EBizInsider

If you�ve ever had to purchase software, you�ve probably debated it and then either bitten the bullet or gone without. Software is EXPENSIVE!

However, while companies like Microsoft and Adobe have the majority of market share on software, developers are constantly creating free or inexpensive alternatives that you can download for free and avoid dropping thousands of your hard-earned dollars.

Star Office is a suite, similar to Microsoft Office that includes integrated word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and presentations. It can also open files from and save files as Word, Excel, Access, and Powerpoint.

Thunderbird is an integrated reader for e-mail and newsgroups which does almost all of the things Outlook will do, especially when partnered with Lightning Calendar Manager.

Google Apps is a free web-based software suite. Apps includes document management for word processing and spreadsheets (including team-level collaboration), personal and shared calendars, RSS feed reader, and Google�s Gmail e-mail web client. Also, the information is stored totally on the web � so you don�t have to worry about viruses, computer failures, etc. You can always export everything to your personal computer as a backup. A premiere edition with multiple users� accounts and increased storage will cost $50 per user, annually.

AVG Free is an antivirus client that does just that. It detects and cleans viruses on your personal PC. Use in a corporate or office environment will cost about $30 per machine.

Gimp is a free image editing and manipulation program, with many of the functions of Adobe Photoshop.

For editing HTML, CSS, and other text-based languages, PSPad is a great free utility. For about 15% the price of Dreamweaver, you can also get TopStyle Pro for all your mark-up programming needs.

All of these programs are similar to their pricey counterparts and take a little getting used to if you�ve learned the �Microsoft� or �Adobe� way. The benefit � you�ll save a bundle of money so you can afford to take your favorite computer geek out for a nice dinner.

I want to know if you have favorite free (or inexpensive) software utilities you use. E-mail me suggestions to johnd@ebizinsider.com. I�ll check out your suggestion.

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More Resources

• Looking for a program for editing images? Check out Paint.Net
• The website Giveaway of the Day often has expensive utilities available for 24 hours for free. You need to download and activate within the 24 hour period or they won’t work.

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