Free and Open Source Software

I’m not a computer expert, but I do like tinkering with my computer and I really like finding a good deal.  There is some pretty good free and open source software out there if you know where to look.  When you don’t have much money to spend, free is good, and sometimes free works even better than commercial software that costs lots of money.

I live in a semi-rural area and still use dial-up internet access, which just isn’t practical for downloading large 10Mb – 150Mb programs.  I use the high-speed internet at my local library to download programs onto a small, portable USB flash drive (thumb drive, memory stick).  When I get home I always run a virus scan first on the flash drive, and then I can copy and install programs onto my home computer.

Here are some programs I’ve found to be very useful:

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
I think it’s just as good as antivirus products from Norton & McAfee, and it’s free for personal use.  Go to www.download.com and search on the phrase “AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition” with the quotes.

Advanced Systemcare Free
A utility program for spyware removal, Registry cleaning, a privacy sweep, and deletion of junk files.  Go to www.download.com and search on the phrase “Advanced Systemcare Free” with the quotes.

Comodo Personal Firewall
Secures your system against internal attacks such as Trojan viruses / malicious software and external attacks by hackers.  Go to www.download.com and search on the phrase “Comodo Personal Firewall” with the quotes.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Scans for and removes Malware (malicious software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer without the owner’s consent).  Go to www.download.com and search on the phrase “Malwarebytes Anti-Malware” with the quotes.

SyncBack
Back up or restore files to drives or removable media.  Go to www.download.com and search on the phrase “Syncback” with the quotes.  If you’re not backing up your important files, just wait until your computer crashes and then you’ll wish you had backed up your files.

OpenOffice.org
An office productivity suite that includes a word processor, spreadsheet program, presentation manager, and a drawing program, with a user interface and feature set similar to those of other office suites. OpenOffice.org also works with a variety of file formats including those of Microsoft Office.  Go to www.download.com and search on the phrase “Openoffice.org” with the quotes.  This software is excellent, and you can save your documents as .pdf files.

WARNING!  You can really mess things up if you don’t know what you’re doing.  If you’re not familiar with installing software, find someone who is, who can help you.

Labels: Internet