Top 5 Freeware Programs of 2008

In the current economy consumers are watching every dollar closer than in any time in recent history. When they decide to splurge and buy that new computer that they need, they are then faced with the costs of software to keep the computer running efficiently and help them with their day to day tasks. Fortunately, there are some alternatives to the high cost software that many people buy. Here are five the top five freeware applications of 2008 that you may want to consider using before shelling out hundreds on commercial software.

5) Media Recording - InfraRecorder - Software for burning information, music, and everything else is very expensive and often hard to use. InfraRecorder has all the functionality of Roxio Creator 2009, but will save you $80. There are other recording programs that offer a wider range, but many of these cost well into the hundreds. It has an easy interface that allows you to select the type of disc to create (data or music) and even allows you to burn information DVDs. In addition, burning ISOs (disc images or copies of a CD) has never been easier. Download at: http://infrarecorder.org/

4) Email Management - Thunderbird - Microsoft Outlook is one of the top email and contact management programs available. However, it is $60 and presents a heavy system load. If you own a Windows computer, you may have used Outlook Express for email. This program is free, but it too has a large system load and offers fewer functions than Outlook. If you need all the functionality of Microsoft Outlook at an Outlook Express price and want to save system load, try Thunderbird from Mozilla. It allows you to manage multiple email addresses and has nearly all the functionality of Outlook. Download Thunderbird at: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/

3) Image Editing - Gimp - These days people can use Photoshop to do some pretty cool things with pictures. They can even layout brochures, posters, and other amazing publications. However, Photoshop CS3 runs upward of $200. The solution lies in a powerful open source program that is called Gimp (GNU image manipulation program). Gimp gives you very similar functionality to Photoshop. In fact, there is little that Photoshop can do that Gimp cannot. Download Gimp at: http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

2) Word Processing - Open Office - Have you ever wanted to use a word processor such as Microsoft Word, but found that it costs more than $75 for the home edition? Look no further as the open source Open Office provides all the functionality of Word, Excel, and Power Point in an easy to use suite that you can download and install in minutes for free. Download Open Office at: http://www.openoffice.org/

1) Anti-Virus - AVG Free - Viruses, spyware, and adware lurk everywhere just waiting for you to click the wrong link on the internet. Norton and MacAfee offer solutions, but they cost around $50 for the software and then they want you to buy updates from them after the initial 6 months. AVG (Anti-virus Grisoft) offers a free version that does not contain all the bells and whistles, but it is more than enough for the casual user. Download AVG Free at: http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10320142.html?tag=mncol&cdlPid=10891365

These programs will help you get a lot done on your new computer or even your current one. If you like these items, check out some others:

Ubuntu - If you are building your own computer, this is a free Linux based OS.

Apache Web Server - Free software for hosting websites

MySQL - Free database software

Browsers - FireFox from Mozilla and Chrome from Google are both very reliable.

FileZilla - a free FTP program that is among the best available.

Blender - Good for 3D animation

The top 5 freeware programs of 2008 can save you hundreds of dollars that you can spend upgrading the computer that you are buying with more power. Now that's what I call "buying power".