Software

The problem:

Let's face it, unless you are a lawbreaker or a pirate, software is the most expensive part of owning a computer. Indeed in my day as a computer animator, there were often three zeros behind each package.

Anyone who has bought a computer and just wanted to do word processing has doubtless dropped a jaw or two when confronted by the price. In fact, Microsoft Office it self will set you back over an hundred pounds if not a lot more. With virus software, operating systems and graphics packages all costing money it adds up very quickly.

Many people go to Ebay and buy packages cheap from there but these are often counterfeit or pre-owned. This is seen as illegal by the software developers and you will be treated the same way as if you had stolen it.


A shining torch:


Well, I wanted to write an article to shed some light on an area of the software market which is often very overlooked. Freeware, or rather, open source software and it is well….for want of a better word, free!

This software is usually made by many people contributing their efforts to produce one final product. The best example and probably the best know is Linux.
The core was created by one man and added to in different ways by hundreds. (For those of you who are now looking blankly at the screen, Linux is an operating system like Windows only some might argue better and in most cases free). Linux is no flash in the pan, it is well established and well supported.

Indeed many banks, web hosts and large businesses use Linux at their core. If you work for a large company