For Windows users, there is a nifty web site called Giveaway of the Day that gives away a commercial piece of software every single day of the year. They usually do this by custom-packaging the app in a time-sensitive installer, and the download link is usually only available for that day.

How are they able to give away free software every day? I believe the scheme is that the software company gives them the software, and some money, and in return they get to advertise their other products on the same page as the download of the day. The web site is also monetized by miscellaneous ads (mostly Google Ad Words if I remember correctly).

In the past I’ve been able to get some pretty nifty stuff, like DVD software, disc burning software, file recovery, and audio/video software. You have to make sure you download and install it right away though – if the time limit expires before you install, you won’t be able to install it later. They also have an RSS feed that I made into a Live Bookmark in Firefox so everyday I can just check it real quick to see if it’s anything I’m interested in.