion.

One major complaint I have about the book is its rather abrupt ending.Rucker wraps things up here in about two pages, as if he was in a rush to finish.A bit more denouement would have been nice.

Basically, if you've read and enjoyed the first two "Ware" books, you're likely to find this enjoyable as well.Anyone who HASN'T read the first two books is advised to start with the first book, "Software", which is a rather short (150 pages) and breezy read. ... Read more

Product Description
We are fast approaching a time when all our private communications will be monitored as a matter of course - just in case we might have some criminal intent, politically incorrect thought or uncommon belief. The files we store on our home or work computers and the messages we send over the Internet are fair game for those who would snoop into and record our private lives. The only way most of us can reclaim a modicum of privacy is through file encryption and security programs designed to keep prying eyes away from our secrets. Fortunately, there are many programs that are not only incredibly effective in guarding our privacy but are available absolutely free of charge. In this book, Michael Chesbro (The Complete Guide to E-Security, Privacy for Sale) outlines some of the most popular freeware encryption and security programs available. You will learn how to determine which programs are best for you, how to securely destroy files and the advantages of file sharing. The cost of using these programs is zero. But if you don't learn to use them, it could cost you your privacy or even your freedom. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A first-rate, highly recommended book
Freeware Encryption And Security Programs: Protecting Your Computer And Your Privacy by Michael Chesbro (senior counterintelligence agent with the U.S. Department of Defense) is an invaluable and "user friendly" guide to several of the most popular and widespread freeware encryption and security programs. Freeware Encryption And Security Programs teaches the reader how to use these programs to encrypt private files, work files, email and more. No programming expertise is necessary; only the desire to put in a little extra effort to confound prying eyes overly inquisitive noses. A first-rate, highly recommended book for anyone fed up with the lack of security on the internet. ... Read more

Product Description
Handpicked Software for Mac OS X is your hands-on guide to the bestnew software. It's packed with more than 100 reviews of the latestreleases from major developers, as well as some outstandingapplications you've probably never heard of. The bonus CD-ROM containsover 100 programs, including tryouts of popular commercial programs(like Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and LiveMotion), plus must-haveapplications, indispensable tools, and utilities to help you unleashyour creativity, track your finances, personalize your Mac, workfaster, optimize your system, keep your files safe, and get the mostout of OS X. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

a must for your library, and next to your Mac...
This book saves one money since it's does the research to sort out the good values.It allows you work faster, optimize your mac, track your finances, and just plain work faster.Get it! And the bonus is that is comes with a great CDrom for $ 18.00!

A must for your library.
This book along with it's included CDrom quickly earns it's worth in saving you time by telling you what's a good value for spending your money on andgetting, and not.It's lay out, approach, and suggestions are on target.Get it!

A wonderful Reference Book!
After purchasing the book, I was amazed at how many applications are already available for the Mac OS X.No one can say the Mac OS X doesn'thave enough software written for it.The software disk is a big plus as well.Good job Robert! ... Read more

Product Description
/* JT804, 0-201-74171-7, Lehnert, Web Wizard's Guide to Freeware/Shareware, CI00 @CATEGORY = Internet/World Wide Web = The Web Wizard's Guide to Freeware/Shareware = Wendy Lehnert*/ The Web Wizard's Guide to Freeware/Shareware teaches readers how to safely take advantage of free software available on the Web. From learning where to find safe and useful software to understanding how to install and use it, this quick and easy-to-understand introduction to freeware will help readers take advantage of all the low-cost, high-quality software available on the Web. This book explains how to locate reputable software on the Internet, instructing readers on where to look for software reviews and familiarizing readers with different downloading scenarios. It also discusses anti-virus software and how to ensure that all downloaded files are scanned. The Web Wizard Series from Addison-Wesley is a series of brief, introductory books written by instructors on Internet and Web programming topics of interest to anyone who wants to create web pages. Each book includes an easy-to-read, full-color design featuring plenty of hands-on examples and exercises, and is written in a concise and practical manner so readers can use the technologies in no time. ... Read more

Product Description
A comprehensive introduction explains and evaluates twelve essential UNIX and X Window packages, covering installation and configuring, the text editor, the graphical e-mail package, and the C compiler. Original. (Intermediate). ... Read more

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In today's online and connected world we use our computers for many of our daily tasks. Everything from E-mail, web surfing, listening to or watching media and much more. A slew of software is available for just about any task a person could want to perform. However much of the commercially available software is overpriced and under performs.

So why pay anything from $50, $100, $200 or more for software when comparable programs can be found for free? This book will guide you to some of the hottest and most popular freeware programs.

Volume One ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Commercial Video Games With Freely Available Source Code, Free Video Games, Freeware Games, Open Source Video Games, Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein 3d, Duke Nukem 3d, Simcity, Quake Ii, Quake Iii Arena, Rise of the Triad, Castle of the Winds, Heretic, Worldforge, Freeciv, Hexen, Hexen Ii, Exile, Tux Racer, Xpilot, Flightgear, Descent, Tribes 2, Icy Tower, Freespace 2, Super Columbine Massacre Rpg!, Command ... Read more

Product Description
eDonkey network (also known as the eDonkey2000 network or eD2k) is a decentralized, mostly server-based, peer-to-peer file sharing network best suited to share big files among users, and to provide long term availability of said files. In practice, it is generally used to share video files, full music albums and computer programs. Like most file sharing networks, it is decentralized, as there is not any central hub for the network; also, files are not stored on a central server but are exchanged directly between users based on the peer-to-peer principle. Currently, the eD2k network is not supported by any corporation or government (in the past it was supported by the MetaMachine Corporation, its creator, which now is out of business) and works by being fully supported by its users alone. ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Gratis is the process of providing goods or services without compensation. It is often referred to in English as "free of charge" or "complimentary". It is commonly acknowledged that there are costs associated with everything, hence the term "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"; however, it is often practical for companies, producers, and service providers to provide certain things free of charge as part of a larger business model or pricing strategy. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education), published by T.H.E. Journal, LLC on May 1, 1988. The length of the article is 1534 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: The Office of Academic Computing (OAC) at Ferris State University (FSC) in MI, oversees microcomputers on campus and offers training in computer skills to Ferris faulty and staff. A major component of the training workshops is the kit of software tools each participant receives. Cost is a primary factor in selecting the word processing, spreadsheet, and database manager programs for the kits. Cost prompted FSU to use freeware-shareware programs that can be distributed and cost only a nominal fee to become a registered user. The OAC has more than 18,000 freeware-shareware programs on file and has selected ExpressCalc Version 3.1 as its toolkit spreadsheet, PC-Write Version 2.7 as its word processor, and PC-File+ Version 1.0 as its database manager.

Citation Details
Title: Teaching computer literacy with freeware and shareware. (Ferris State University's Office of Academic Computing)
Author: R. Dale Hobart
Publication: T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education) (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 1988
Publisher: T.H.E. Journal, LLC
Volume: v15Issue: n9Page: p78(4)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Abandonware is a term used to describe computer software that is no longer sold or supported, or whose copyright ownership may be unclear for various reasons. While the term has been applied largely to older games, other classes of software (such as productivity applications or utility software) are sometimes described as such. Definitions of "abandoned" vary; generally, it refers to software no longer available for legal purchase, or of a certain age. Software companies may change their names, go bankrupt, enter into mergers, or cease to exist for a variety of reasons. When this happens, product rights are usually transferred to another company that may not sell or support the software acquired. In most cases, software classed as abandonware is not in the public domain, as it has never had its original copyright revoked. ... Read more

Product Description
Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Pretty Good Privacy, Trillian, Windows Live Messenger, Spotify, Kiss, Mercury Messenger, Virtualpc, Anim8or, Orbiter, Chemtoolbox, Maxthon, Μtorrent, Stdu Viewer, Vicompte, Microsoft Macro Assembler, Winny, Voipbuster, Simple Machines Forum, Terragen, Ollydbg, Virustotal, Gmail Manager, Hamachi, Share, Foobar2000, Sterling, Irfanview, Newton Game Dynamics, Winstars, Cpu-Z, Driverpacks, Antivir, Microsoft Security Essentials, Hfslip, Newzfinders, Yahoo! Widget Engine, the Kmplayer, Zfone, Super Pi, Xmix, Gmail Notifier, Izarc, Aol Instant Messenger, Samurize, Google Desktop, Pyrirc, Context, the Godfather, Windows Defender, Wambo, Teachmaster, Nlite, Wink, Gadu-Gadu, Recuva, Code Mascaret, Tugzip, Supybot, Pspad, Orbit Downloader, Cdburnerxp, Gizmo5, Perfect Dark, Speccy, Tunatic, Mp3tag, Arachne, Gmail Drive, Radio Fr Solo, Vlite, Handbrake, Rm-X® Search, Akeni Jabber Client, Spywareblaster, X-Lite, Karafun, Imagecollection, Aimp, Grabit, Rivatuner, Jude, Fing, Simplecenter, Turbo Assembler, Isis/draw, M2. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : Windows Live Messenger (WLM, anciennement MSN Messenger) est un logiciel client propriétaire lié à un service propriétaire de messagerie instantanée (utilisable gratuitement) pour Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 et Windows Mobile et produit par Microsoft. Il offre les services de VoIP et de visioconférence depuis sa version 8.0. Windows Live Messenger, dont le nom est tiré de la gamme de services Microsoft en ligne appelée Windows Live, offre également la possibilité d'appeler son correspondant directement même s'il n'est pas en ligne, un système de dossier partagé (protégé par un anti-virus spécifique à Windows Live Messenger si l'ordinateur en est dépour...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

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Chapters: Ray Larabie, Myfonts, List of Freeware Type Designers, Harold Lohner, Peter Biľak, Roy Cole, P22 Type Foundry, Blambot, Greater Albion Typefounders, Jesse Ragan, Fontosaurus. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 34. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Ray Larabie (born 1970 in Ottawa, Ontario) is a designer of computer TrueType and OpenType fonts. Beginning in 1996, Larabie distributed his designs over the internet as freeware, operating as his own independent type foundry LarabieFonts. Larabie became interested in fonts in the early '70s when his grandmother gave him sheets of Letraset. He eventually became familiar with typefaces, and could identify hundreds of fonts by name. He began creating typefaces with pen and paper and later, on his first computer, a TRS-80. Larabie was employed at Rockstar Toronto and had contributed his designs to multiple video game titles, including the hit series' Grand Theft Auto and Max Payne, before he quit the company in 2002 to focus full-time on type design. Many of his designs were inspired by corporate and rock band logos, whose names paid sly tribute to their sources: Other Larabie fonts, such as Degrassi and Electroharmonix, were creations of Ray Larabies own imagination. Early designs were typically science fiction, futurist and techno-oriented, but he eventually produced fonts in a wide variety of styles, including pop culture, '70s retro, decorative, handwritten, experimental and novelty faces. This visibility lead to Larabie's designs becoming commonly used in advertising, in particular within the music and clothing industries. Larabie released over 400 freeware fonts before announcing in 2001 that he would focus exclusively on commercial fonts that he sold through his new independent type foundry Typodermic. ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1220042 ... Read more

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Chapters: Bio Menace, Pong Kombat, God of Thunder, Ken's Labyrinth, Executioners, Jetpack, Popcorn. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 30. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Bio Menace is a 2D, side-scrolling, platform game both developed and published by Apogee Software in 1993 for DOS. It was built on a licensed version of id Software's Commander Keen game engine, and was known as Bio Hazard during production. Apart from the engine, all in-game content was created by the game's designer, Jim Norwood. The player controls the protagonist, Snake Logan, a top CIA operative. Upon receiving reports of Metro City being invaded by mutants, Snake is ordered to fly recon over the city. However, after crash landing in Metro City, Snake is forced to complete his mission on foot. The game has three episodes, the first of which was released as shareware, the rest being available commercially. The episodes are: Sales of the game were discontinued in 2000 due to problems with more modern operating systems. Apogee released the game as freeware on December 23, 2005 as a "Christmas present" and the full game can be downloaded from the Apogee website. It is likely that this decision was made due to the results of an earlier poll on the 3D Realms forums, where visitors could pick a game they would like to see released as freeware from a list of discontinued Apogee games. See also list of commercial games released as freeware. The beginning of the first level of Episode 1.The basic goal of Bio Menace is to control the main character Snake Logan through the levels of each episode; rescuing the hostage and reaching the exit, or killing a boss monster and reaching the exit. Most levels require Logan to pick up items such as keycards to access new areas, and ultimately, the exit. The levels are also full of ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=3199619 ... Read more

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This digital document is a journal article from Information Economics and Policy, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Using perfect foresight and adaptive models, this paper examines the effect of competitor asymmetry, consumer sensitivity to incentives and adaptive processes on freeware strategies and competitive outcomes. Four roles played by freeware in competitive markets are identified - it can be a mechanism to build or speed up the growth of a network without the need to lower prices on the commercial version, a deterrence mechanism, a hindrance to a rival's network building efforts, and a coordination device in the presence of forward looking consumers. We determine the optimal prices of the commercial version, the decisions to introduce freeware and the freeware qualities for both competing firms. ... Read more