Free Software
“I just bought a new computer. Why doesn’t it have everything I need on it?”
Well, yeah. That stinks. Chances are the last time you bought a computer, it either came with Microsoft Office (Word and Excel) or you have simply forgotten that you did install things on it…..maybe several years ago. Chances are, also, that even if you still have your installation CDs, that your old programs that you bought for a previous version of Windows will no longer work with the most current version of Windows. (We’re talking about Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Don’t confuse Windows with Microsoft Office versions. Office 97, Office 2000, Office XP, Office 2003, Office 2007, and Office 2010.)
Confused yet? That’s exactly why I’m writing this.
I love to use computers, and I love to find great programs to use that don’t cost anything. This is, to a large extent, because I have LOTS of computers. The most recent full version of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Power Point, etc.) retails for around $400.00. This is for ONE license….in other words, I can install it on ONE computer. Since I have a laptop, my wife has a laptop, my boys both have desktops, and we have two other desktop computers, this would mean I’d have to part with around $2000.00 to install Microsoft Office. I realize there are other versions of Office that are designed for home use, that would “only” cost me around $140 for a 3-user license of Office Home and Student. Still, I’d need two copies of that, which is still approaching $300. I’d have to then pay this AGAIN every few years in order to stay up to date with the rest of the world. HOGWASH. I have no interest in this.
Instead, I suggest everyone in the world use Open Office. It’s FREE. It opens Word files. It opens Excel files. It opens Power Point files. It opens Access databases. You can make changes to those files, save them, and collaborate with others using whatever version of Microsoft Office they have. The beauty of it is that you no longer care. Oh, it can also run on Mac, Linux, and UNIX operating systems. It’s free on those, too.
You can download this great software at http://www.openoffice.org.
OK, Microsoft Office is listed first because that’s what most people want, and contact us asking why it’s not free. So, there’s a great alternative. However, there’s a lot more great software out there! Read on…….
I HIGHLY SUGGEST you have multiple web browsers on your computer. Web browsers are programs like Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, commonly referred to by me and other IT geeks as “Internet Exploder.” We call it that for a very good reason — Internet Explorer is so full of security holes and flaws that it constantly causes a computer to seemingly explode due to viruses and malware of all sorts that infect nearly all computers these days. Now, I’m not here to tell you that every other web browser is more secure — however, that may very well be the case. The simple fact of the matter is that if you have more than one web browser on your computer, you’ll likely be able to get online to download the tools you need to fix your problem with another web browser that has been hijacked or isn’t working. There are many great browsers out there, but I’d suggest downloading and installing ALL of the following browsers. Each is free and works great. Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari. One thing that stinks just a bit is that for each browser, you’ll need to install any plugins you need, such as Flash Player, Adobe Reader, and Java.
So, we’ve covered web browsers and office productivity software. There are still lots of things that will help your computing experience to improve. Below is a list of other free software that I’ve found useful:
GIMP – Photo Editing software, free versions for Windows, Mac and Linux.
More free software coming soon….
