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Where to Get Software, Free!

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Download Free Software

If you’ve been paying for software programs because you use Windows or Mac computers, then it’s time to cut your pocketbook free. You have a better alternative: open source software programs. Open source programs conform to the principals of the Open Source Initiative.

The programs are not created by hackers who are after your personal financial information. The source codes do not contain viruses, malware, or spyware. The only thing you lose by downloading free software is the cost of expensive commercial programs. Where can you find such amazing products? Try the following sources.

Lifehacker Rates and Hacks Free Software

Every year Lifehacker puts out an article entitled, “50 Apps We’re Thankful For” On a weekly basis, you can find a list of five apps that top Lifehacker’s recommendation list for a given category. The website has been writing about hacking software — or modifying source codes — since 2005. Not only does it give you information on free software, but it also provides tips on how to use programs on various platforms.

BitTorrent Points to Popular Programs

If an open source program gains traction on a peer-to-peer network, then you can bet it has some pretty awesome features packed into it. Check out the most downloaded programs for the day and then search the Internet for the developer’s websites. Don’t skip the search. It can be the difference between getting a clean copy of an open source program or a hacked copy with a virus.

SourceForge Hosts Over 260,000 Free Projects

SourceForge is a platform for the development and distribution of open source products. Over 2.7 million developers use its tools. They have developed over 260,000 projects, all of which are free. Check out the website’s directory to find the free software you need to complete your next project.

Social Networks Give You Inside Information

Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are all places where you can digitally stalk your favorite software gurus. If you want to know the best location to find free software, keep tabs on the developers who are creating open source programs. The community usually shares news and updates for programs. Stay on the cutting edge of free software with social networking.

AlternativeTo.Net Compares Programs

Do you want a free alternative to a commercial project? Head over to a website like AlternativeTo.net. You can type in a program, and the search directory will return a list of programs that offer similar features. You can also search the website by selecting an operating system or using the tab options, such as “New and Popular” and “Most Likes”.

Google Lists Thousands of Programs

Don’t waste time looking for free software on a search engine. This will pull up too much junk. Instead, narrow your search to open source programs. If you have a need for specific program, add that information to your search. For example, if you want a free photo-editing program, search for “open source photo editor”.

Happy Searching!

The Internet is full of free software programs. Don’t fall into the trap of downloading just any software program. Stick to open source packages that will deliver clean code and feature-rich user interfaces.

About

Jayson Jones is an art student with a focus in Fashion Design. He loves the Web, good food, blogging and his dog. You can find his work at catwalkcatfight.com.

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{ 20 Responses }

  1. Manon says:
    Thanks for the post Jayson! Do you know where i can download free wordpress themes (which normally cost a lot of money....)hmm..
  2. Paul Salmon says:
    I use SourceForge extensively to find free, open-source software. It is amazing at how many commercial products you can replace with free software.
  3. Abhi Balani says:
    Useful collection! Writing all in my useful sites list. I'll surely try them when I need a software, next.
  4. Patricia says:
    Hi Jayson Thanks for this informative post. Had no idea about the free software available. Will speak to my techie about it as I get someone else to do my techie work for me. Patricia Perth Australia
  5. Anirudh Anand says:
    great information.... but i don't think open source softwares can work efficiently as paid softwares do.. there might be some exceptions but still.........
  6. teatree says:
    I use Open Office for all my documents and spreadsheets, and am very happy with it. It's no different from Microsoft Word, and updates regularly. (I guess I could use Google docs, but I like the idea of having my documents saved to my hard-drive).
  7. tracy ingram says:
    I also heard Microsoft will give out there suite to new start up business's for free to help out.
  8. Stella Anokam says:
    Hey Jayson - great post and compilation on free software sources. SourceForge has been a long time leader in the area of open source developed software.
  9. Udegbunam Chukwudi says:
    When it comes to getting quality adware spyware free softwares, I ALWAYS go to SoftPedia and FileHippo.
  10. Bican Valeriu says:
    Another is Softpedia.com There are many freeware programs !
  11. Mani Viswanathan says:
    SoureForge is Ultimate! It has kept Open Source Tech alive for so many years now.
  12. Alex says:
    Hello Jayson, I don't know that many people know this but there are lots of open-source or freeware programs that can compete pretty well with paid ones. Maybe the support may not be the same but you can always find free products to replace any product you would have otherwise paid money for. I think Linux is a great way to showcase this, because everyone with a Linux OS has almost the same programs as a windows user and the majority are free.
  13. Kunal says:
    Open source is a great thing. Being into a software profession I know the importance and contribution behind Open Source. This is a world of tree software. Thanks for promoting it via this article.
  14. Tinh says:
    It is not hard to get free software with genuine license but most of give-aways are out of date or not the best one of the same type. Anyway, giveawayoftheday is a great source as @Hung mentioned
  15. Kimi says:
    Hi Jayson, I agree, open source programs are great since they are free. However we must be careful too and do some another reasearch of the review, since there is possibility that the program spreads malwares and nasty stuff. If the program is wellknown, and have good reviews everywhere, then it is worth to dl.. I love notepad++ :-)
  16. Henway says:
    I really think trying to get software for free is doing a disserve to the people who work hard to produce it. How would you like it if you worked weeks or months to produce something, and people are just getting it for free, basically leeching off your hard work?
  17. Hung Hong says:
    We can go to site giveawayoftheday to get free license software each day
  18. Fisayo Sanyaolu says:
    Great information Jayson, hotscripts.com also gives out some free programs and software. Thanks for sharing
  19. RonLeyba says:
    Open source software and projects are really good if it really gives what we want or need. I can say some open source programs are created just for the sake of creating one but others are really useful.AlternativeTo is one of the best place to get or check useful open source soft and program IMHO.
  20. Shiva says:
    Hi Jayson, Open source Initiative is one of the best thing that ever happened in the IT world. Not everyone can pay great amount of money for buying software but now we can get quality software like GIMP, Inkscape, VLC Player which give tough competition to the best paid software in the Internet. Alternativeto.net is a great website to find free alternatives to all those paid software. Infact, most of the software I use in my system is an open source one. Opensource has really helped people like us in the developing and undeveloped countries who cannot afford high priced software.