The Best Free Software Programs

Sometimes the best things in life are free, and that includes software. Here are some of the best.

We’ve all heard the expressions “you get what you pay for” and “nothing in this world is free” before. But as any online-savvy computer user can tell you, if you spent some time in cyberspace you might beg to differ.

Literally hundreds of free programs are available (as downloadable software or online-only applications) that are guaranteed to increase fun and productivity, yet won’t cost you a dime. And while these offerings might be as feature-rich as their paid counterparts, you might just be surprised at the scope and quality of the selection that’s out there today.

Ready to enjoy the best for less? Put away your wallet and take heed to the following freebies.

Digital Photography and Editing

Chances are you already know about Google’s Picasa (picasa.google.com), a free downloadable program ideal for novice users that lets you manage, edit and share your digital photo collection, but there are other free photo programs worth noting. Adobe has launched Photoshop Express (photoshop.com/express), an intuitive online application allowing you to upload up to 2 gigabytes (2GB) of photos, make edits and share them via email or social networking sites such as Facebook. More advanced users in search of free software might consider GIMP (gimp.org), available for Windows, Mac, Linux and other systems, with its customizable interface and powerful editing options that range from retouching, cropping, resizing and conversion to more sophisticated image manipulation and effects.

Screenshot of Picasa

Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware

In today’s computer-driven day and age, it’s absolutely critical to have an anti-virus program installed on your PC to safeguard against malicious threats on the Internet — and update it on a regular basis to ensure you have the latest safeguards installed. Sure, you can spend up to $50 on an annual subscription with McAffee or Norton, but also consider the award-winning, complimentary AVG Free (free.avg.com) or Avast (www.avast.com) instead, which give you protection against viruses and spyware. (Spyware usually refers to nasty Trojan programs you don’t realize you’re downloading that can monitor your Net surfing behaviour, generate annoying pop-up windows, hijack your browser home page and slow down your PC’s performance.) Anti-spyware tools that won’t cost you a penny include Windows Defender (microsoft.com/defender) and Ad-Aware 2008 Free (lavasoft.com).

Online Backup and Storage

As opposed to burning a DVD or utilizing an external hard drive, online backup solutions are becoming an increasingly popular alternative because these offsite file storage repositories which hold vital data (i.e. irreplaceable photos or work documents) are protected against common home threats, such as theft, fire or flood. Microsoft’s Windows Live SkyDrive (skydrive.live.com) gives you 5 gigabytes (GB) of free storage, and not only is this password-protected online drive easy to use, but you can also access your files from any Internet-connected computer in the world (which can prove very handy while traveling). In addition, you can further make some folders accessible to friends and family, so they can easily download files too large to email, such as digital videos of birthdays and weddings.

Screenshot of Microsoft Windows Live SkyDrive

Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Databases, Presentations and Office Applications

The online-only Google Docs & Spreadsheets (docs.google.com) and downloadable OpenOffice.org 2 (openoffice.org) are both free options for word processing and spreadsheet creation – though neither is as feature-rich as Microsoft Office. Google’s offering supports popular Microsoft and Open Office file formats and lets users collaborate online in real time. Note that while generally you need to be online to use Google Docs & Spreadsheets, users of Google Gears (gears.google.com) can save documents to a hard drive to work offline, or sync files with a compatible cell phone (such as a BlackBerry). Sun Microsystems’ OpenOffice.org 2, which also runs on multiple operating systems, is an “open software” download that offers some of the functionality found in Microsoft Office, including word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, databases and graphics. Zoho’s online productivity suite (www.zoho.com) also provides a number of gratis services to help with invoicing, recruitment, project management and scheduling.

Open Office Screenshot

Music and Video

Media management programs such as Apple’s iTunes (itunes.com) and Microsoft’s Windows Media Player (windowsmedia.com) are completely free suites that let you organize your music collection into playlists, rip the contents of a music CD to your hard drive, burn a recordable disc and of course, let you play music whether it’s in the background while Web surfing or beckoning friends onto the dance floor at your next house party. Both of these programs also handle video, too, allowing you to watch movies, camcorder footage, music videos and TV shows, and in some cases stream audio/video or download new content and synchronize it all with your favorite media player.

Finally, don’t forget to get yourself a free Gmail (www.gmail.com) account either to write in and tell us all your personal favorites – thanks to the sheer breadth and depth of today’s Internet, when it comes to free, first-rate software applications, these are just the tip of the iceberg.