free stuff we use
we use quite a handful of free software that our clients and friends might want to use. this is our list as of december 2005.
- mozilla firefox: browser. our preferred browser.
- opera: browser. some of our friends say its faster than firefox.
- lavasoft ad-aware se personal: anti-spyware.
- spybot - search & destroy by safer networking: anti-spyware. donations are welcome.
- open office: a great alternative to microsoft office. its a little slower and people say it gobbles a lot of memory while in use. we’re just thankful that it can read microsoft office files. and its free.
- grisoft avg free edition: a free anti-virus program. it may or may not be as good as the commercially available ones but it is certainly better than nothing.
- yahoo! mail and yahoo! messenger: almost everyone i know has a yahoo mail address and we use yahoo! messenger to keep in touch with friends, relatives and to provide online support to clients.
- google mail and gtalk: as far as we know, you have to be invited to get a google mail address. once you get a gmail address you can use gtalk which is similar to yahoo! messenger. if you’re a client or a friend of ours and you want a gmail address then send us e-mail and we’ll send you an invite.
- adobe acrobat reader: this is the pdf reader from the makers of the pdf format.
- zonelabs zonealarm: a personal firewall like the windows firewall but with more bells and whistles.
- smoothwall firewall: this is a standalone linux-based firewall. it needs a separate computer (an old one will do nicely). we use it to protect our network from intrusions.
these are at the top of our list. you folks might want to try them.
