Free Software for the Office and for Fun

This article is a continuance/expansion on this article, Free Software to Protect Windows and Keep it Safe from Viruses.
Now that your Windows computer is safe from viruses and trojans and other destructive software, let's have some fun. Most of this free software is Open Source in origin. If you read the other article mentioned above you got a taste of what Open Source was, but if you didn't and/or you want further explanation, simply use your favorite internet search engine and look up "open source."

First I am going to go over some ideas for free software for the office. I can hear the groans of protest, but I must say that virtually all of this free software is amazingly helpful and, of course, free. And, most of it is better than the charge-you-for-it-'cause-we-can alternative. Check it out and give it a shot! Before you get started, however, a word of caution. Don't be click happy, and say "ok" to things you don't want. This is all good freeware, but you should always, as in the written document world, read before you sign or, in this case, click.

Free Software for reading pdf files:
Ever wonder if there was a way to view Adobe Acrobat files quicker than using Adobe reader? Try FoxitPDF. I take this one for granted so much that I almost forgot it. That being said, try it and you'll wonder why you ever spent the time waiting for Adobe to open in the past.

Free Software for changing pdf files:
I'm going to cheat a little bit here and mention a free ideas all at once. As mentioned in the other article mentioned above, Open Office (at www.openoffice.org) is a very thorough office suite alternative (do I have to tell you what it is an alternative to?). But one point that was not mentioned and that I find very helpful is that OpenOffice writer can print directly to pdf. So, finished typing up that letter and want it to be put into pdf format right away? Just extract it as pdf. Very simple.

But if you decide not to use Open Office and you are instead using a different office suite for Windows, then you may want to convert things to pdf. There are many different types of free software for converting a document to pdf, so I won't discuss all of them in detail. For fun, check out primopdf in the extra resources.

But what if you want to change a pdf document after it has been created? Pdftk (see extra resources) can do just that. It is command line so you might have to read some instructions (argh!) but it amazingly effective free software. You can split pdf files, merge them and recreate them as you see fit. Explore it a little bit and you'll wonder how you ever went without this free software!

Free Software for publishing:
Scribus (at www.scribus.net) is the definitive work on free publishing software. Ever want to create flyers but were tired of look of Word and didn't want to pay for Publisher? Then this free software is just what you were looking for. Create flyers, make templates and other publishing items with ease, for free. Tough to beat.

Free Software for website creating:
These days most of the hard-core HTML editors simply work in text editors and then publish to the web. But what of those that are still a little rusty on our HTML and want to design something from scratch? Then check out NVU. Very well designed, very clear, great work. Try it for all your web authorizing needs.

Now that we've figured out how to make office life a little easier, let's discuss free software for fun things.

Free Software for sound editing:
Ever hear something on the computer that you wanted to record and hear again? What if you only wanted to hear part of it, or if you wanted to use the sound for something else. Audacity is what you want. Adjust the setting as needed, but with very little effort you can be recording any sound that your computer speakers can create. Hear something, record it with Audacity and you have it for as long as you want to save the sound file.

Free Software for music file conversion:
Now that you have that sound file, is it in the format you want? You may have created it with Audacity, but you may not have saved it as an mp3 file and now you want to hear it on your mp3 player. Try out RiverPast's wave@mp3. Simple tool: converts wav files to mp3 files. Put in the file, click on convert, there you go.

Free Software for cd burning:
But what if you saved that file as a wav file and have multiple ones that you want to make a cd out of? Try out DeepBurner (at www.deepburner.com). Good graphical interface, well set up and very effective for cd burning.

Free Software for media playing:
You may end up with a multimedia file that you simply can't get Windows Media Player to play. That's where VLC media player steps in and hits the ball out of the park. Baseball metaphor aside, this media player is an excellent alternative. Search for it or check the extra resources.

And, last but certainly not least, check the extra resources for the econsultant site. You may even want to approach this site with an open mind and just look and see if there isn't something on there that can make your life easier. Enjoy and have fun with the world of Open Source and free software.