Monday, October 09, 2006

Software Reviews

Software reviewers today are not writing reviews in the more tech-oriented ways they should be. Here is a brief list of things they should include in the very first paragraph of a software review:

  • OS compatibility (WinXP, x64, MacOSX)
  • Minimum Processor (Pentium 3/AMD Athlon 1Ghz)
  • Minimum RAM (256MB)
  • Install space required (1-2GB)
  • Video Requirements (Basic video, 3D Acceleration)
  • Special Features (Supports Dual Core Processor)

Then in the space below all that they should begin writing their dumbed down for the average user review. The problem with wring a dumbed down review is that anyone who reads it does not have to learn anything new. There should be a level indicator of the review as well. They should print a big red number one next to a review of something like Roxio's Easy media Creator if they aren't gonna include technical details in the review. Or in another case they should print a big red number five next to the review if they are gonna make it as technical as possible. That right there would let me know which reviews I would wanna read and which reviews I should not waste my time reading through because they don't have the information I'm looking for in them.

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