I WAS appalled to learn how much companies are charging these days for software.
It's not that I'm tight, but did you know that a copy of Adobe Photoshop CS2 will set you back almost £500?
This set me thinking about how much it might cost to equip a new PC with what might be considered essential software - an office suite, photo editing, anti-virus, firewall programs and of course, an operating system.
I surfed along to Amazon.co.uk where all the following prices were found . . .
Windows XP Home with Service Pack 2 (security patches) costs £149.97.
If you want Microsoft Office Pro 2003, it will set you back a staggering £356.97, then add Photoshop at £495.97, Norton 2006 Anti-Virus for £26.97 and Norton 2006 Personal Firewall for £27.97, bringing us to a breathtaking total of £1057.85p.
I only paid £495 for my reasonably well-specced PC and another £180 for a 19inch LCD monitor.
Now, I accept that MS Office and Photoshop are probably more software than most folk need, but even their pared-down stablemates, MS Works 2006 (£68.99) and Photoshop Elements 4 (£55.99), don't come cheap.
So I've come up with some recommendations for alternatives for each of the programs mentioned. And the good bit is, they're all FREE.
You could, of course, start out by replacing Windows with a Linux OS, of which there are dozens of free ones, all complete with a vast range of programs.
But let's assume you're sticking with Windows for now, so may I suggest:
MS Office / OpenOffice.org 2.0 office suite (www.openoffice.org) This is a full-featured, MS-compatible suite including processor, spreadsheet, drawing, presentation and database. It's the big kahuna of the free software world. I never use anything else.
Photoshop / The Gimp 2.2
The Gimp (Gnu Image Manipulation Program, from www.gimp.org) has all the features of Photoshop, plus even more fancy filters, is easy to use and produces great results.
Norton 2006 Anti-Virus / AVG Free Edition
One of the internet's greatest giveaways (http://free.grisoft.com/ doc/1) a fully featured AV program which includes email scanning and automatic, free virus definition updates.
Norton 2006 Firewall /Zone Alarm
Stay safe and sound behind the web's finest free firewall (www.zonelabs.com). Easy to set up and maintain, it asks simple questions and provides sophisticated protection.
That little lot should save you a few bob, but there's more.
Surf along to www.download.com where there are more free programs than you can shake a memory stick at.
