The Web's best free stuff

**Negus** · March 26th, 2008 10:55 PM

Link:
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/em...e-stuff_1.html

I've only recently discovered Staroffice from google packs. IMO, it's a good FREE alternative to Microsoft Office which is way out of my budget right now. It's good enough for writing basic letters,spreadsheets, etc. Compatible din sa MS Word and MS Excel formats.

**theveed** · March 27th, 2008 09:01 AM

Staroffice has been around for quite a long time already... Yes, it's a very good alternative for those who wants to stay legal but can't afford MS' pricing.

As for "freebies" stuff... I've been a member of mypoints.com (formerly bonusmail) since 1994, they're a click-for-points site that I've accumulated over 7k points without realizing... That amounts to over $80 in voucher/gift certificates over the years without doing much...

Search for "open source applications" and you'll get a lot of free alternatives for software such as Gimp, for example.

**niky** · March 27th, 2008 05:01 PM

I've used StarOffice before,,, lots of features, but the interface is slightly different, so it requires a little familiarization.

I'm currently using OpenOffice on the Eee... much more familiar than Star, but it's not as full featured as either Star or MS Office.

Running GIMP, too. Not as good as PhotoChop... errh... Shop, but okay for mild touch-ups.

**Jun aka Pekto** · March 27th, 2008 06:18 PM

I won't bother to link because they're all a short Yahoo/Google search away:

There's a lot of nice freebies out there. Those I have .....
Google Earth - nuff said
NASA World Wind - like Google Earth except it's either the Moon or Mars.
Celestia - 3d planetarium program
MS Virtual PC 2007
ImgBurn - cd/dvd app
MS Photo Gallery - for those who don't have Vista
Converber - my favorite unit conversion app
ScummVM - plays older LucasArts classic games
DOSBox - play older DOS games
POVRAY - 3d raytracing app
DScaler - the best tv tuner app ever
Open Office - the free Star Office (Neo Office in OSX)

Plus a whole host of web browsers, graphics viewers, converters, codecs, internet security, etc.

**pup2** · March 27th, 2008 07:24 PM

Nagsawa na ko sa MS na tuwing new release ay ang laki ng tinataas ng requirement kahit puro bloatware. Nainis na ako sa new releases nila na puro bugs hanggang walang patch. I've gone haywire over the number of times I've needed to re-install for one reason or another.

Gusto ko din matuto ng bagong bagay despite my age. Kaya imbes na mag re-install ako ng XP recently after yet another crash, Ubuntu na ang ginagamit ko even as we speak. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and so far, I don't miss MS AT ALL!

**Jun aka Pekto** · March 27th, 2008 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by niky

I've used StarOffice before,,, lots of features, but the interface is slightly different, so it requires a little familiarization.

I'm currently using OpenOffice on the Eee... much more familiar than Star, but it's not as full featured as either Star or MS Office.

Running GIMP, too. Not as good as PhotoChop... errh... Shop, but okay for mild touch-ups.

They're the same app (both are made by Sun Micro Systems) except now, Star Office has more features but is for purchase only. Open Office is the free, less featured version. Years ago, Star Office used to be free. There was no Open Office.

**Memphis Raines** · March 27th, 2008 10:07 PM

A couple of years ago during the hype of Microsoft raids on internet cafes, I tried out nearly all these free ware which also drove me to learn Linux Ubuntu, Xandros, StarOffice, etc.

They ran fine when surfing but then had so much connectivity issues like StarOffice most of the time conks out since Linux printer driver even for a simple LX-300 printer is so unstable

.

I ended up getting original Microsoft products in the end for the sake of my cyber cafe since it offered so much convenience.

Oh well

**Jun aka Pekto** · March 27th, 2008 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by pup2

Ubuntu na ang ginagamit ko even as we speak. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and so far, I don't miss MS AT ALL!

I use several distros of Linux such as Mandriva (formerly Mandrake), Ubuntu, SuSE, and that Enlightment live cd.

They're all fine for light work such as office work and internet-related apps. But when it comes to something heavier like video-editing, Linux is pretty lacking. I've tried Cinerella, Kdenlive, and one other app. None of them come close to the versatility and ease of use found on even the most basic video editors in OSX or WIndows.

Linux is free. So, I can't really complain. But, when I'm pressed to get work done, even free can't cut it. Linux progressed a lot since the mid-90's when I was trying to get Slackware 3.4 to work (took a lot of work just to get X-windows running). The only thing holding me back is the lack of really good 3rd-party commercial software.

I used to lean heavily on Windows and Linux. Now, it's more and more Windows and OSX since both have the software I need..

Add: That doesn't mean I've given up on Linux. I still use it. But, it's more gee whiz stuff and internet use, rather than real work. Right now...... I just got done d/l Ubuntu 7.10.