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Saving On Software As we get further into 2010, people are looking at the goals they have set for themselves and thinking about how to accomplish them. This issue’s column is all about making maximum use of the Internet and freely available software to help you accomplish your goals. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say things like “If only I had Microsoft Office I could …” or “I need Adobe Photoshop so bad, without it I just can’t …” and finally “If I just had some money, I could buy all of the great software that I need and I could actually get some work done.” Not one of those statements has any validity whatsoever! Microsoft Office may contain the most “bells and whistles” and be the most popular office suite of software available, but that doesn’t mean you have to use it to be just as productive and professional as those who do. Popularity breeds demand and as a result that particular software package is quite expensive and in many cases beyond the reach of most people. With that fact in mind, the folks at Sun Microsystems, over the past several years have developed the “Open Office” initiative. Their suite of software is quite comparable to Microsoft Office. It can open and create all Microsoft Office files. The best thing about the software is it is totally free. You can download your very own copy at openoffice.org and get right to work. A lot of people are familiar with Microsoft Outlook and the very useful calendar function it provides. Unfortunately, Outlook is pretty pricey as well. You can keep track of your appointments or tasks and even share access to your calendar with friends and family members. Just jump on over to calendar.google.com and check it out. Like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop is a very popular software title. It is in great demand and priced quite high. The software is so popular that when people talk about an image that has been modified or improved, they refer to it as being “photoshopped” even though that particular software may not have even been used. If you’re looking for a powerful image editing program and you don’t have much money to spend, check out “GIMP” which stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is open source software and is free and easy to use. You can learn all about the software and download it at gimp.org. You can also download a very extensive user manual for free as well. Another complaint I often hear is that someone wants to create a personal or business website containing flash applets, they just can’t afford software such as Macromedia Dreamweaver. Well, I’d like to introduce you to the Wix website. It offers free online web design with drag and drop easiness and no programming skills required whatsoever. Pay a visit to wix.com and you won’t be disappointed. You don’t have to have a large budget to get the tools to help you accomplish your goals. You just need to know where to look to find the great programs available at the click of a button. Tom DiFrancesca III has written hundreds of articles about computers and the Internet. His latest Christian fiction novel, ‘Boomerang,’ is available as a free eBook download at 4u-Lord.com.  These are samples of the Christian book, music, movie and Website reviews you'll find in every issue of Living Light News. Become a subscriber and keep up on the latest releases. [LLN-Online] [Adopt-a-Block] [Newsbriefs] [Event Calendar] |
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