The Best Free Software
"I see lots of freeware and shareware available on the Web, but I'm never sure if it's safe to download them. Are there good alternatives to the expensive shrink-wrapped software packages for sale in stores?"
| Check out this week's most popular articles. |
Check out theseFREE trial downloads 
RoboForm memorizes and securely stores all your passwords. Enjoy one-click logins, complete checkout forms with one click. This is one program I use all day, every day! 
Slow computer? Diskeeper 2010 means a clean disk, unprecedented speed and reliable efficiency! Download the free trial and see what a difference it makes for you. |
Software Wants to Be Free...
...but users want it to be safe. Free software is everywhere, which makes it incredibly difficult these days to find the best of any particular kind. And then there's the fact that "freeware" is not always free. Some freeware is just poorly written and may cause your computer to crash. Some are a conduit for spam and other system invasion techniques. Others are illegal copies of commercial software that can land you in legal trouble.
Nevertheless, there are several excellent software packages that are truly free, high quality, and useful. For free Internet software, check out this link. For general computer tasks and other fun stuff, here are some of my favorite sources:
Practice Safe Computing
Here's some advice to keep in mind when looking for good freeware downloads:
Elaborating on that last point, there are some rogue sites in cyberspace that appear to offer free software, but the downloads contain spyware, adware, trojan horses and viruses. Here are some dependable freeware sites you can trust:
One final tip: Add to caution a dose of prevention. Make sure your system is up to date and keep it free of malware. See my articles How can I avoid computer viruses? and Spy, Counter-Spy for details on how to protect yourself from spyware, viruses and other nasties.
Oh, and don't forget to check out my favorite Free Internet Software too!
Do you have any favorite, high-quality freeware programs? Post your comments and questions here!
|
|
Need more tech support?
|
Check out other articles in this category:
Posted by Bob Rankin on December 23, 2005 03:58 PM
| Need More Help? Try the AskBobRankin Updates Newsletter. It's Free! |
 |
Prev Article: Wireless Security |
|
Next Article: Low Virtual Memory |
 |
|
Link to this article from your site or blog. Just copy and paste from this box: Related Keywords: Software freeware free software download security |
There's more reader feedback... See all 12 comments for this article.
Post your Comments, Questions or Suggestions
|
Ask Bob Rankin Home Page
Subscribe to AskBobRankin Updates: Free Newsletter |
|
| Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved | ||
Article information: AskBobRankin -- The Best Free Software (Posted: December 23, 2005 03:58 PM)
Printed from: http://askbobrankin.com/the_best_free_software.html
Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved
Most recent comments on "The Best Free Software"
(See all 12 comments for this article.)Posted by:
David
23 Dec 2005
There is a lot of great free software out there. Some of my favorites:
+ XNView.com - graphics viewer, etc like IrfanView.
+ WindowsSizer - to see your work in a specific size window
+ Pixie - for selecting a screen colour.
+ 2x Explorer and Servant Salamander - great file browsers.
+ ATNotes - for little screen postit note reminders.
+ CapsUnlock - if you hit your Capslock too much.
+ Properties Plus can change file properties
+ Startup Inspector, PWGen - for really tough passwords.
+ Crazy Browser - adds tabbed browsing to IE.
+ Karens power tools
+ Evernote - a great tool for compiling bits of text from documents, web sites, etc and compiling for research. The paid version will OCR from scans too.
Don't forget to browse Microsofts Downloads section. Lots of good freeware there like the powertoys and Anti-Spyware. Also, SourceForge.net is a great resource for Open Source freeware. Its a bit geeky and you have to look for the Windows version but some great tools there.
Posted by:
David L.
23 Dec 2005
Here are a couple of other sites I like:
http://www.shellcity.net/
http://win.softpedia.com/
Posted by:
Andreas
24 Dec 2005
I find http://www.portablefreeware.com very useful since software that is free _and_ portable is often high quality stuff. Cheerio.
Posted by:
tony
24 Dec 2005
www.donationcoder.com has a nice range of quality freeware / donationware software ... well worth a look
Posted by:
Rahul
24 Dec 2005
Great software that is free and tiny ... literally ... 99% of their software fits on a floppy be it viewers, editors browsers ... all less than 1.44 mb in size. Must see... www.tinyapps.org
Posted by:
Sally
25 Dec 2005
Another good source is Freeware Home:
http://www.freewarehome.com/
Also
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm
Posted by:
Michael Rusch
28 Dec 2005
I'd also suggest the GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program, http://www.gimp.org/) as an intermediate-level alternative to Photoshop. I would guess that it would leave something to be desired for advanced PS users, but it's fairly powerful in and of itself and the Windows version has gotten much more user friendly since Gimp 2 in my opinion.
Posted by:
Tom Bullock
31 Dec 2006
The best and most full-featured free email program I know about is Pegasus Mail, found at http://www.pmail.com/ I have used it for the last 4 or 5 years and followed its progression and development. It has an active and very knowledgeable user community that provides prompt and accurate responses to most requests for help (assuming adequate problem descriptions!). Right now it is free and even has a PDF user manual written in clear and simple explanations of features available. It even has integrated a Spamhalter Bayesian Spam Filter into PMail. It certainly merits a careful look-see by those considering a new email program.
Posted by:
poppy fogarty
08 May 2007
I have been using Invircible Virus Defence System for over 5 years now, and it is the best anti virus protection system ever. It is a generic system and I have never had a problem with any spyware,malware,etc. At only $A 77.00 for two years, it is the best investment I have made for my computer, and thought I would let everyone know. It is fantastic and I don't own any shares in the company.
Posted by:
ericutin
31 May 2007
i have windows98se dell pent11 pc i had photo builder for a while but it did not do what i need i need too take photos from a walgreens cd of my artwork and get the pixels too 1000by1000 too download into my art gallery on www.myartprofile.com this is a nightmare! i cannot find any software for free online that will help me change pixels or size of photos/help?
EDITOR'S NOTE: Try IrfanView?