The Disadvantages of Free Landscape Architect Software
Although the best things in life are free, so far landscape architect software has not been proven to be one of them. This is not an indictment of free software programs in general. There are some very good ones in the fields of web site statistics analysis, anti-virus programs and games. However, on the whole, there has not been a lot of effort on anyone's part to make a professional quality free landscape architect software program.
Artistic Quality
You are best to look for landscape software reviews on line or in your favorite gardening magazine before downloading the first gardening software you come across. Look to see that the reviews were written by landscapers, groundskeepers or gardeners so that you get the opinion of someone who would use it like you would.
And many of these reviews lament the fact that the free landscape architect software programs available are sadly lacking in artistic quality. Some programs are not even in color, but are based on a drafting program called Smart Draw. One of the main reasons people like software programs is because they can get a good idea as to what the final result will be, which is something that usually can't be accomplished in a blueprint.
Safety
Another huge disadvantage of free landscape architect software is that you don't know how safe it is. For example, there is a program on the Internet called Custom LandDesigner (note misspelling) which came out in the 1990's. It was never updated officially since 1998. A new version is out - but under a different name (Your Complete Landscape and Garden Designer) and it is no longer free.
Any program that hasn't been touched for over a year is a huge safety risk. Cyber criminals study all computer programs and websites to see if there are any security weaknesses that they can exploit. Gardeners and people with a back yard are commonly thought to have money and are therefore targets for cyber crime.
Tech Support
One of the most annoying disadvantages of free landscape architect software programs is that there is no tech support of customer service people to ask questions to when something goes wrong. This is one of the reasons why these programs are free. Once you download them, you are on your own! You may get some help by asking questions on a gardening forum, but other than that, you have to figure the program out yourself.
