More Software Bits

     And for anyone who can understand the pun above, you're a geek.  So welcome to the club.  I've seen a lot of articles lately about free software on the net, leading me to think that people are still being budget conscious, even with talk of a recovery.  So that lead me to think of a list of my favorite free softwares, and why I like them.  So here it is:

IBM Lotus Symphony:  Okay, so my first pick on this list is a weak one because no one really cares about office software anymore.  Or do they?  I have found IBM's Lotus Symphony one of the nicest free office software suites I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with.  Heck, its the best Office software I've ever dealt with, period.  Nothing else is easier.  (And if you haven't gleamed it from any of my previous posts, I'm all about ease of use.)

The Gimp:  This image manipulation program is the best no money can buy.  Whereas there are still some things Photoshop can manage in the digital art realm that the Gimp hasn't quite mastered, (which I am working to remedy), for photographic manipulation, I've seen it do anything I've seen Photoshop do.

XBMC:  This media browsing application got its start on the XBox, a system I hate, so I am glad that it found a way to migrate onto other platforms.  If you plan on building a media PC, this program is a live saver, and its pretty simple to use.  Definitely check it out if you are a media enthusiast.

Picasa:  This Google program is an amazingly useful photo viewer, and it extends into more as you can edit photos, upload them to web, make instant collages, and even make posters.

Vuze:  If you're into downloading things through bit-torrent, I can't think of a better program to use.  With integration into your media system, and a quick and friendly interface, I've used this one for years to download images of Linux, MMORPG installers, and plenty of other things as well.  Give it a shot and find out for yourself.

Audacity:  If you are into podcasting, or just audio editing in general, this is a program you should add to your library.  I've even seen it packaged with home sound hardware as the default audio editor.  It works wonders for the home enthusiast.  Plus, like all of the rest of these its free.

     So, click the links and check out all of these free software programs.  As an added bonus, all of them are available  on both Windows and Linux systems, and most have Mac versions as well.  I'm sure once you've taken the time to get to know these programs as I have, you'll love them, too.