The Best of Free Software for Microsoft Windows, June 2009

Everybody who has a copy of Microsoft Windows has some form of software they have purchased or downloaded, from an office suite to internet security. Over the years, I have tried to keep away from buying software because many companies charge a ridiculous price for something which only needs to be built once, then marketed. They are a bunch of zeros and ones strung together, for people to use. Why is software so expensive?

Years ago, this question made me hunt around to replace my current software for those which are free and/or open source. It is a labour of love I have maintained for almost three years now. Today, I have finalised my choices of what I consider the best free softwares for mid-2009, and I hope that you like them.

Skip on over to http://www.damienkane.com/Software.htm and have a read. If you know of any products which are better, let me know, but remember that the way that we use software, the things we wish to use it for, may differ so my opinion and yours may not be the same. You will find a couple of surprising choices because they offer a huge amount of scope in the future. Most are tried and tested.

Despite our differences, I hope you find something you like. I think with all the enterprising things these developers are doing, giving it to the public for free, will perhaps reduce the costs of commercial software. The competition is getting hot. I wonder if companies such as Symantec and Microsoft are waking up to the fact that WE DON'T WANT TO USE YOUR PRODUCTS BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO DAMN EXPENSIVE AND JUST NOT AS GOOD AS THEY SHOULD BE!