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Free Software

Free Software

Free is great when everything else is so expensive.  Buying hardware can be quite expensive and then choosing the software can add a lot more.  You can do just about everything, a well-equipped computer with the best software installed for free.  Free software has been available since computers became popular as home devices.  Paid for software have dedicated teams so a lot more development go into these.  Free software sometimes looks like older versions of paid software. Some free titles come close to fully paid versions in terms of similar usefulness.  You can use operating systems for free with many versions of Linux. Linux systems can provide platforms that look very similar to Microsoft or Apple. There are different levels of free to be aware of and many different free titles available.  Read on to learn more.

Different types of free software.

If someone offers you something for free, there’s a sceptical belief that nothing in this world in free.  Well, in some instances, this is true, but reading below will separate these.

Open-source software

Software that can be changed by anyone collectively to provide new features. Some software titles are very well supported by the Open Source Community.  Titles such as Audacity, Libre Office, VLC, GIMP, etc.., are all open-source software.  These titles are completely free of charge.

Free Software

Something of a misconception as free can mean it is actually free of charge but free software can mean that software comes pre-installed on a paid device.

Freeware

Software that is free to the end user that is normally proprietary and cannot be edited.  Freeware is similar to Open-source which include the same titles and also with paid options.  Some versions have options to upgrade to paid versions such as CCleaner and Teamviewer.

Shareware

Titles are free initially but come with timed or restricted features.  Also called demoware or trial software offering the user the opportunity to try the full version before you buy.  The user is then required to pay for the software if they wish to continue using it.  Examples of this software include WinZip, Acrobat with some laptops coming with Office 365 or McAfee with 30 days access.

Any available software will come with a licence and use of terms, so read these documents to ensure you will not be breaking the licence terms.

There are plenty of free apps available for all platforms such as Apple, Android, Microsoft & Linux.  Apple, Android & Microsoft have their own App stores and there are millions of free titles available.

Common software titles available

Below are a few examples of really useful software that are free to use in most cases:

Software TypeSoftware Title
Operating SystemsMany versions of Linux OS’s
Office Suite Libre Office, OpenOffice, Google Docs
Audio EditingAudacity
Video EditingHandBrake
Video PlayerVLC Player
Email managementThunderBird
Windows 10 or 11 Email App Apple Mail or Gmail App (Compatible device & pre-installed system required)
Internet Browser Mozilla FireFox, open source. Opera, Google Chrome & Safari, are freeware
Microsoft Edge, proprietry
Game Recording/Streaming SoftwareLogitech’s Streamlabs Open Broadcasting System (aka SLOBS)
Video ConferencingZoom, Teams
Image EditingGimp, Paint.net, FastStone
Desktop PublishingScribus
Computer CleanerCCleaner
Virus ProtectionMalwarebytes, BitDefender, AVG, Avast
Media CenterPlex, Kodi
Computer Aided DesignLibreCAD (for 2D) and FreeCAD (for 3D)

There are millions of titles available which can be searched from a browser or from the App store on your device. Some of the software mentioned above can produce professional looking results once you become familiar with the software.

Please see pcmag.com for a recommendations of current titles. If you would like advice on current software, please see the contact page to speak to someone at PC Kings.

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