Computersight -

Software for computers can be very expensive. It can also be very frustrating when the piece of software your computer comes with makes it more susceptible to viruses and runs slower than it should. Wouldn’t it be great if you could replace these standard programs with free, open source programs that run much faster, more securely, and have all-together better, customizable user interfaces? Here are open-source alternatives to some Windows (and even Mac) programs:

Mozilla Firefox vs Internet Explorer

Firefox blows Internet Explorer right out of the water. It renders pages much more quickly than IE. Firefox has the ability to search for and install plugins right in the browser, without restarting either it or the computer, and is much more effective at blocking viruses. It receives regular security and performance upgrades that take less than a minute to install, and is rich with helpful search and page management features.

Mozilla Thunderbird vs Outlook

Thunderbird, made by the same developers as Firefox, has a very intuitive look and feel to it. It supports many more types of e-mail networks than Outlook, and can also import old messages, contacts, calendar dates, and saved attachments from an existing Outlook installation. Firefox, with the proper configuration, can alert the user of new emails in Thunderbird while surfing the web.

Pidgin vs AIM

Pidgin is an all purpose instant messenger with support for AIM, iRC, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo instant messenger accounts. It runs much faster than AIM, and has no banner ads in the buddy list. Sick of juggling 37 conversations? Pidgin supports tabbed IM windows to take up less space on the desktop. It can be configured with plugins to send messages to buddies after they log-in, as well as other tasks. An interesting plugin, called Psychic Mode, opens a conversation window when someone starts typing a new message to you, enabling you to surprise them with a “Can’t talk” or “Whaddya want?”

Songbird vs iTunes

Songbird was designed from the ground up to be a fast, effective, no BS replacement for iTunes. It has full iPod/iPhone support, internet radio stations, music library organization, media conversion, and can even notify you of when bands in your library are playing in locations near you. It doesn’t ask questions about where you got your media, or limit how many devices you can put your music on.

VLC Media Player vs Windows Media Player

VLC is the God of all Gods in the media player realm. It is lightning fast, has a simple interface, and plays every music filetype known to mankind. No, it doesn’t show album art, have music visualizations, or have fancy library organization, but its strength lies in its simplicity. It receives internet radio, and can even turn a computer into a network radio station!

OpenOffice.org vs Microsoft Office Suite

OpenOffice.org is made my Sun Microsystems (the same company that makes Java) to completely replace Microsoft Office, and to provide new features. It includes counterparts to Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher, and also includes a program called Math that formats mathematical equations like one would see in a textbook. OpenOffice.org supports all files that Microsoft Office does, plus some more, and has all the features of Office 2007, but for free.

More information on the open source ideology can be found at www.gnu.org.