Free Office & Other Software Article

2am

My PC running XP will not respond to clicking on any Links (eg. from MoneySavingExpert email). If I do a Google search it gives a list of results, as normal, but when I click on a chosen Link a new Window opens (with normal Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 header and format) but without any data content, so it is a plain white window in an Internet Explorer frame. Yesterday my PC crashed with blue page and dump to memory after I added a new video card. I hope my problem just needs a tick in the right formatting box. Can somebody help please, or refer me to a PC Forum. Thanks.

Crabman

Click Techie Stuff at the top and make a new topic, that way you are more likely to get help :beer:

smillie-world

I've found a site that lists free commercial software.

As you'll know, many computer magazines have a cover mounted CD/DVDs and they contain full versions of older commercial software, in a hope you'll like the software and upgrade to the latest version.

This site is from vnunet, the people behind Personal Computer World magazine (and others). It is in a blog format so you can use your favourite news reader to subscribe to it and keep updated with the latest offerings. It usually lists software that has previously featured on the front of Personal Computer World, plus others.

Take a look here, http://www.downloadjunky.com/

Bob63

Last month I changed from PC to Mac (don't know why I didn't do it years ago ) so had to go and find a whole bunch of new free software.

OpenOffice is available for Mac but it uses the clumsy X11 interface. Luckily a free Mac-specific version of OpenOffice is available called NeoOffice.

A great resource for other free software to use on the Mac is Open Source Mac.

b.t.w. For PC users Sun Microsystems' commercial software StarOffice, the office package on which OpenOffice is based, is also available free of charge together with a bunch of other software through Google Pack.

Mike

buglawton

Crabman wrote: »

Note: efax now issue 0871 numbers for incoming faxes, charged at 10p per minute at all times.

Not dial-able from abroad while 0870 ones are. Wonder if there are any 0870 free fax to email providers left.

Lexis200

Although it's a slightly convoluted way around, you can get the latest version of Star Office by going to http://pack.google.com, unticking all the other apps (unless you actually want them), and ticking the StarOffice box and clicking the Download Google Pack button. This would normally cost you $70 but Google provide a full copy for free through their Google Pack (and several other paid-for applications for free too).

Although it is difficult to find direct comparisons between the latest versions of StarOffice and OpenOffice, there's a comparison chart here http://www.sun.com/software/star/staroffice/competitive_view.jsp between StarOffice and MS Office 2003 that makes interesting reading.

As far as I can make out, StarOffice is the paid-for (and slightly better updated and supported) version of OpenOffice. If anyone knows differently, please let me know because I haven't been able to find out for definite so far!

Oh and just because Google have Norton products available, it's not a recommendation, and it certainly doesn't make it a good product! Don't use Norton... there's loads of better and cheaper products out there. See this thread for more details http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=36497

HTH

BruceR

Has no one mentioned the online applications, they are really useful if you use lots of different computers.

Zoho - Loads of online office applications.
http://www.zoho.com/
Google Documents - basic office suite.
http://docs.google.com
Photo storage and sharing (owned by Yahoo)
http://www.flickr.com

Also there's a really good list of free downloads and online apps here.
http://lifehacker.com/software/feature/lifehackers-2007-guide-to-free-software-and-webapps-334568.php

Card_Tart_Extraordinaire

Hello, I am just working my round the site finding stuff that I am interested in. I thought I would throw in my two penn'orth here.
My son introduced me to Firefox, Thunderbird, Open Office etc and I thought it was a great idea. I still do. I found Microsoft software so invasive and restricting. I have a flash drive with all portable applications so I can take my own software wherever I go. This is really useful for switching from my desktop and laptop. I run the software on a 2GB flashdrive and save documents to a separate 2GB flashdrive (or two - one for graphic type work the other for regular stuff). This actually does away with needing to port my portable laptop anywhere much as most places I go there is access to a pc and internet. What I find really useful is that I can store passwords for use with internet websites securely passworded in my Firefox so they never get left behind anywhere. One thing I would advise with this though is that you use a high speed usb port as it can be particularly frustrating with regular usb a bit slow to upload.
With Thunderbird portable it is so easy to pop my emails into different accounts and do not end up with the situation where I have a copy of each email on every PC or some on one and some on the other as with Outlook. I just take my flash drives with me. Would advise back ups onto disc or flash drives though I haven't lost any yet. It has become a bit like carrying my wallet around, never forget it and keep it safe.
If I can use these programs anyone can. If you are a bit of a rebel, try it, take the plunge.
Go on.......... you know you want to............

PizzaCake

Check out Cayra from http://cayra.net/
I think it's the best mind/concept mapping software out there and that's including the commercial ones.

PizzaCake

cotsvale wrote: »

I would like to find some free OCR software - any ideas please.
thanks

Free Linux OCR:
http://groundstate.ca/ocr
http://gscan2pdf.sourceforge.net/

Free Windows OCR:
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/topocr.html
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/SimpleOCR.html