Save Your Money!!! Open Source Software Vs. Proprietary Wallet Busters

No matter how much time I spend on the computer, I continue to be surprised and amazed at the wealth of information I still discover. Whether it be on the Internet or just spelunking through the caverns of my hard drive, I frequently discover more and more uses and applications. Due to this, my list of potential hobbies to enhance my boring life is growing to titanic proportions.

Unfortunately, some useful software I discover on my computer are only trial versions. These versions have a limited amount of uses before you have to buy, or it has less features that the full version contains. These teasers reel you in and by the time you figure out you actually have to buy the software, you're hooked. Then you see the price! Ugh! After you recover from this virtual kick to the nuts, you raise your hands up to the sky and scream, "Why Lord — why?!?! Why must I be tempted so?!?!"

Stay your index finger — do not click on that PayPal button yet!

There is a beacon of light behind the hulking shadow of expensive proprietary software. Come this way my friend; I will guide you. Soon you will see the light — I promise.

"Open source is a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in." -- Open Source Initiative

There is an open source equivalent for virtually every major proprietary software program out there and some are just as good, if not better. This hub lists just a few of the major ones.

Equivalent: Microsoft Office

Compatibility: Cross-platform

Cost: Free, compare to $322.99 for Microsoft Office Standard 2007

Details: the following list contains programs in Open Office and their MS Office equivalents.

• Write = MS Word
• Calc = MS Excel
• Impress = MS PowerPoint
• Base = MS Access
• Draw = MS Visio
• Math = MS Equation Editor

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Equivalent: Adobe Photoshop CS4

Compatibility: Cross-platform

Cost: Free, compare to $639.49 Adobe Photoshop CS4

Details: customizable interface, photo enhancement, digital retouching and cloning, hardware support

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Equivalent: Adobe Dreamweaver CS4

Compatibility: Cross-platform

Cost: Free, compare to $359.99 for Dreamweaver CS4

Details: WYSIWYG HTML editor for website authoring.

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Equivalent: Microsoft Publisher

Compatibility: Cross-platform

Cost: Free, compare to $148.99 for MS Publisher 2007

Details: create brochures, flyers, newsletters, etc

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Equivalent: Microsoft Outlook

Compatibility: Cross-platform

Cost: Free, compare to $87.99 MS Outlook 2007

Details: an e-mail and news client, download Lightning to integrate Mozilla's Sunbird calendar with Thunderbird

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Equivalent: general anti-virus software

Compatibility: Cross-platform

Cost: Free, compare to general anti-virus software

Details: this is actually freeware not open source. Home edition is free for personal use on home computers.

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