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Free usually implies inferior, but in the upside-down world of software, free often means superior. If your library is on
a tight technology budget, freeware and open source software can be the answer to getting some great applications without
spending a cent. It is important to note that some free software may require a computer science degree to install, and a Web
page or e-mail listserv may be the only place for you to get help. So, go forth in the pursuit of the free with a little caution.
While the idea has been around since the inception of computers, free software is becoming more and more widely available
as the Internet increases in popularity. From compressing files to serving Web pages, you can now find free programs that
will perform virtually any task (with varying degrees of success). With the rising popularity of free software, its categorization
has become slightly confusing. There are important differences between freeware, open source software, and shareware.
Freeware According to an article in Webreview.com, Andrew Fluegelman, the founding editor of PC World magazine, coined the term "freeware" as he crossed San Francisco's Golden
Gate Bridge on the way to work in 1983. "Fluegelman had developed a product called PC-Talk, but didn't have the time or resources
to market his product. Instead of the usual distribution methods, he decided to make PC-Talk freely available to anyone who
wanted it, thus making it the first known freeware product." The important concept Fluegelman introduced to free software
was that he chose not to distribute the source code with PC-Talk. This meant that he still held ownership and copyright to
the software. Users could not make changes or distribute the software without Fluegelman's permission.
Open Source Open source software can be distributed freely, and users are free to make changes to the source code and modify (or mess
up) the program as they please. Many open source software projects, such as Linux, Apache, and FreeBSD, are the work of a
team of individuals from around the world.
Shareware The idea of shareware is relatively simple: try before you buy. You can usually download shareware for free and use it as
long as you like. However, if you decide to keep the software (usually for longer than 30 to 60 days), the maker generally
requests that you pay a fee to continue using it. There are usually no restrictions on distributing shareware (in fact it
may be encouraged), provided that you do not tamper with it or take credit for it. Shareware is copyrighted and owned by its
manufacturer.
Free software classics In the history of computing technology, a number of programs stand out as the exemplars of excellence in free software. While
not all of the following programs are open source, they are all free.
Office suites OpenOffice.org 1.0 is a multi-platform fully featured office suite. It comes standard with word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentation,
e-mail, and Web browsing applications. You can even import and export Microsoft Office files. The 50.5 MB file size takes
patience to download, but did we mention it's free? Download it here. FTP WS-FTP has been around for some time, and its simple design and interface make it a great utility for Windows users. The "LE"
version is free for individual, non-commercial use.
Download it here. Since the first version in 1989, Fetch has been (and still is) the standard file transfer utility for Macs. It is free to
users affiliated with an educational institution or charitable non-profit organization.
E-mail Eudora is a great cross-platform e-mail client. While the free version was traditionally equipped with fewer features than
the "Pro" version, you can now get the full package for free if you can handle a few unobtrusive ads in the bottom left-hand
corner of your screen. If you can't handle any more ads in your life, there is always the option to switch the program back
to light mode and live ad-free (minus a few features). Keep in mind that while this type of program might be useful in your
library on individual staff computers, e-mail clients are not very helpful (and in fact can cause a lot of headaches) on public
access computers. Have your patrons stick with a Web-based e-mail service to check their e-mail at the library.
Pegasus Mail is a free, standards-based electronic mail client suitable for use by single or multiple users on single computers
or on local area networks. Pegasus Mail also donates manual sets to, "...non-profit organizations that work to preserve the
environment, work for the benefit of animals, or that work to better the lot of third-world countries." They will consider
applications from other worthy organizations on a case-by-case basis. Please contact David Harris if you would like to apply for a donation of manuals.
Download it here. Web browsers While it's losing ground fast to its archrival Internet Explorer, Netscape started the free browser war way back in 1995 (a
long time ago in Internet years). Communicator still has a popular following.
After Netscape took the freeware route with Communicator, Microsoft quickly followed suit with its own browser, Internet Explorer.
Today, it leads the field.
File compression This easy-to-use file expander is still free. The Windows and Mac versions will expand most common file compression formats. Web servers One of the most popular web servers out there, Apache (from "a patchy" server) was started out as an open source project,
and it still is.
Operating systems The new media darling, Linux has been free since Linus Torvalds distributed the first official release from the University
of Helsinki in 1991. While a number of cheap commercial distributions are available, Linux is still available as a free download
(not for the faint-hearted).
Download eCleaner), chances are someone has written a little free program to help you out. The following sites offer an amazing array of free
programs that do everything from sharing an Internet connection to changing your background image on a daily basis.
Tucows -- With files for nearly every operating system, Tucows is an amazing resource for free software.
Download.com -- A CNET site, Download.com is a nice place to find the latest free software.
MacOSZone -- As the name suggests, this is a great place to download freeware made for the Mac OS.
Lowendmac.com -- Offers conservatively sized freeware for older Macs.
EmailAddresses.com -- An excellent resource for free e-mail services.
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You've heard the terms 'shareware' and 'freeware' and 'open source.' Now find out exactly what they mean.
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