Mediocrity for sale?


In the mystical world of the internet, so many software goliaths are charging your left arm with upgrade fee of your right leg, just for software programs that usually a step below mediocrity. If you anything like me, you have a hard time to simply justify paying $200 bucks for a sub-par operating system/application that will make your laptop crash more times than Evel Knievel.


Well, life is suppose to be about options, so in the spirit of turning these corporate lemons into lemonade, I've composed a list of 8 absolutely free, open source software programs to jazz up your laptop, keeping your money in your pocket, so that eventually you can junk that PC to buy a Mac (oh wait, that’s me). 

Open Office:
Open Office is a free and open productivity suite which is a great alternative to Microsoft Office.

Vista Start Menu: 
Vista Start Menu is the convenient alternative to the plain Start menu you find in Windows XP and Windows Vista. The program uses your cognitive abilities (visual memory, reflexes,etc.); however, while it is easily understandable for beginners, it is also highly efficient for experienced users.

Objectdock:
ObjectDock is a program that enables users to organize their shortcuts, programs and running tasks into an attractive and fun animated Dock. By allowing users to have more control over how they organize their desktop, users can take control of their desktop icons and shortcuts to have them be available when where and how they need them. This, all with the unique style and top-rate performance that ObjectDock is known to deliver!

Paint.NET:
Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. An active and growing online community provides friendly help, tutorials, and plugins.

Softi FreeOCR 2.6:
If you don't have time to type a document, why not scan it and turn it into text instantly? Softi FreeOCR is a program that serves to interpret scanned documents and to turn them to editable text on your PC. If you have a lot of documents that you need to transfer to editable text, then this could save you hours of time. 

AVG Free:
AVG Free is a fantastic free alternative to Norton’s Antivirus. You have to option to select their free version, which I have been using for 3 years without any issues whatsoever.

Free Pdf Converter:
This software is only available online, but is a fantastic free application that converts commonly used files (Microsoft Office, Open Office, and graphic images, vector graphic and other formats) to PDF. This interactive PDF converter and document creator is quick and reliable. Try it for yourself. Example: you need to convert a Power Point (PPT) file into PDF. Use the "Browse" button to locate the source file on your local PC, select it and click the "Convert" button. Done!

Ubuntu by Linux: 
Of course, who could forget Ubuntu. It is a community developed operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and email applications, to web server software and programming tools. It also can be used on old pc with minimal ram.

Mediocrity for sale?


In the mystical world of the internet, so many software goliaths are charging your left arm with upgrade fee of your right leg, just for software programs that usually a step below mediocrity. If you anything like me, you have a hard time to simply justify paying $200 bucks for a sub-par operating system/application that will make your laptop crash more times than Evel Knievel.


Well, life is suppose to be about options, so in the spirit of turning these corporate lemons into lemonade, I've composed a list of 8 absolutely free, open source software programs to jazz up your laptop, keeping your money in your pocket, so that eventually you can junk that PC to buy a Mac (oh wait, that’s me). 

Open Office:
Open Office is a free and open productivity suite which is a great alternative to Microsoft Office.

Vista Start Menu: 
Vista Start Menu is the convenient alternative to the plain Start menu you find in Windows XP and Windows Vista. The program uses your cognitive abilities (visual memory, reflexes,etc.); however, while it is easily understandable for beginners, it is also highly efficient for experienced users.

Objectdock:
ObjectDock is a program that enables users to organize their shortcuts, programs and running tasks into an attractive and fun animated Dock. By allowing users to have more control over how they organize their desktop, users can take control of their desktop icons and shortcuts to have them be available when where and how they need them. This, all with the unique style and top-rate performance that ObjectDock is known to deliver!

Paint.NET:
Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. An active and growing online community provides friendly help, tutorials, and plugins.

Softi FreeOCR 2.6:
If you don't have time to type a document, why not scan it and turn it into text instantly? Softi FreeOCR is a program that serves to interpret scanned documents and to turn them to editable text on your PC. If you have a lot of documents that you need to transfer to editable text, then this could save you hours of time. 

AVG Free:
AVG Free is a fantastic free alternative to Norton’s Antivirus. You have to option to select their free version, which I have been using for 3 years without any issues whatsoever.

Free Pdf Converter:
This software is only available online, but is a fantastic free application that converts commonly used files (Microsoft Office, Open Office, and graphic images, vector graphic and other formats) to PDF. This interactive PDF converter and document creator is quick and reliable. Try it for yourself. Example: you need to convert a Power Point (PPT) file into PDF. Use the "Browse" button to locate the source file on your local PC, select it and click the "Convert" button. Done!

Ubuntu by Linux: 
Of course, who could forget Ubuntu. It is a community developed operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and email applications, to web server software and programming tools. It also can be used on old pc with minimal ram.