Monday, December 3rd, 2007...10:30 am
Software Piracy Is So 1997 - Try Freeware and Open Source Programs Instead!
I’m going to start off this post by being totally honest - I have used pirated software in the past. Back in high school, I thought I was pretty sweet because I snagged a copy of Adobe Photoshop 7.0 (and numerous other applications) for free. Needless to say, I wasn’t exactly a hit with the ladies - many of them don’t find the latest “0-d4y w4r3z” all that enthralling.
Personal anecdotes aside, one of the main reasons I stopped is because of the rise of freeware and open-source software. Today, there are a ton of different programs that can perform most of the necessary tasks on a computer and more, all for the whopping price of $0.00. As my dad always says - we can fit free into the budget. The early days were often defined by rough/poor coding and/or crippled functionality/user unfriendliness - however as these programs and projects have matured, so have the feature sets and aesthetic properties. Oftentimes, these free alternatives can be more than sufficient for most users - unless you absolutely require CMYK support for offset printing for your LOLcat images, you probably don’t need all of the features in Adobe Photoshop CS3 (and you probably don’t want/need to pay $650 for the license).
Below the jump, I’ve compiled a non-exhaustive list of some of the free and open source software that I use regularly and recommend to freelance clients, friends and family alike. I’ve divided it up by broad category to make browsing/searching a bit easier. If you have any suggestions for additions, throw them in the comments!
Application Software
Office/Productivity
OpenOffice: Open source office suite, partnered with Sun Microsystems - very full featured. Includes Writer (Word Processor), Calc (Spreadsheet), Draw (Drawing/Diagramming), Impress (Presentation), Math (Equation Editor), It can read and save in both MS Office 97-2003 and OpenDocument formats - to name just a few. I’ve written numerous papers using it, and it handled them just fine. It also saves directly to PDF - no third-party program required. There are a few features that are different/missing - if you are strictly comparing MS Office and OpenOffice. However, for 99% of users, OpenOffice is more than enough! OpenOffice is cross platform (Windows/Mac OSX/Linux/Solaris) - which makes interoperability pretty easy in mixed networks/houses.
Mozilla Thunderbird: Excellent open source e-mail client that supports the IMAP and POP3 protocols - the protocols that most ISP/universities use to provide e-mail. The built in spam filter is pretty solid and it can be extended through plugins (like its Mozilla cousin, Firefox). It’s also cross-platform (Windows/Mac OSX/Linux).
CutePDF: While Mac OSX and Linux have relatively easy ways to export to PDF natively built in, Windows versions up to Vista seem to lack this capability. If you need to create PDFs, but don’t feel like shelling out $150 for Adobe Acrobat (and don’t need the advanced features), check the freeware (not open source) CutePDF out. It mimics a printer - so all you do is name the file and it spits out a PDF for you. It’s also nice and unobtrusive.
Imaging/Graphics/Audio
The GIMP: The GNU Image Manipulation Program has been around for ages and keeps getting better. I use it for all of my graphic creation needs (the header was created using it) - as it does a pretty solid job for what I need it to do. It may not be the exact equal of Photoshop (there are a lot more “professional” features in Adobe’s product - hence the $650 price tag), but for a lot of people who aren’t creating multinational print ad campaigns - it gets the job done well. The GIMP is available for Windows/Mac OSX/Linux - with full source code too thanks to its open source status!
Irfanview: This is my favorite freeware photo viewer/basic editor program for Windows. It is pretty light weight, allows for basic cropping/etc., can do batch conversions/resizing and can handle a ton of file formats. It is a welcome alternative to the bloated and corpulent image programs that often come with digital cameras. The only kicker is that it gives you the option of installing Google Toolbar along with it (to support the author) - you can opt out of it, however.
Exact Audio Copy: The gold standard of CD “ripping” programs. A freeware program for Windows only (but can be used with WINE on Linux), EAC is geared towards getting the best possible rip from a CD. I’ve gotten some great MP3s off of CDs with visible scratches on them. It can also do tagging and do freedb CD lookups. Highly recommended.
VLC: This program may not be as flashy as Windows Media Player, but it makes up for it’s lack of out of the box prettiness with the ability to play just about any file you can throw at it (including DVDs) out of the box - no external codecs required. It can even play partially downloaded/damaged files! It also allows for skins - which can solve the slightly clunky looking interface problem.
System Software
Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware
AVG Free Edition: Developed by Grisoft, a company based out of the Czech Republic, this free virus scan suite is remarkably full-featured. It does auto-update, auto-scan at pre-determined times and has a AV engine that beats out many paid products. The best thing about it is that it doesn’t unnecessarily hog resources - unlike the ridiculously bloated UIs that McAfee and Symantec sport. It doesn’t have all of the features that others may have (like an anti-spyware engine), but for basic virus protection - an updated version of this does a darn good job.
Spybot S&D: Great piece of freeware that has established itself as a quality anti-spyware program. It is remarkably full-featured, with on-demand scanning as well as “immunization” to help prevent spyware from getting in to begin with. Spyware pushers have tried to have the program shut down through illegal DDOS attacks as well as lawsuits - so you know it cuts into their bottom line through its effectiveness.
Lavasoft Ad-Aware: Another grizzled veteran of the constant fight against spyware. The free version does an excellent job of cutting through spyware like a machete through soft butter. This is another essential piece of any anti-spyware arsenal.
System Optimization/Clean Up
CCleaner: This is an amazing piece of freeware. It will clean junk out of your machine that you never knew existed. It’s amazing the speed increases you can get when you de-clutter your computer’s hard drive by getting rid of some of the temporary files that shouldn’t be there. It is super-fast and always prompts you before deleting things. I’ve seen people be able to get rid of over 1 GB of random junk files in one fell swoop. It also has the ability to analyze and fix registry problems/clutter and to edit start-up programs.
Hopefully this overview provides you with some great alternatives to commercial software. The fact that these are free (usually for non-commercial use) can help you save some precious dollars when you go for a new computer or need to perform a certain task. They can also be helpful for non-profits, which often have tight technology budgets. Check them out and feel free to comment with your thoughts on the software highlighted/any good pieces of software I missed.
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