Freeware

 Have you ever been told that you need a piece of software, went to the store to buy it, and found that it was ridiculously expensive? Yes, there are benefits to using that over-priced software, but for the most part there is often a freeware version available. Whether it be audio editing or a word processor, they are out there and easier to find then you think.

What is freeware? Well, either through pay or passion, a program is written, and the original creator decides to make it available online for free or a small donation. Big companies may make a limited use version of their program available for free, and a small company may release a product for free just to get their name out into the world. Whatever the reason, the user is often the one that benefits the most from it.

Microsoft’s Office is a standard for both schools and business, but do you have to spend $199 or more to get office suite software? No. For the most part anything that Office can do so can a free program called Libre Office. In fact Libre Office can even save the files you create in its program to the same file extension that Office uses, and is compatible with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

A lot of companies are willing to charge you to “speed up” your computer. Unfortunately, most are scams or sad attempts at getting you to load malware. Besides, even if they are just there to help why would you pay for an unknown product when one of the best programs for this on the market today is available online for free? Piriform offers some great products but the one that you really need is called Ccleaner. The way that Ccleaner works is by scanning and removing all those junk files that build up on our systems over time. Just doing that can noticeably speed up your system.

Photoshop has had the spot light in the image editing world for a long time, but coming in at almost seven hundred dollars for just the standard edition, there must be something else out there. Luckily there is the Gimp. Gimp (or the GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a fully functional alternative that is used both by home user and professionals alike. The only real difference between it and Photoshop is that the interface actually feels a little more lightweight. Given the choice between free and nearly a thousand dollars, it’s well worth it to take some time to get acquainted with the Gimp.
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This is just an extremely brief overview of a few programs, but they are time tested and well loved. We hope that helps get you on your way to saving money without losing functionality. If you have any questions about these, or any other freeware programs, feel free to give Tech Force in Mt. Pleasant and we will be more than happy to help you find something that will work for you.