Free usually means inferior. In the upside-down world of software, free often means superior. If you are on a tight technology budget, freeware and open source software can be the answer to getting some great applications without spending a cent. It is important to note that some free software may require a computer science degree to install, and a webpage or e-mail listserv may be the only place for you to get help. So, go forth in the pursuit of the free with a little caution.

While the idea has been around since the inception of computers, free software is becoming more and more widely available as the Internet increases in popularity. From compressing files to serving web pages, you can now find free programs that will perform virtually any application (to varying degrees of success). With the rising popularity of free software, its categorization has become slightly confusing. There are important differences between freeware, open source software, and shareware:

Freeware - Waiting in Traffic Begins a New Free Software Revolution
According to an article in Webreview.com, Andrew Fluegelman, the founding editor of PC World magazine, coined the term "freeware" as he crossed San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge on the way to work in 1983. "Fluegelman had developed a product called PC-Talk, but didn't have the time or resources to market his product. Instead of the usual distribution methods, he decided to make PC-Talk freely available to anyone who wanted it-thus making it the first known freeware product." The important concept Fluegelman introduced to free software was that he chose not to distribute the source code with PC-Talk. This meant that he still held ownership and copyright to the software. Users could not make changes or distribute the software without Fluegelman's permission.

Open Source - Feel Free to Screw It Up
Open source software can be distributed freely and users are free to make changes to the source code and modify (or screw up) the program as they please. Many open source software projects, such as Linux, Apache, and FreeBSD, are the work of a team of individuals from around the world.

Shareware - Try It Before You Buy It
The idea of shareware is relatively simple - try it before you buy it. You can usually download shareware for free and use it as long as you like. However, if you decide to keep the software (usually for longer than 30-60 days), the maker generally requests that you pay a fee to continue using it. There are usually no restrictions on distributing shareware (in fact it may be encouraged), provided that you do not tamper with it or take credit for it. Shareware is copyrighted and owned by its manufacturer.

Free Software Classics
In the history of computing technology, a number of programs stand out as the exemplars of excellence in free software. While not all of the following programs are open source, they are all free for nonprofit organizations to download.

Office Suites
Star Office
Recently acquired by Sun, StarOffice is a multi-platform fully featured office suite. It comes standard with word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentation, email, and web browsing applications. You can even import and export Microsoft Office files. The 60 MB file size takes patience to download, but did we mention its free?

FTP
WS-FTP
WS-FTP has been around for some time, and its simple design and interface make it a great utility for Windows users. The "LE" version is free for individual, non-commercial use.

Fetch
Since the first version in 1989, Fetch has been (and still is) the standard file transfer utility for Macs. It is free to users affiliated with an educational institution or charitable non-profit organization.

Email
Eudora
Eudora is a great cross-platform email client. While the free version was traditionally equipped with fewer features than the "Pro" version, you can now get the full package for free if you can handle a few unobtrusive ads in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen. If you can't handle any more ads in your life, there is always the option to switch the program back to light mode and live ad-free (minus a few features).

Pegasus Mail
Pegasus Mail is a free, standards-based electronic mail client suitable for use by single or multiple users on single computers or on local area networks. Pegasus Mail also donates manual sets to, "…non-profit organizations that work to preserve the environment, work for the benefit of animals, or that work to better the lot of third-world countries." They will consider applications from other worthy organizations on a case-by-case basis. Please contact David Harris if you would like to apply for a donation of manuals.

Web Browsers
Netscape Communicator
While its losing ground fast to its arch-rival Internet Explorer, Netscape started the free browser war way back in 1998 (a long time ago in Internet years). Communicator still has a popular following. A Beta release of version 6.0 promises to push Netscape back into the spotlight soon.

Microsoft Internet Explorer
After Netscape took the freeware route with Communicator, Microsoft quickly followed suit with its own browser, Internet Explorer. Today, it leads the field.

File Compression
Alladin Stuffit Expander
This easy-to-use file expander is still free. The Windows and Mac versions will expand most common file compression formats.

Web Servers
Apache
One of the most popular web servers out there, Apache (from "a patchy" server) was started out as an open source project, and it still is.

Operating Systems
Linux
The new media darling, Linux has been free since Linus Torvalds distributed the first official release from the University of Helsinki in 1991. While a number of cheap commercial distributions are available, Linux is still available as a free download (not for the faint-hearted).

FreeBSD
Originating from The University of California at Berkeley Standard Distribution (BSD) of UNIX, FreeBSD is designed for "PC-compatible" computers. If you are comfortable with phrases like "Kernel Interaction During Boot," feel free to:

Tucows - With files for nearly every operating system, Tucows is an amazing resource for free software.

Download.com - A CNET site, Download.com is a nice place to find the latest free software.

FileFarm - FileFarm provides fields full of free files for Macs, Linux, and Windows.

MacOSZone - As the name suggests, this is a great place to download freeware made for the Mac OS.

Lowendmac.com - Offers conservatively sized freeware for older Macs.

Winfiles.com - Yet another CNET offering, Winfiles.com provides Windows users with all the shareware and freeware they could ever want.

EmailAddresses.com - An excellent resource for free application service provider (ASP) links.

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