A run for their money
By Paul Taylor in New York
Published: March 8 2007 17:36 | Last updated: March 8 2007 17:36
There may be no such thing as a “free lunch”, but the web is awash with free software, some of it excellent. Could it be that you need never pay for software again?
Software such as Zone Labs’ Zone Alarm (www. zonelabs.com) and Cyber System’s AI Roboform (www.roboform.com) is offered as a taster. Other packages, such as the Firefox web browser (www.mozilla.com) and Thunderbird e-mail software, are open-source software designed to be free to use and adapt.
While Microsoft’s latest web browser, Internet Explorer 7, is much improved, Firefox still has an edge, in part because of a fast-expanding range of useful browser add-ons and “mash-ups” designed to work with it.
Similarly, Thunderbird is a full-featured e-mail package that is easy to use, powerful and customisable. It supports the main e-mail protocols and comes with integrated junk e-mail filtering and anti-phishing technology, as well as built-in support for RSS (really simple syndication) newsfeed capabilities and powerful e-mail management features.
Like other free packages, both Firefox and Thunderbird operate simply and efficiently without the clutter of some commercial software. You can try them out and if you do not like them most come with an uninstall option. But a degree of caution is also in order.
Is free software safe? Most is fine, but it makes sense to use security software including a solid firewall – to block malware and intruders – and an anti-spyware package. My favourite free firewall programs include Zone Alarm, which may not have all the features of the “Pro” version but is still very effective, while Comodo Firewall (www.comodogroup.com) is a solid alternative.
For a good free anti-spyware package, try Tenebril’s SpyCatcher Express edition (www.tenebril.com), which has most of the features of Tenebril’s commercial package. Grisoft’s AVG Free Edition (www.grisoft. com) is one of the best standalone antivirus packages. AVG scans files and monitors incoming and outgoing e-mail and the latest version, AVG 7.5 Free Edition, also runs on Microsoft’s new Vista operating system.
Back-up software and services are among the essential elements of any PC security plan and there is a growing number of free or very low-cost options for PC users. One of my favourites is Mozy (www.mozy.com), a web-based service that provides up to 2Gb of free storage with more available cheaply. In addition, password managers such as AI RoboForm make password generation and management straightforward.
Most people use PCs for three main functions – personal productivity, communication and entertainment – and there is free software in all three categories.
For personal productivity, OpenOffice, an open-source package developed by the OpenOffice.org project, includes a solid MS Office-compatible word processor and spreadsheet as well as a presentation package and database (www.openoffice.org). OpenOffice is fairly easy to install and use and reliably opens and saves documents in MS Office format, but occasionally some of the advanced formatting features in Word get mangled.
Some of the new online office suites such as Zoho Office Suite (www.zoho.com), ThinkFree Office Suite (www.thinkfree.com) and Google’s updated Docs & Spreadsheets (www.google.com) are also worth a look.
Last week Corel (www.corel.com) joined with WordPerfect Lightning, a word processor that combines a desktop-based application with online collaboration and storage features. Lightning includes a “notes” tool to save text and images from the internet, and a “viewer” that can handle the portable document format (.pdf), WordPerfect and Microsoft’s Word documents.
An alternative approach is provided by LogMeIn (www. logmein.com). LogMeIn Hamachi allows users to set up a virtual local area network, while LogMeIn Free provides easy and secure remote access to a PC.
When it comes to communications tools, a few packages stand out. Skype (www.skype.com) has evolved from a geeky PC-to-PC VoIP (voice over internet protocol) tool into a fully featured internet based communications package that, with the addition of Skype WiFi handsets and Skype-in/Skype-out numbers, is a good alternative to traditional phone services.
Skype has also become a rival to online chat/conferencing but lacks the sophistication of dedicated video conferencing tools including my favourite, Sightspeed (www.sightspeed.com). With a reasonable webcam, SightSpeed supports full-motion 30 frame per second video calls, VoIP voice calls, chat and conference calling over a broadband connection that rivals commercial packages.
My favourite free software packages include a few that are designed to help users store and organise media content. Google’s Picasa 2.0 is one of the best and easiest tools for editing and managing a library of digital images while Gimp (www. gimp.org) is a powerful open source image editing suite.
For managing and playing back audio files, Winamp (www.nullsoft.com) provides an alternative to glitzy media players such as Windows Media Player, Apple’s iTunes and RealPlayer with the added advantages of taking up a minimum of hard disc space and the ability to play almost every non-DRM (digital rights management) protected audio format.
Last, there are packages such as Yahoo! Desktop Search and Google Desktop. These search tools index all types of files stored on a PC and make them quick and easy to find. My favourite is Yahoo Desktop Search, which is based on X1 Technolgies’ search technology (www.x1.com).
Most PC users will still need to buy software, but you should take a look at the free options before you buy.
‘Distro’?alternative?to?Windows
Contrary to popular perception, the price of desktop operating systems has remained remarkably stable over recent years. Windows 98 cost $208 when it was launched and Vista Home premium edition costs $239. Nevertheless, the plunging price of PC hardware means the relative cost of PC operating systems has climbed.
So, for some PC users, particularly those keen to continue to use an old machine, perhaps as a second device after upgrading to a new one, it may be worth considering installing one of the free desktop Linux operating systems now available. But you must be reasonably technology savvy because most rely entirely on community support.
While desktop Linux has failed to make serious inroads into the market dominated by Microsoft Windows (and to a lesser extent, Apple’s OS X operating system) the latest “distributions” – or “distros” in tech lingo – have made considerable strides in terms of functionality and simplicity. Among them, a handful stand out including Novell’s openSuse 10.2 (www.novell.com/products/opensuse), Linspire’s Freespire (www.freespire.org), SimplyMepis (www.mepis.org), and Ubuntu (www.ubuntu.com)
My favourite is Ubuntu because it is easy to install and use, comes with a selection of good desktop software and is updated on a regular basis. But if your budget stretches to $40, I recommend Xandros Desktop Home.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007 |
