by Catherine Matthew

Created on: December 18, 2006   Last Updated: May 05, 2007

Out of the box software for your desktop or your intranet site has changed so drastically in the last two years that most individuals are not aware of all the trends in the Open Source world. Having worked for Microsoft Corporation for a portion of my career, with stats such as 95% of the world uses Microsoft; I was in for a real eye opener on number of different software packages available in the Open Source world. Earlier, I was lead to believe that the Open Source world is full of unsupported and unreliable software, with no one to call if I need help. My question was, how could this be better than paid commercial software? After all Microsoft employs 70,000 people to get their software working.

I have put together a list of the top ten free tools for any internet professional. The first five are devoted to your desktop and the next five are for your website. If you do not have a website, you could consider getting one up and running with these free tools.

1. Ubuntu: Most people have heard of RedHat Linux as an operating system for your desktop. Many who have tried it seem disillusioned and revert back to Microsoft for its ease and simplicity. Ubuntu has a unique selling proposition which says "Linux for human beings". You can download this for free and get a powerful operating system for your desktop which is simple and easy to use.

2. Open Office: If you use Microsoft Office and believe that it is required to communicate with other word users around the world, you are right. However when you get a excel spreadsheet or a Microsoft word document which you cannot open, you will need Open Office to rescue you. That is right. Microsoft Office has bugs and when all else fails, you can use Open Office to open your documents. Open Office runs on your Windows platform or on Linux and is as simple as Microsoft Office. The only real difference is that you do not have to pay $500 to get it or pirate it. Open Office is distributed as Open Source and is free to use on your preferred operating system.

3. GIMP: Most people are familiar with or have worked with Adobe Photoshop. When it comes to working with advanced graphics features like layers, transparency or to work with Adobe file formats, GIMP works just as well. GIMP works on most operating systems and provides an alternate powerful interface for editing and changing graphic files, logos or custom animations.

4. Free Mind: When it comes to organizing your thoughts along the likes of Leonardo de Vince used mind maps.

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