Software can be expensive. Very expensive. The cost of Windows alone runs over $100, Microsoft Office will set you back another $100, and various other software can quickly add up. By the time you're done, the cost of the software you are loading onto a computer can easily exceed the cost of the physical components.
However, for many of these expensive software programs, there are free alternatives available. Before you pay hundreds of dollars for expensive software, it might be worth your time to see if a free program might meet your needs. While these programs will differ in their capabilities and performance, many of them will work similar to their expensive counterparts.
By now, you are probably wondering, "Are these programs really free?" The answer is yes! Many of these programs are considered open-source, which means that the program's code is freely available. If you know how to write code, you could even download the code and edit it to add features. (While I have some familiarity with coding, I prefer to simply contact the software developer and request that they add a new feature in the next version.)
The companies that produce open-source software make their money from selling support and custom development packages to companies that use their software. Many will also ask for a donation when you download the software. A few of the programs on this list are not open-source, but in each case, the company has developed its own way to cover its costs outside of charging for the software.
Now, here is my list of free replacement software:
Windows - Yes, you aren't stuck with Windows on a non-Apple computer. There are many open-source operating systems available for your computer, most of which are based on the Linux kernel. My preferred version is Ubuntu. For geeks, a new version is released every six months, and for typical users, an edition is released every-other April that offers long-term (5 years) support for security flaws.
I recommend sticking with Windows unless you are an advanced computer user. Installing an operating system has become much easier, but it still takes some know-how. Then, you will have to learn an entirely new interface. Finally, most computers come with a Windows license included in the purchase, so there is really no reason to switch to a different operating system unless you are building your own system.
Office - Before you spend over $100 on a version of Office, give LibreOffice a try. Before I started my business and wanted to use some of the more advanced programming features of Access, I was a LibreOffice user exclusively. Writer, Calc, and Impress have almost all of the features of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and they even contain some that are not included in Microsoft's software. Plus, they can open and save documents in Office format, so you can easily share documents with Office users. If I have one criticism, it would be the lack of features in the database program (Base), but most users are not going to be creating complex databases, anyway.
Outlook - One item included with some versions of Microsoft Office that is missing in LibreOffice is a desktop email client. While most people simply connect to their email from a browser window, some people prefer to have desktop software for offline access to email. If you are among the group preferring desktop email access, check out Thunderbird. It contains most of the features of Outlook.
Internet Explorer - Internet Explorer is already a "free" program (included with your purchase of Windows), but you may find that another internet browser may work better for you. Firefox is a great open-source browser that many say works faster and better than Internet Explorer. Google's Chrome browser is my preferred choice, but many people try to avoid using Google products.
Windows Media Player - This one is also "free" with Windows, but once again, there are other options available. One of my favorite media players is VLC. This is a lightweight player that, in my opinion, functions much better than Media Player. It does not require codec installation for different media formats, and it also has the ability to play broken files that other media players will not play.
I'm running out of space for today, but we're not done yet! Tomorrow, I will finish the list for you!
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