Two tasks that entail a certain degree of difficulty when dealing with computers are retrieving and installing new software. So, the need arises to provide users with tools that help them retrieve the necessary software and install it. In the context of mobile computers, those tasks acquire a special relevance due to their limited resources (memory, disk space, autonomy, etc.). The authors present a software retrieval service that provides mobile computer users with mechanisms to select and retrieve the selected software in an easy and efficient way. Although this service can be used for fixed computers, it puts special emphasis on optimizing the use of battery and wireless communications. The implementation of that software retrieval service is based on agent technology.