With licenses, training and compatibility considerations, the software costs can quickly add up. One company that definitely has soloists in mind is Google. Over the last few years, Google has come a long way with their service offerings for small businesses and individuals. And best of all, as all their applications are free, they certainly speak our language when it comes to price!
Below is a list of the best free software options and observations for each of the main areas/categories in which we require software:
Operating system (OS)
This is the main piece of software which operates the hardware and software resources on your computer. Some popular examples are Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac OS. Microsoft Windows is by far the most widely deployed OS. Although Linux is a free alternative, unless you are keen to learn how to get around your computer from scratch, it’s probably best to stick with the tried and true mainstream product, Microsoft Windows. Depending on your needs, this may be the only piece of software you’ll need to fork out cash for.
Word processor and spreadsheet
Google Docs & Spreadsheets can cover both the word processor and spreadsheet functions pretty well. It is an online web application that allows you to create and edit documents via your web browser. It isn’t as feature-rich as Microsoft Office but is rapidly catching up and certainly has some unique advantages. You can save documents in a variety of formats to your own computer or to Google’s servers, tag and archive documents, share documents with other users and even collaborate in real-time on specific documents with other registered users. You don’t even need to use your own hard disk! And best of all, Google Docs & Spreadsheets is free. Other options include OpenOffice.org or StarOffice. Both are free, open source software packages (meaning they’ll run on any operating system platform) and in terms of functionality and usability, they are catching up fast with Microsoft Office.
There are many free email client applications and online services available today. You can consider anything from Outlook Express to Eudora or Google’s Gmail service if you don't mind accessing your email via a web browser. In fact if you plan on being on the road often, it is probably wise to sign up for a Gmail account. That way, you’ll have no problems with access. All you need is a web browser.
Calendar
Google Calendar lets you synchronise your calendar with other popular calendaring applications as well as some mobile devices, although the synchronisation software may cost you a little bit of money depending on the vendor.
Task specific software
Sometimes we require software that carries out specific tasks, like project management, flowcharting or specific number crunching operations. I would strongly suggest using open source solutions for all your task specific requirements. Since most readers of this article are likely to be using Windows, why not have a quick browse of the Open Source Windows website which lists several open source software applications. While this is a good start, it is by no means an an exhaustive list.
Desktop / bringing it all together
If you decide that you’ll make use of the Google services mentioned above, why not go one step further and set up your own personalised Google homepage? This will allow you to create a shortcut to the Google features that you plan on using frequently and you can use it much the same way as you’d use your Windows desktop.
This should at least provide you with a primer for alternatives to proprietary software and help you keep software costs down while you’re starting out.
If you know of any other useful free software, post a comment and let us know.
“ Over the last few years, Google has come a long way with their service offerings for small businesses and individuals. ”
Paul J. Morris is an information systems strategist. This incredible title means that he helps businesses become more efficient at what they do while keeping them on track with their goals.
