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:
Other Places to Obtain Free Software:
If you are looking for an obscure tool to do something like
transferring text easily from a webpage, chances are someone
has written a little free program to help you out. The following
sites offer an amazing array of free programs to do everything
from sharing an Internet connection to changing your background
image on a daily basis.
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.