Ever hear the old adage the best things in life are free?
We all have probably heard it one time or another, but there is some truth in this old saying. This time, we’ll take a look at some free software and programs that rival their pricey duals. A quick search should bring up a link to download these if a URL is not given. Also, www.download.com makes a great tool for fetching some of these handy software apps.
OpenOffice
Don’t feel like spending $150 or more on Microsoft Office? Try Open Office!
It’s 100% free and can be obtained at www.openoffice.org. In this little gem you’ll find a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software, database software and more. And it’s compatible with Microsoft Office among others.
Watch TV on Your PC
Watch TV on your PC without adding hardware: check out AnyTV from FDRlab. They say you can get thousands of TV and radio stations from around the world, but the results may vary. Either way, you’ll still have plenty of watching/listening to do as you explore familiar stations and others you’ve probably never heard of before.
Stop SPAM
SPAM was the subject of a different article, but here’s another tip: try Spamihilator. It’ll catch email before it gets to your inbox and check it, and it has a recycle bin so you can retrieve the emails you actually wanted if it makes a mistake. Also contained in the program is the functionality to block senders and certain attachments, if you so desire.
Browser & Email
Many are already aware that Firefox from Mozilla is an awesome browser, which some say is better and more secure than Internet Explorer. Why not give it a try? Go to www.mozilla.org. While you’re there, check out their free email program Thunderbird.
Do you edit your own web page? Did you install Firefox yet? If so, you can put a free FTP application into the venerable browser. Do a search for FireFTP.
Get Coupon Codes
Savvy Internet shoppers know to check for coupon codes before checking out, but why spend the extra time when you can make it easier and quicker? Try the coupon codes tool bar for Internet Explorer.
One Great Media Player
Can’t play that file with Windows Media Player? No sweat! Download VLC Media Player, it’ll play many things WMP (could this possibly mean wimp?) won’t.
Free Image Editing Software
Photoshop costs a lot of money. Want free photo editing software? Google’s Picasa is free, and top-notch. Give it a whirl. Go to Google, and type Google Picasa in the search box.
More free photo editing software — another image editor that rivals Photoshop is GIMP. Get it at www.gimp.org.
Free DVD Burning Software
Need to burn a CD or DVD but not crazy about the restrictiveness of the Windows built-in disc burning software?
Give CDBurnerXP a try. Don’t let the name fool you — the program is compatible with XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8; both 32 and 64 bit versions.
Not only does CDBurnerXP burn CDs and DVDs, it will also burn Blu-Ray discs and handle ISO files (and much more).
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