Services like Wikipedia and Flickr get (well-deserved) good press because the products they offer are functional, effective, and–most important–free. Inspired, I decided to look for other emerging free software. I was surprised by the quantity and quality of product available for download.
To make the list, the product or service had to be: (1) legal, (2) functional and easy to use, (3), free of spyware or other malware, and (4) free of charge.
Disclaimer: before installing software from any of the sites listed below, make sure you have an anti-virus program installed. If you don’t have one already, your first stop should be at ClamWin–they make a free anti-virus package.
Here’s the best of what I found:
- Mozy: Free, automatic backup service. Install the software and it will periodically archive your data to an internet-connected serverfarm.
- Lulu.com: Complete self-publishing system. Publish a book, CD, DVD, or calendar. Purchasers pay for items when ordered; products are manufactured on a just-in-time basis. No minimums.
- FolderShare: software that lets you create a peer-to-peer network to synchronize files across multiple computers (note: Microsoft recently bought the company that makes this product and, since doing so, started to give the software away for free).
- EvilLyrics: automatically finds and displays lyrics for your songs as they play on iTunes or other music software (note: I’m not sure why the product is “evil,” but as best I can tell, it does what it says and is not malware).
- WebSudoku: online versions of the increasingly popular Japanese logic puzzles. I’m not addicted, though many others seem to be…
- RoomPlanner: tool to design room layouts–customize the dimensions of your space, select the items (eg sofa, lamp, etc) you’d like to place in the room, and print or email your design to others.
- FreeTechBooks.com: free text books (mostly on technical topics).
- AudioBooksForFree: free audio books.
- Epitonic: free music downloads.
- Stock.Xchng and iStockPhoto.com: royalty-free stock photos you can use however you like.
- PocketMod: free, paper-based personal organizer.
- FileFactory: unlimited online file storage. The site claims to have no limits, as long as no single file is larger than 500 MB.
- TrueCrypt: open-source encryption software for Windows XP/2000/2003 and Linux. The software can create a virtual encrypted disk and mount it as a real disk.
- DotEasy: free web hosting and email.
- FitDay: free diet and weight loss journal.
- PCPitStop: free diagnostic checks to fix common PC problems (eg spyware).
- 1001FreeFonts: free fonts.
- ArtRage: a free painting package intended to give a realistic simulation of using paint, pens, crayons, and other tools on canvas.
Others have put together good lists of free web applications, Windows software, portable Windows software (which can be run from an iPod or USB key), various software utilities, and web development software. It’s worth checking these out, also.
Updated (11/15): I changed the link for the RoomPlanner application above–the old one stopped working (thanks, Jogy).
free softwares I’ve found
link
Left by Noname on November 14th, 2005