Our Shopping Cart: Eudora Light V3.0.1 email client (free), Norton AntiVirus 2.0 for Windows 95 (free, but expires 30 days after installation, $70 list price), ACT! 3.0 contact manager (free, but expires 30 days after installation, $199 list price).
The Experience: Shopping for software on the Web isn't much fun. But there's nothing like finding great applications and getting them (or at least trying them) for free. Plus, many programs available on ZDNet aren't available elsewhere. There's simply not enough shelf space at Egghead or CompUSA.
Now the Bad News: Freeware isn't really free. You pay in the most precious currency of all -- time. Downloading big files over slow modems can try your patience. It takes 40 minutes to download Eudora Light over a 28.8 Kbps modem. It takes more than 90 minutes to download ACT! 3.0.
The Fine Print: Why doesn't the Software Library answer in advance the one question everyone has: How long will it take to download? ZDNet also falters when it meets the world of commercial software. Downloading freeware such as Eudora Light was a snap. But downloading ACT! 3.0 was a hassle. The Software Library linked us to the Web site of Symantec, the company that makes the application, where we had to complete a long registration form before downloading.
Other Sites: If you can't find what you're looking for on ZDNet Software Library, visit CNET's three major software sites: www. shareware.com, www.download.com, www. buydirect.com. Buydirect.com lets you purchase commercial software, including familiar applications such as Claris Organizer and Sidekick. Jumbo! (www.jumbo.com) is another popular shareware site.
Shopper's Paradise: CDnow (http://www.cdnow.com) is music to any audiophile's ears. The site, founded by 27-year-old twins Jason and Matthew Olim, was launched in 1994. It now gets 1 million visitors per month.
What's in Stock: More than 200,000 CDs, albums, cassettes, videos, and CD-ROMs -- from the greatest hits to the rarest cuts. If CDnow doesn't have it, it probably doesn't exist.
How to Buy: An online store with a selection this big is only as good as its search engine. CDnow's mostly works fine. Shoppers can search by artist, album title, song title, or record label. The results can be displayed alphabetically or chronologically, a handy feature for artists with extensive discographies.
Our Shopping Cart: Wallflowers, Bringing Down the Horse (Interscope, 1996, $15.36); Miles Davis, Birth of the Cool (Capitol, 1949, $10.59). Total shipping charges: $2.98.
The Experience: In many ways CDnow is more robust than Amazon.com, the much-celebrated Internet bookstore. It provides artist biographies, album reviews, links to musical roots and influences, and online discussion groups. It's a compelling example of what happens when commerce meets community. It also makes great use of RealAudio, with more than 215,000 sound clips.
The Fine Print: It's easier to search for pop music than for classical. Entering "Beethoven," for example, retrieved an odd collection of audio CDs, CD-ROMs, and videos.
Other Sites: Shop.org! (http://www.shop.org) is a service that links visitors to a variety of cybershops that are just for the weekend athlete and hobbyist: fishing, gardening, golf, wine. Virtual Emporium (www.virtualemporium.com) is a cybermall organized by activity: house and garden, sports and fitness, travel and services.
Gina Imperato (gimperato@fastcompany.com) is a member of Fast Company's editorial staff.
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