Those who read these articles probably are well aware that I am a bit of a “techie,” possibly even a “geek.” You also probably know that I spend a lot of time at my computer(s). You might —or might not— be interested to know about some of my favorite programs. Or at least what programs I use.
Open-Source, or “Free” Programs
Most of my favorite programs are what are called “open-source” programs. That means that they are not protected by copyright or patent. They are available for anyone to use, modify, or improve. The main requirement is that if you make changes and pass the program on, the code (program) must be freely available for others to make changes, too.
Most people see these programs simply as free programs!
They are developed by people who are spread all over the world. Most are not developed or marketed by corporations who are trying to make a profit from them. Support is usually good and most popular open source programs have on-line forums where other users provide help.
Another favorable feature: because most providers are non-commercial, users are not constantly bombarded to upgrade or buy new versions!
Favorite Programs
Because it’s getting late, here’s a list of some of my favorite programs, or applications as they are being called these days.
OpenOffice or LibreOffice
In it’s simplest form, you can think of these as “word processors.” However, they are a complete suite of applications, much like Microsoft’s Word! And, they are compatible with Word documents!!! And they cost NOTHING!
Picasa
Picasa is, without question, one of my favorite programs and probably my most-used one. It handles all my photographs. It does very nearly 100% of anything I want to do with photos. It’s a Google product and is FREE!
I’ve taught a course on using Picasa at least half-a-dozen times. Given sufficient interest, I’d be willing to have a session in Lime Springs, or elsewhere.
Others
In addition, there are a few programs I use to keep my computer running smoothly. However, I’ll save those for later.
The two mentioned above are my workhorses and get use all the time.
If anyone has questions about any of these, just ask them in the Comments section below and I’ll respond. That way, everyone can learn.