5 of My Favorite Free Programs
Summary - With so many free and popular software that do exactly what your paid ones do - it′s time to switch. I′ve been using these for years and best of all - they′re virus free.
OpenOffice
OpenOffice is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. Pretty much, it’s Microsoft Office with all the features and programs, but for free. The interface is even the same. Why pay 150 bucks to Microsoft when you can get the same programs for free. The great thing about OpenOffice is, all your MS Office file formats are compatible and will work with Open Office, so don’t feel like you need MS Office. www.openoffice.org
CamStudio
CamStudio is a screen and audio recorder that will allow you to do screen-cast and tutorials – some of which you may have seen on this site. You can then save the file as a AVI or SWF. I usually convert the AVI video file (using the next free program) to FLV which is the preferred file format for streaming flash video. www.camstudio.org
Any Video Converter
Any Video Converter is simply what it’s called – it converts one video file format to another. If you have a DVD, you can convert it to FLV for streaming on the web. You can change the frame-rate, the video size and more. The paid version is $45. The free version is limited, but it gets the job done for me. Check out their site for all the file formats it can handle. www.any-video-converter.com
Audacity
Audacity® is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. I use Audacity and I like it because it’s very simple to use. It comes with some array of special effects, while it’s no Pro-tools, it gets the job done for novices like myself who just want to make a few recordings and edit them. Be sure to download the MP3 Encoder so that you can export files in this format as well. www.audacity.sourceforge.net
CCleaner
CCleaner (aka Crap or Computer Cleaner) is a free system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system – allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally, it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. www.ccleaner.com