open source apps and freeware

The Firefox web browser introduced me to the concept of open source applications. I started using Firefox in Windows XP something like six years ago, then began trying out other freeware and shareware for Windows.

Soon, applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint were going unused, replaced by the OpenOffice suite of applications. I found a nice shareware app to handle my back-ups. Tried out a number of freeware apps to pretty up my desktop. Went to using ZoneAlarm for my firewall and AVG for anti-virus, and other tools like Spybot Search and Destroy, CCleaner, and Ad-Aware. Discovered the Belarc Advisor, one of the most useful tools I've ever found for Windows machines.

I downloaded a lot of these apps from sites like FileHippo.com and majorgeeks.com. There were a few free apps that didn't work out so well, but most of them turned out fine.

Of course all of that eventually led me to Linux, and it's been a long time since I've ventured into the software aisles of any electronics store. I do still have XP running on one computer, but I use open source apps for almost everything besides games on that machine. When I did my most recent XP reinstallation, I didn't even bother putting in the MS Office Suite.

When I speak to folks about open source software, I find a few of them who are using Firefox, and far fewer of them who use any other type of freeware. Folks are suspicious. Understandably, they don't want to do anything to harm their computers. And -- it's free? You get what you pay for, according to the adage...

But there are alternatives for most Windows applications, sitting out there waiting to be downloaded, at no cost. Perfectly legal. Look around; check it out. (Of course, you'll probably want to make sure you're system is backed up before trying out some of them; the open source world isn't perfect!)

If you're like me, you'll begin to feel comfortable trying out freeware, and maybe you'll end up taking a look at Linux CDs like Knoppix, or maybe even Ubuntu; and maybe your Windows computer will end up like mine, parked in a back room, used mainly for the kids' games.