Playing around with the latest software can be fun, but it's expensive. So why not try free alternatives? They may not have all the features of their full-price brethren, but you won't have to pay hundreds of dollars to use them. These programs run on Mac OS, and Windows:
- Word Processing: OOo Writer or AbiWord
- Spreadsheet: OOo Calc or Gnumeric
- 3D Computer Graphics: Art of Illusion or Blender
- Photo Editing: GIMP or Aviary
- Media Player: VLC
- Video Editor: Avidemux or CinePaint
- Sound Editor: Audacity or REAPER
Look at how happy free programs have made the kid pictured above. Try them out. What do you have to lose?
Let us know if you've found any other free alternatives to expensive applications.
--Cody
Photo taken from this photostream and used with permission of a Creative Commons license.
I got software when I purchased my computer, but many of my friends love the Word Processing suite "Open Office" available for free at www.openoffice.org
Hi Jessica. Open Office is a very popular software package. We included the Writer and Calc programs above, but the suite also offers other useful programs. Thanks for chiming in!
http://www.freebyte.com/graphicprograms/
Inkscape is my favorite open source software program listed on this web page. It's so similar to Adobe Illustrator--I currently use both programs. One of the many great things about Inkscape and the other free software alternatives are that you can find tons of tutorials on how to use the program online.
Thanks for sharing. Inkscape looks like it's worth checking out.
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