Open source and free software
With the almost total dominance of Microsoft's products on the PC, it may seem like a waste of time discussing alternatives. Indeed, we ourselves advocate their use in our schools for the simple reason that students will be expected to be familiar with them when they go out and look for jobs.
Still, not everyone browsing this web site will be working in the teaching field, and even if they are, they may not be able to afford the exorbitant prices that Microsoft charge for their software. Most foreign NGOs are rightly averse to using "pirated" software, even though this is the norm in many developing countries, thus there may be no alternative to but to try and find low cost or free alternatives. Luckily, there is a strong tradition of charitable developers providing low cost software to the computing community, and this usually takes one of three forms:
- Freeware - completely free, often developed by an individual
- Shareware - low cost, try before you buy, usually of commercial quality
- Open source - developed by a "community", both free and commercial versions often available
With Windows being the dominant operating system for the PC, most freeware and shareware has been developed for this OS. Many of these programs, such as WinZip and PaintShop Pro, have been around for a long time and are very well known and respected.
Open source software is a more recent phenomenon, but is growing quickly (see this article for an excellent and wide-ranging discussion of its origins and ethics). The source code for a project is kept in the public domain, and is developed by groups of enthusiastic programmers for the sheer satisfaction of creating something useful. Linux, often touted as an alternative to Windows, is the foremost example of this class of software.
So, free or low cost alternatives are available for everything from text editors to office suites, file managers to operating systems. Only you can decide which ones are appropriate for your needs, but to help with the decision I will briefly describe some of the most useful programs and tell you where to obtain them. I've categorised them by function below.
Operating systems
Realistically the only viable low cost alternative to Windows at the moment is Linux. It is very stable and has a good selection of extra programs available for download. With one of the latest graphical user interfaces (GUIs) installed it can be made to look and feel much like Windows. Set against this is the fact that it is still much more difficult than Windows to install and configure, and you are unlikely to get any support in developing countries. Although you can download the source code from the Internet and compile the program yourself, it's much easier to buy a "distribution" from one of the main Linux vendors such as Red Hat, Suse or Mandrake. For a few tens of dollars you will be provided with CDs containing all the necessary installation files and perhaps three months of free email support. You do not need multiple licences, so you can use the same CDs to install on as many computers as you like.
At the moment I cannot honestly recommend Linux to anyone but the most impoverished or adventurous techie. Working in developing countries already has more than enough challenges without adding your OS to the list! However, Linux is getting easier all the time, so perhaps this situation will change in the next year or two.
Office suites
There are at least two free office suites available which can be used to good effect in place of Microsoft Office. The first is called Open Office, and is available as a 50 MB download from the web if you have patience or a broadband connection. You will also find it occasionally on the free cover CDs that accompany many computer magazines. It includes the usual selection of programs, all of which are file-compatible with their Microsoft equivalents. The only thing it lacks is a database (a commercial version of the suite, including a database, is available from Sun for $50 if this feature is needed). Its interface looks a little different from Microsoft Office, but is easy enough to use.
The second free office suite is called PC Suite 602 and it too is available for free download or occasionally on magazine cover disks. It is a lot smaller than Open Office at 15 MB and somewhat lighter on features, but it does include a very good graphics program and an interface very similar to Microsoft Office. Check out its features to see if it suites your requirements - you may be pleasantly surprised.
Utilities
Many programs that you download off the Internet come as compressed zip files so that they download more quickly. They need to be decompressed before use and the most commonly used program for this purpose is called WinZip. However, WinZip is shareware, not freeware, so it should be paid for after the 30-day trial period. Since there are many completely free decompression programs available there is no need to pay for WinZip or use it illegally, so I recommend that you download the excellent ZipCentral and spare both your conscience and wallet.
There are times when you might want to convert documents to PDF format so that they will display exactly the same on any PC. I used the excellent PDF995 to produce the PDFs in the teaching section.
With all the programs you have to download, you want to make sure that you are transferring them at maximum speed, especially on a dial-up connection. Speedbit's excellent Download Accelerator Plus does exactly that by pulling four simultaneous data streams and stitching them back together into a complete file. It also allows you to resume a download should your connection be accidentally terminated mid-session. You can obtain the free version of the program by following the downloads link on their web site.
Graphics
There are a number of free graphics programs for the Windows platform, one of the best and easiest to use being PhotoPlus from Serif. The free version is slightly crippled in that it cannot save in the GIF format, but this restriction can be removed by paying a nominal US$1 sum. The Gimp is a more complex program for the advanced user and is available for several operating systems. The popular Irfanview is more of a viewing and conversion utility than a drawing program, but is an excellent addition to your tool kit.
Internet & Email
Microsoft's Internet Explorer (currently at version 6) is a competent enough web browser and is a free (but rather big) download from Microsoft's web site. It renders pages quickly and adheres to recent web standards pretty well, so even the latest web sites look good. Similarly, Microsoft's Outlook Express is an excellent email client for the casual user and even has the facility to use a Hotmail account off-line - brilliant! So why would anyone want to use an alternative?
In a word: security. Since these two programs are so common, virus writers target their many weaknesses, so you'll have a constant battle keeping them up to date and secure. In December 2002 alone, there were two or three "critical updates" to the browser, one of which was a 5 MB download. If you have a single computer and a fast Internet connection then it's not too hard to keep on top. But statistics show that only a small percentage of users do so; the rest run the significant risk of succumbing to a virus attack or (less likely) downloading a malicious piece of code from a web site. And if you are working with a lot of PCs in a part of the world where Internet access is difficult or expensive, you will not want to waste a lot of on-line time updating your browser!
Although alternative browsers and email clients are not completely immune from these problems, they are often sufficiently different in operation to avoid attack. My favourite is the small and fast Opera, available for download in several versions, including one which is paid for by a fairly discreet advertising banner. This is a superb and eminently customisable browser, with many useful features which are missing from Internet explorer; it even includes a sophisticated e-mail client. The open source Mozilla, a 10 MB download from the web, is also worthy of recommendation and it, too, includes a competent email client, providing an all-in-one solution to your Internet needs. It's a little bloated though, so I prefer the derivative Mozilla Firebird whch is compact, fast, and free of superfluous features.
If you simply want an alternative email client then there are lots to choose from, one of the best and most popular being Eudora . The single download can be used in any of three ways: as a reduced-feature "lite" version which is completely free; an advertising-sponsored full-featured version which is also free; or a paid version which is free of advertising. The less well-known Pegasus is also very good and includes a spell checker - did you know that Outlook Express does not have it's own spell checker, but uses the one included with Microsoft Office?
Recent versions of Windows include built-in internet sharing which is supposed to allow computers on a network to share a single internet connection. I have tried to get it to work several times but have not succeeded, despite reading several "how to" articles on the net. The free Jana Server is designed to do the same thing, but works. One of the nice things about it is that you can set up a fully functional internal email system and teach students how to use outlook Express, even if you don't have an internet connection. Documentation is a little patchy and the latest interface is clunky compared to earlier versions, but it's worth persevering with.
Tutors
Can you remember the first time you tried to use a mouse? I'll bet it wasn't so easy! We always install Larry's Mouse Tutor in our schools and get all new students to practice with it a few times. Its funny graphics and sound effects make learning a breeze. We also install a couple of typing tutors: the first, which we call the Basic Typing Tutor, is a simple program which will build students' basic typing skills quickly. It is completely free for educational use. The second program, Typing Master 2002, is more complicated to navigate and the more advanced features are disabled in the free version. However, it has some nice games which students can enjoy whilst improving their skills, so it makes a good addition to the basic program.
Security
A good virus scanner is essential these days and fortunately there is a free version of the excellent AVG scanner - I have used it with complete success for the past couple of years. For any scanner to be effective, the virus signature files must be updated regularly and AVG automates this process to make it as painless as possible.
If you spend a lot of time on-line then I recommend you install Zone Alarm, which acts as a security buffer between you and the Internet. It blocks anyone trying to hack into your computer and prevents unauthorised programs on your PC from accessing the Internet. Highly recommended, especially if you spend a lot of time online.
The excellent Pretty Good Privacy suite of encryption programs has been around for a long time and gained a strong following. It is not necessarily the easiest of software to use as it requires some understanding of public key encryption, but it's well worth the effort for the rock-solid security it gives. This is the software the US government tried to ban...