Free Software Links

Overview

All the software listed on this page is entirely free; there are no "trial versions" or crippleware included in this list. Some titles are made freely available by commercial software companies; therefore, the status of these titles may change in the future. Titles identified as Open Source will always be available free of charge. If you are looking for tutorials on these and other software titles, click here.

Title	Description	Platforms	Open Source
Office Suites
Open Office	An open source alternative to Microsoft Office. Open Office can save files in Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats.
Neo Office	The Macintosh version of Open Office
Star Office	Commercial version of Open Office. Free for educational use.
Portable Apps	Portable apps customizes many open source applications for installation on a USB thumb drive or portable hard drive, allowing the user to transport his/her own personal set of applications wherever he/she goes. Applications include Open Office, Firefox, Thunderbird, Kompozer, Pidgin, Audacity, GIMP, Inkscape, and more.
Internet Apps
Kompozer	A WYSIWYG web page editor.
Firefox	A web browser many deem to be far more secure than Internet Explorer.
Thunderbird	An email client which adeptly handles multiple email accounts. Many consider it to be far more secure than Outlook.
Skype	Voice (and video) conferencing
Pidgin	Pidgin can serve as a single instant messaging client for all the following: MSN, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, AIM, ICQ, MySpace IM, IRC, and more
Sound & Image Editing
Audacity	An audio editor which can handle multiple tracks of sound.
Irfanview	A simple image editor and viewer. Handles many image types.
GIMP	Powerful - albeit somewhat complex - image manipulation program. Mac version available through MacPorts
Paint.NET	A surprisingly powerful image manipulation program.
Picasa	Linux version is a Windows port running under WINE
Photostory	Creates sophisticated image slideshows with only a few mouse clicks.
Inkscape	A powerful vector graphics editor.
Tux Paint	An entertaining graphics program for students aged 3 and up.
SqirlzMorph	Morph one image into another easily. Capable of handling multiple images.
Education
Tux Type	A simple typing tutor. Good for reinforcement for those who know basic keyboarding.
Players & Readers
Acrobat Reader	View PDF files.
Flash Player	Necessary for much online interactive content and for such sites as Youtube.
Shockwave Player	Required for many interactive educational web sites
Media Player Classic	A simple, lightweight media player capable of handling many media formats.
VLC Player	A simple, lightweight media player capable of handling many media formats.
Quicktime Alternative	For those who don't care for Quicktime's bloat and insistence on constant updates.
Real Alternative	For those who need to play Real Player files/streams but can't abide its invasive tendencies.
WinAmp	A popular alternative to Windows Media Player
Utilities & Security
PDF Creator	Creates PDF files simply and easily. Recommended for Windows XP.
Cute PDF Writer	Creates PDF files simply and easily. Recommended for Windows Vista.
AVG Antivirus	A free alternative to Norton/Symantec or McAfee Antivirus
Adaware	Scans your computer for spyware.
Spybot	Scans your computer for spyware.
Synctoy	Syncronizes folders or drives. May be used to sync a folder to a portable device (USB Thumb Drive or Portable Hard Drive) or as a backup either to an external/portable device or a network location.
7-zip	File compression utility
Bulk Rename	Allows complex, bulk renaming of files. Great for pictures, music files, videos, ...
desktop Google Desktop	A collection of applets including a sidebar, and RSS feed. The most useful application, particularly for Windows XP users, is probably the indexed search tool.