Alvin C. (no city given) asks:
"My niece uses Adobe Flash CS4 Professional at school and wants a copy to work on projects at home. It's very pricey software. Do you know of a less expensive program she could use?"
ANSWERED Oct. 14 - If she's in school, she might qualify to buy an academic edition of the software, which is designed to give students and teachers a price break. For example, the academic version of Adobe Flash CS4 Pro 10 for Windows sells for around
$230. The street price for the retail version is
$660. The license is the only difference. The software is identical. Requirements and restrictions vary, but most academic software vendors require a current student (or faculty) ID and limit the number of copies you can purchase.
Cassandra D. from
New Orleans writes:
"I'm getting ready to order a new PC with Windows 7. Is it a mistake to buy 64-bit Windows? I heard it was."
ANSWERED Oct. 14 -
The differences between 32-bit versions of Windows and 64-bit versions mainly have to do with memory accessibility, memory management, and enhanced security features. If you want your PC to be able to access more than 3 GB of RAM, a 64-bit operating system is a must. Buying a computer with 64-bit Windows already installed is usually less of a hassle than upgrading older hardware to 64-bit Windows, because 64-bit drivers for older hardware are usually hard to find. Nevertheless, I can't promise you that pre-installed 64-bit Windows 7 will be headache-free. 64-bit applications aren't yet the norm, but they are the wave of the future. As time progresses, 32-bit programs will fade away, much like the 16-bit apps of the IBM PC-AT era did years ago. Since you're buying a new PC, it would be senseless to saddle it with outmoded technology. Go for 64-bit Windows 7, but spring for at least 6 GB of RAM -- 8, if it doesn't break the bank.
