Okay, so you've bought a new computer (or you already own one) and you need some software. Here's a list of commonly used software titles and their prices:
- Microsoft Office 2007 Standard Edition (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) ---- $399.95 (Full version, directly from Microsoft)
- Adobe Acrobat 9 Standard (Ability to make and share PDF files) ----------------$299.00 (Full version, directly from Adobe)
- Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 (Photo-editing software) --------------------------------$79.99 (Full version, directly from Corel)
- Trend Micro Internet Security 2008 (Anti-virus, Anti-spyware, and Firewall-1yr)----$57.94 (Full version, directly from Trend Micro)
- Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium ------------------------------------------$239.99 (Full version, from Best Buy)
For someone with no software at all on their computer, that brings the price of this software, much of which is commonly offered by Dell, Gateway, etc. to (drum roll, please) $1076.87!!! Often times this is more than what the computer itself costs. Now, granted, the prices above are cheaper for upgrading from previous versions, but the cost of upgrades is still $576.87 (calculated from the prices given at the same retailers above).
There has to be a cheaper way.
And there is! Through the magic of freeware and open-source software, programs that have the same, if not more advanced, features can be acquired for as little as no money at all!
Let's back up for a minute, and for those of you who don't know what freeware and open-source software is, I'll explain it.
Freeware is software that has been made available by its creator(s) for free. Sometimes, this software is in its beta, or pre-release, version. This software is proprietary, and only the programmer has access to how it is developed.
Open-source software is programs that are free, not just in price, but also in terms of development. By that, I mean that the "source code", or the actual programming language of the program, has also been released so that anyone may help develop it. This software is often widely distributed, and many open-source titles are well known.
Now, I'll return to how you can save yourself money and time with free and open-source software.
For starters, here's an excellent and renowned substitute for Microsoft Office 2007 and Adobe Acrobat 9 Standard:
OpenOffice 2 - This productivity suite from Sun Java includes Writer (a word processor), Calc (a spreadsheet creator), Impress (a presentation designer), and Base (a database designer). All of these programs are free to download as you wish, can be shared freely, and documents can be easily exported to the PDF format straight from each program! Best of all, each of these programs is almost identical to their Microsoft Office counterparts, and these programs can also be upgraded with extra functionality for free! The link to the OpenOffice is right here:www.openoffice.org
Paintshop Pro can be easily substituted with this software:
GIMP - This software has all of the photo-editing capabilities of Paintshop Pro and more, as well as an interface designed to mirror that of Paintshop. It, of course, is free to download, and it has a very nice support group behind it as well, with lots of documentation to search if needed. GIMP is an open-source program that is developed and maintained by a group of programmers working together. The link can be found here: www.gimp.org
Here are several free anti-virus programs (although there are many more), as well as a brief description of each:
- avast! Home Edition free - a well-known program that provides anti-virus, anti-spyware, antis-pam, and personal firewall capabilities. In order to use it, you must register through e-mail after sixty days, and once every year afterward, but once registered you get free updates, protection, and support all wrapped up in one package. Here's the web address: www.avast.com
- AVG Anti-virus Free Edition - again, a well-known program by a very renowned company that provides anti-virus and anti-spyware protection, but only on a more basic level. Also, customization is severely limited in some parts, and updates are slower than those of the commercial version. Still, it provides basic protection for those who do not do a lot of on-line computing. The link is www.free.avg.com
- BitDefender Free Edition - BitDefender is widely trusted as a very good if not excellent provider of computer security software. Their free anti-virus software provides very basic features: on-demand scanning and virus removal. It does NOT provide real-time protection, which is highly recommended. The link for BitDefender Free Edition is www.bitdefender.com
- Comodo Firewall Pro - This program provides real-time anti-virus and anti-spyware protection, as well as a potent firewall. Comodo is well-known in the server security business and is a major provider of SSL certificates. The link for the software is www.personalfirewall.comodo.com
- DriveSentry - This software provides anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-rootkit protection. It uses a unique tri-layer protection approach, in which lists of trusted and not trusted programs are compared against the programs in your computer, and the untrusted ones are identified. Unknown programs can be discussed online with the DriveSentry community to determine their purpose. They also offer a version for removable storage drives. Here's the link: www.drivesentry.com
As often is the case, I should warn you that many of these programs, while free, do not provide all of the protection that their commercial siblings do, and no anti-virus program is perfect. Therefore, these programs are to be used at your own risk, and I (the author of this) take no responsibility for any problems that may occur.
For those of you who truly want free software, you can use Linux as an operating system. Be warned though that most programs that work with Windows and/or Mac probably will not work with Linux. I have provided a few links below for common Linux systems, but I recommend that only advanced users attempt to substitute Linux for Windows or Mac.
I'm sure that there are countless other variations of Linux - advanced users might want to explore some of the more specialized versions of it.
Finally, before I end this guide, I should throw in some additional software that is very, very useful:
Mozilla Firefox - ah, how I love Firefox. A very popular substitute for Internet Explorer, Firefox is open-source and tends to be more secure than Microsoft's default web browser. A heated debate continues over which is better; my experiences lean toward Firefox, but others have found IE to work better. Firefox is free, customizable, and upgradeable. Try it out for yourself - the website is www.firefox.com 
Mozilla Thunderbird - a free replacement for Microsoft Outlook, it can be upgraded through the use of Mozilla's Lightning program to add scheduling capabilities (although they are less sophisticated than Outlook's). This program is developed by the same group as Firefox, and provides easy setup and organization. Again, very customizable and personal. Download it at www.mozilla.com/thunderbird
Audacity - This is a free program that allows you to record and edit audio through an easy-to-learn interface. There are countless possible uses for it, including recording those old cassettes to digital audio. Find it at www.audacity.sourceforge.net 
Bender - This free, open source program is beautiful for 3D graphics; it has many of the features of high to mid-range commecial products, and it runs well on most hardware configurations. It may take a while to learn, but that is a small price to pay for something this valuable. Blender is located at http://www.blender.org/
So, in summary, you've seen how you can eliminate much of the cost of buying software for a new computer. You've seen how you can get a productivity suite, photo-editing capabilities, anti-virus, and several other types of programs for free. You've also learned how great Quamuts can be. With that final note, good luck, and happy downloading!
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