Computer Software

There are a number of free software products out there that work just as good, if not better than their commercial counterparts. Some may even help you to avoid system freezes, virus attacks, and other such daily headaches. You have alternatives to what came pre-installed on your computer. Save your money!

The products are not shown in any ranking order. Review the features of each to determine which may be the best fit for you.

Anti-Virus

Most of you probably still use the same Anti-Virus software that came with your computer, either Norton or McAfee. Both are very good products, and widely used in the corporate world. You can select an alternative and avoid their yearly maintenance fees. Do not install more than one anti-virus package.

AVG Free
Basic anti-virus and anti-spyware protection, plus the full AVG LinkScanner safe search and surf technology, with up to one scheduled update per day and one scheduled scan per day. The Resident Shield component automatically scans files before they are opened or copied. Lacks anti-rootkit protection.

avast!
Simple to use anti-spyware protection and anti-rootkit detection with daily automatic updates to ensure continuous data protection against all types of malware and spyware. Supports more Windows versions (from Windows 95 to Vista 64bit) than any other anti-malware product.

AVIRA
Scans disks for malware and runs as a background process, checking each opened and closed file, detect and potentialy remove rootkits, and perform Internet updates (daily by default). They also offer a bootable rescue CD to boot the machine into the AntiVir program to scan for and remove detectable viruses and other malware.

Microsoft Security Essentials
Security suite designed for consumers, providing malware detection and removal. Archived files are decompressed, and then scanned, file downloads and e-mail attachments are also scanned. Identifies malicious files by checking for updates if an application exhibits suspicious behavior.

Operating Systems

The next time your computer (non-MAC) locks up, you receive a new virus, or something else unexpected occurs, it may be time to consider something new. If you only use MS Office, Outlook and IE, you have an alternative, with more stability (no anti-virus software to maintain), compatible with the latest version of MS Office, a secure browser, and completely free.

To make it even more attractive, you can try a LiveCD version by "booting" your computer from the CD and giving it a test drive, without installing anything.

fedora
Created in late 2003, when Red Hat Linux was discontinued. A general purpose operating system built on top of the Linux kernel, with a mission to lead the advancement of free and open source software and content as a collaborative community. New releases every 6 months, with a 13 month maintenance period for each version.

openSUSE
General purpose operating system built on top of the Linux kernel, developed by the community and sponsored by Novell in January 2004. Similar to most distributions, it includes both a default graphical user interface (GUI) and a command line interface option. Supports thousands of software packages across the full range of open source software. Novell markets openSUSE as the best and easiest distribution for all users.

Ubuntu
Named after the South African ethical ideology Ubuntu ("humanity towards others") and is distributed as free and open source software. Ubuntu provides an up-to-date, stable operating system for the average user, with a strong focus on usability and ease of installation. Composed of multiple software packages of which the vast majority is distributed under a free software license. It is the most popular Linux distribution for the desktop.

Web Browsers

This is another area where most of us just use what came pre-installed, not thinking that there could be something better, faster, with more features and more secure. Some websites may still require IE, but for the rest, give one of the browsers below a spin.

Google Chrome
Name derived from the graphical user interface frame, or "chrome" of web browsers. Aims to improve security, speed, and stability, with the strength of its application performance and JavaScript processing speed. Periodically downloads two blacklists (phishing and malware) to warn users when they attempt to visit a harmful site.

Mozilla Firefox
Free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite. Features include tabbed browsing, spell checking, incremental find, live bookmarking, a download manager, private browsing, location-aware browsing and an integrated search system. Functions can be added through add-ons, created by third-party developers.

Safari
Developed by Apple Inc., their default browser starting with Mac OS X "Panther" and the iPhone. Features include tabbed browsing, bookmark management, resizable web-search box, pop-up ad blocking, history and bookmark search, text search, spell-checking, expandable text boxes, automatic filling in of web forms, built-in password management and much more.