@Redted17: Why not just switch the UI into English? Look here: http://screencast.com/t/mnOT2vhdCzC

Interesting review by Raymond: http://www.raymond.cc/blog/type-common-phrases-quickly-with-phraseexpress/

New features in version 9: http://www.phraseexpress.com/new9.htm

Manual for use on USB drives and howto upgrade: http://www.phraseexpress.com/docs9/09/manual.htm#usb

Be careful. Not "freeware". It's nagware or adware of the worst kind.

Picture this: You're at a friend's, it's late, you have your PortableFreeware USB key and decide to write an email to your gf. You start and prompt Phrase Express to paste a phrase. It doesn't work. Instead, you are accused of being a thief. Typed out, agonizingly slowly (since you are trying to be quiet and fast so as not to disturb anyone) is a prompt to buy their product. You need then to go back and erase it, fix whatever was pasted (which may be your phrase or something else entirely), and try again. But, guess what? It again tells you that you are a thief. You start to swear, lights go on, people start asking what the problem is......

Don't do it. It's time-bombed crapware and you'll just end up having to replace it. It's faster to type your phrases than to fix the damage (and that's if you notice - it may be in the middle of your letter and you won't notice at all or later).

@Abraxas: I can't confirm your finding. Can you post a screenshot with the message you receive? And does this happen after a determined period of time (like after you used the program for 30 days or something)?

I use this software for several years now (freeware version). I have never experienced what Abraxas describes.
And it certainly is not crapware! Perhaps Abraxas is using a pirated version :?:
I have no connection with Bartels media, but I like this software very much.

I can confirm @Abraxas finding. As I recall, the software uses an algorithm to decide whether what you are pasting *seems* to the author to be business-related, and on that basis cripples the software. It's not trialware or nagware in the usual sense - but it's not safe to use as a free program for exactly the reason #Abraxas describes.

That said, I certainly agree with Ennovy that it's definitely not crapware - but the author made a very unfortunate choice of how to upsell that rules it out for my personal use. Check out EditPadPro for the way to make remind people that they can purchase a license.

I find the described behavior totally unacceptable, constituting both a breach of trust and privacy concerning the use of this utility. I move for it to be eradicated from TPFC.

Midas, I don't think there's a substantive breach of trust or privacy.

The author's very clear about the behaviour: Go to http://www.phraseexpress.com/freeware.htm to confirm this.

If PhraseExpress detects you are connected to what the author thinks is a professional network structure like Windows Server, or is used inside a "professional" application, delaying license nags start 30 days after detection.

And the author asserts "The professional use detection is internal and never collect or transmit personal information over the internet!"

The real issue for me is that the algorithm for detecting professional use is flawed for me. But clearly users like Ennovy have had good luck with this. Why ban it? Why not just provide a caveat emptor?

My experience was that the nag started immediately, but your mileage may vary.

I think that someone writing a pro bono article about business ethics while on a Windows Server network would have no reason to suspect that was "professional use", so the author's detection system is too draconian for me, but some users have had no problem in their sp

My computer is my own, to use at my sole discretion, and no software creator should presume otherwise, no matter how useful the utility he makes available.

I stand by my previous assessment; but I will compromise on requested measures, taking the position of fellow TPFC users like Ian into account...

One thing is sure: phrase express just got a permanent ban from my rigs.

7 Awesome Uses For PhraseExpress Text Expander: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-awesome-uses-phraseexpress-textexpander/

PhraseExpress is one of the most popular Text Expander software and available for more than 10 years. Hundred thousands of happy users have no problem with PhraseExpress at all and enjoy it every day.

We invest all our time and hear to make what PhraseExpress is today. The portable feature alone cost us a lot of extra efforts to meet the portable app specification requirements, particularly those by portableapps.com.

All that is provided completely free-of-charge as advertised at http://www.phraseexpress.com/freeware.htm

The quality hopefully shows you that PhraseExpress is no hobby project but made by fulltime developers. So, we need to generate revenue by asking Professionals to license it.

Sadly, a few individuals who may have been caught cheating our fair use license policy try to harm our reputation rather than taking responsibility for their license abuse. Which is a shame.

You can easily identify those people as they don’t provide evidence. We know why – The license notification in later PhraseExpress versions would debunk in plain English why it has been triggered.

Here is our deal to those people:

Download PhraseExpress 9.1.29 (or later) and publish a screenshot of the alleged “false commercial use detection” which allegedly differs from what we advertise. If someone really should find a bug we will fix it instantly and give away 5 PhraseExpress Professional Edition licenses worth US$ 699.- to the next 5 posters (providing real identity to us) here.

“Abraxas”, we are waiting for you!

@Midas: PhraseExpress NEVER secretly transmits personal information anywhere. It just checks locally, if it is running from a Windows Server OS. This certainly is no privacy issue Would you claim “the same if a scanner application checks the OS for a connected scanner or if a photo organizer application would prompt to import photos if it detects a camera being connected to PC?

@IanFromBarrie: Please note that the commercial detection has changed drastically with latest PhraseExpress version 9.

Thanks for the input, bartelsmediagmbh. On behalf of other TPFC users that appreciate your software, I thank you also for the generosity of providing Phrase Express as a freeware.