Thursday, June 9, 2011

Best Free, Legal Software for Business



By now you have probably heard of Open Office (Win/Mac). It is the open source answer to expensive commercial office software and while it does not have all the same bells and whistles, it does the job nicely and in some cases, even better.
Create documents and spreadsheets, graphs, presentations, databases and much more with this innovative software. Insert video, graphics and sound. Files can be saved in many common document formats or exported as a PDF. That's impressive. No other office program allows you to directly export all documents, spreadsheets and presentations to PDF with one click. Get it here:http://www.openoffice.org/
It does not have a clip art gallery but don't let that stop you. You can create your own very easily by using the Open Clip Art Library. Just download the file, and add it to the gallery in Open Office. Full instructions on how to do this are right here!
What's missing? It does not have an integrated email program. However, Mozilla Thunderbird is an excellent open source email program and Mozilla Lightning, a calendar and task program, is the perfect extension for Thunderbird. Upgrading from other email clients like Outlook or Outlook Express is easy.

Accounting

Gnucash (Win/Mac) is an actively updated open source accounting software that works on all operating systems. It's easy to use for personal accounting but powerful enough for a small business. You can track your bank accounts, stocks and monitor your income and expenses on an intuitive interface.
There are features for customer and vendor tracking, invoicing and bill payment as well as tax and billing terms. Need to find a transaction quickly? Gnucash can do it! Gnucash also handles several currencies.
It comes with a manual that takes you through every step of monitoring your home accounts or business transactions. Get it here: http://www.gnucash.org/
Hint: Don't install all the extras that come with the package if you don't need them.  The basic install will work well for most people. READ THE MANUAL.

Gnucash Interface



PDF Split and Merge

OS Independent. That means we can all use it! It does just what it says. It allows you to edit your PDFs so if something didn't print properly, you can print only the missing portion and not the whole document. Move things around all you like. The interface is intuitive and that cuts the learning curve way down. Have a look at the screenshot below and if you like the idea of having control over your PDFs, get the program here.


Point of Sale Software

If you have a small retail business or restaurant and need Point of Sale software that will serve multiple computers on a single database, look no further. Lemon POS is the way to go. It is designed for Linux and Unix systems and has many of the features built into the expensive software. It uses MySQL and because it's Unix based, you don't have the worry of viruses attacking your data. Want to get it now? Download here.
Be aware that support is minimal at this point and can only be obtained by contacting the developer. You may have to fend for yourself and search out information on forums but this is likely to change as more people start using the software.


It's amazing what is out there for free. You just have to look around. Happy hunting!
Posted by Alexandra/SilverGenes at 3:27 PM 0 comments
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Best Free Software for Writers

Everything you need for professional results






Source: Scribus
Source: Scribus

Scribus

Win/Mac When I first saw this software, I couldn't believe it was open source. It rivals the best of the best commercial software and will create a PDF that is professional commercial grade. Use it to create magazines, illustrated how-to books, travel books, brochures, textbooks, children's books, and the list goes on.
There is a complete online manual with a section for newbies to help you get started. It rivals programs like Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress so be prepared to stretch your brain cells a bit if you have never used a commercial publishing program.
Although there is a fairly steep learning curve, there are lots of tutorials and a large community of users ready to help.
Once you have your masterpiece created in PDF (which plays nicely with iPad), you can convert to whatever file format you need for book sales. See the information on Calibre at the end of this article.

Storybook 2.1.14

Storybook works in both Win and Mac*/Linux. If you need help organizing your characters, timeline, and chapters and want help managing all the ideas that are swirling in your head before you get a chance to jot them down in a draft, then you may want to have a look at this software. The developer refers to it as a 'dynamic mind map'.
Let's suppose you realize that a character needed to reveal a fact much earlier on in the novel. Storybook can take you quickly to the location and the character with the click of a button. Below is a screenshot of what you would see.

Source: Storybook
If you are a visual person, seeing the characters and where they are at any given time can make constructing your novel or short story much easier and solve continuity issues before they begin. The trouble with this is that it could be so much fun planning that there is very little writing being done.

Source: Storybook



Source: Storybook
All in all it is great software for planners and planning your bestseller is essential. Most commercially successful books are written to formula. You can find all the tutorials you will ever need for using this software right here. It is easy to use and there is no huge learning curve involved. The biggest challenge you will have is to stop playing and get busy writing.
If you are a Mac user, you can get the Linux version but you should be computer savvy. Here's the official statement from Storybook:
*Mac OS X is officially not supported!
  • If you have technical knowledge (Unix tools, console / terminal), you may try the version for Linux.
  • An other option is using a Virtual Machine such as VirtualBox (Open Source) or VmWare.
What it comes down to for Mac users who are not computer savvy is that they need to buy Windows 7. VirtualBox works only on Leopard and Snow Leopard. However, these versions already come with Boot Camp which will partition your drive so you can use both operating systems. However, VirtualBox uses memory only while open and does not physically partition your drive. Do some research and choose which way you want to go. Personally, getting computer savvy enough to use some Unix tools and the terminal makes more sense to me but if you have OSX 10.6 and above, it will prove daunting unless you are an Apple developer.

Converting PDFs to ePub

Don't you just love generous developers? Most writers are avid readers so I was thrilled to find Calibre (Win/Mac), another open source and very easy to use program for not only converting your writing to formats for eReaders but for organizing and converting files for output to your own device. It organizes your library, adds missing metadata by searching the Internet for you, allows editing of tags, downloads news from RSS feeds, and then converts it all for whatever reader you are using.
Rather than go into a lengthy description of all the incredible things this program does, here is a video from the developer. It's the perfect tour of this elegant little program.
Caution: When converting PDFs, make sure any vector graphics have been changed to image formats like .jpg otherwise the image will be dropped in the conversion.

Calibre in Motion

There are lots more tools out there but really, how many does a writer need? It's time to start creating and publishing!
Posted by Alexandra/SilverGenes at 3:10 PM 2 comments
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Best Free Software for Creative People





This is how I feel when I buy new, expensive software
This is how I feel when I buy new, expensive software

Ozzie's in the background...

Is your communications bill rivaling your mortgage? Does the cost of some software and services price you right out of the market? Even if you do save enough for the new, improved version it will be outdated tomorrow and it will cost you more to upgrade. If it feels like the technology race never ends and you just can't keep up, you are not alone. There are commercials now that focus on the decisions people are making about what service to drop because, quite frankly, many of us just can’t afford the ridiculous rates. Some companies are recognizing this and offering some kind of solutions but you will not get something for nothing; you have to purchase the buyback program when you buy your item. Just think of it like obsolescence insurance and then think about the massive profit margins that facilitate it.

But it doesn't end there

There is a lot of greed, proposed access controls and copyright amendments geared toward altering the average person’s opportunity to digitally create, explore and use the Internet. Let’s just remember one thing. The Internet is free. It is meant to globally connect people, information and ideas. The access to the Internet and the information on the Internet is not necessarily free. As we saw previously, nor is the hardware that gets us there.

Sick of software gouging?

One particular imaging editing software company would not let me update cross-platform. This means, if you change your operating system, you have to buy new software at the full price even though you have been legitimately purchasing and licensing their software at full cost. I don’t know about you, but I find that twist infuriating. I have software sitting on my shelf that will never be used and quite frankly, I can’t afford to do that again.
I don’t feel like spending more cash to use Windows programs on my Mac. Really. I bought a Mac so I wouldn’t have to fight with Windows anymore. Yes, if you migrate to Mac Intel and have OS X v10.5 or later, you can buy Windows 7 so you can use your Windows based software that was sold to you as universal. But just try and use Mac software on Windows. Ha! Well, yes you can but it involves installing VirtualBox (free) and buying Mac OSX. It’s not just software. Sometimes it is services that are interrupted because certain corporations are fighting with each other and the consumer is left out in the cold. Confusing? It’s enough to make the most law-abiding citizens consider pirating. However, if you care about keeping the Internet open for everyone, don’t resort to pirating. There are some excellent legal alternatives that won’t cost you a dime.

High Quality Programs for FREE

Here are some of the best. They are FREE open source programs and not just trial versions. This list is by no means comprehensive but it does give you a place to start. If there are some you use and love, let me know so we can add them here.

Internet TV and Video Player

Miro is a completely free open source Internet TV and video player and some swear it surpasses iTunes in many ways. It handles HD flawlessly and plays any video file. When you expand it to full screen, it will knock your socks off. Windows and Mac. You can get it through CNET where it has a 5 star Editor rating.

Photo Editing

Image editing program with many of the features of expensive imaging software including layers, drawing tools, gradients and much more. It’s intuitive, easy to learn, has readily available tutorials and a forum where you can find answers to just about anything. Unfortunately, this program works on Windows only.
For all the Mac users out there, GIMP is still your best bet for free imaging software. Find it here: http://www.gimp.org/

Vector Drawing

If you’ve ever wished for a vector drawing program but just can’t afford Illustrator or CorelDraw, try Inkscape. Get it at: http://inkscape.org/ It isn’t quite as comprehensive as the commercial software but it is surprisingly close. For instance, it supports markers, clones, alpha blending and you can edit nodes, trace bitmaps and perform complex path operations. Create your own illustrated links. Yes, it’s as easy as right-clicking. Want to try your hand at mapmaking? Inkscape handles it and it works on Windows and Mac. Works in 2D only.
A sample of work from the Open Clipart Library
A sample of work from the Open Clipart Library

Clipart

Open Clip Art Library -http://www.openclipart.org/ gives you free clip art in SVG or PNG formats without the risks of malware and other nasties so common on other sites. It is amazing! Graphics programs create what is called Scalable Vector Graphics or SVG files. Unless otherwise noted on individual files, it is all Public Domain even for commercial use. Use your free open source Inkscape and upload clipart for others to use. Giving back is always a good thing. It keeps the balance.

Amazing 3D

If you find yourself needing a 3D program, Blender may be your answer. Download it at: http://www.blender.org/ It works for all major operating systems and has an active community. If you are new to the world of 3D, there is Blender Quickstart and many tutorials including a huge collection specifically for beginners.Windows and Mac. They even have an official YouTube channel where you can keep up with the conferences: http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderFoundation

Making Movies?

Video Editing can be done with simple software that is part of Windows and Mac but when you want to step it up beyond that, there are some alternatives.
Avidemux gets high ratings for ease of use, great tutorials, and it even has support for MKV. Get it here:http://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/

AVS Video Editor gets good marks from users but is available only for Windows. It’s part of a whole suite of products that includes an audio editor, video and audio converter, image converter, as well as DVD authoring and copying. CNET gives it a 5 star rating. Have a look: http://www.avsmedia.com/

For Linux/Mac there is the award winning Cinelerra. We are talking true broadcast quality. The interface is similar to Adobe Premiere Pro but it also has some of the attributes of Adobe After Effects and Shake. This software is not recommended for the newbie or those who are faint of heart but it does pack a professional punch. If you are on a Windows platform, you can try it out before making any major changes to your computer. Get it here: http://cinelerra.org/

A new kid on the block in this area is the cross-platform OpenShot 1.3.0 with loads of transitions and effects including 3D animated title sequences. See it and download here: http://www.openshot.org/

Music Recording & Editing

Audacity is a free cross-platform sound editor for both recording and editing. It’s simple to use and fast. You can also convert all your old tapes and records with it. Supports VST Plugins but is separate because of licensing (not all are free). I’ve cleaned up many a track with this software: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

For Windows users, there’s Kristal Audio Engine but be warned. It requires a minimum of 1 Ghz so if you don’t have at least that, don’t even think of installing it. If you are exploring recording, mixing and mastering digital audio, then you just might love it. Handles only 16 tracks at the moment but may expand soon. If you are a complete newbie, this will be more than you can handle anyway so you’ll need some tutorials. They are readily available online by searching Google. Note that some plugins are not free. Get the software here:http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/
Another example from the Open Clipart Library
Another example from the Open Clipart Library

Public Domain Music

If you are not musically inclined but want some instrumentals for the fantastic videos you have created, find some here:http://www.opensourcemusic.com/

Or go for the motherlode of free music at: http://www.archive.org/details/opensource_audio

Credit where credit is due

All the photos in this article are from another fabulous resource: morgueFile
It's a public image archive free to search and free to use. Some photographers like to know where their work is being used while others do not. Comments are always welcome.

A final thought

Remember to check the Public Domain and Creative Commons licensing associated with all photography, clipart, music, or anything else someone has created for you to use online. Some are personal use only or require attribution. Others require no attribution and are free for all uses including commercial. It’s there for free and the best way to say thank you is by following the terms.
Remember, if you like what you are using and the developer accepts donations, by all means send something! It doesn't have to be a lot but it is a great way to say thanks and keep Open Source available.
Posted by Alexandra/SilverGenes at 2:39 PM 3 comments
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