Equipping Your Windows Computer with Free Software
This page gives a basic list of free software to fulfill the basic productivity tasks for a Windows system at home or in a small business. (This is primarily designed as a reference source for my clients after I have discussed their needs with them.) There are certain tasks for which you may need specific commercial software. It can be quite expensive to get a good office suite, for example, but the necessary software is available free.
This page is not intended for experienced users. You can find a greater selection by doing a web search. Also, the list deals only with Windows software. I figure that those who can get set up with a Linux system have probably already moved beyond this list.
Office Productivity Suite
I have no hesitation in recommending OpenOffice.org. You can download the file, and it will install with little or no difficulty on any Windows XP system. It can exchange most files with Microsoft Office. Those used to the Office user interface may find conversion interesting, because while there has been some effort in the most recent version to make the system more similar to Microsoft Word, there are enough differences to make you stumble until you get used to the work.
Web Browser and E-Mail
I recommend Firefox which is open source and under continuous improvement. For e-mail, Thunderbird. Note that Thunderbird does not have the calendar features of Outlook, so you may want to use Sunbird, either as an add-in, or as a stand-alone program.
Graphics
For basic graphics try PaintDotNet which is a much expanded version of the basic Windows Paint program. If you require more sophisticated capabilities, try Gimp. The Gimp user interface will seem somewhat odd to Windows users, but with a little effort you can master it. If you've used Linux, the interface will be much more familiar.
For vector graphics, Inkscape. Generally users who need vector graphics know what they are and why they would need them. For touching up pictures and printing them, for example, one of the first two programs that do bitmapped graphics are quite sufficient.
Accounting
I have not had much time to test accounting software, and am just now working on switching my own accounts to something open source. Two programs look very good to me. TurboCash is open source and free, though there is a charge for some of the plug-ins that only come on the CD. As an alternative, check Lazy8Ledger which is a plugin to jEdit, a quite nice programmer's editor written in Java.
Audio Editing
I'm no expert in the area of audio editing, but when I needed a package to create some MP3 files I found Audacity and for my basic needs it has proven better than anything I've tried before. I would check it out before putting down money for a commercial product which you haven't tested. It's definitely worth trying.
Final Note
Make sure that when you locate a piece of free software it is really free. Ad supported software often introduces spyware, and certainly will introduce at least some from of adware. You want to be very, very sure you want that when you install the software.
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