TechByter Worldwide 2015.05.17: Free Is an Excellent Price; Short Circuits; and Spare Parts.

I never fail to be amazed by how many applications are available either for free or at a very low cost. There's no question that commercial software often gives users the largest number of features, but sometimes not all of the available features are needed. Sometimes what's available from a free program is enough. And sometimes what's available from a free program is better than what's available commercially. Let's explore some of the possibilities. In Short Circuits: Are you smarter than a CEO? It turns out that even executives can't always tell the difference between a real e-mail message and a phish, and AVG promises that some of its new applications will enhance your Windows PC, Mac, or Android device. And in Spare Parts: Dealing with Support when Things Go Wrong -- the story of a star-crossed attempt to obtain an answer from Microsoft.