Resources

It can be hard to get your business off the ground when you are hit from every side with the high cost of even just the bare essentials.  To help alleviate some of this stress, we have put together a collection of free software that can help you get started.  These are quality applications that are comparable and even better, in some cases, than their commercial analogs.

There are literally thousands of free applications available on the internet today, and this list represents a mere fraction of them.  These have been selected based on popularity, user reviews, functionality as they may apply to a small business, and our own in-house testing.  Before using any of this software, it is advisable to follow the links provided to read more about these applications and to determine their fit for your particular business needs.

If you have a slow internet connection or are unsure about downloading these files yourself, please contact us.  We have put the Windows version of this entire collection onto one CD-ROM for your convenience, and it is available for a nominal copy and distribution fee.  (Online ordering coming soon!)

AVG		Free real-time anti-virus protection with auto-update.  More info and additional free downloads at free.grisoft.com.
AxCrypt		Open source one-click strong file encryption, compression, and decryption utility. More info at www.axantum.com/AxCrypt/.
Eudora		Open source version of the ever-popular mail client based on Mozilla's Thunderbird code. Read more about it here: wiki.mozilla.org/Eudora_Releases
FileZilla		Open source FTP client with intuitive graphical user interface. Info and server app available at www.filezilla-project.org.
Firefox		Mozilla's award-winning web browser.  Get it here: www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
FreeCAD		Open source 3D modeler intended for mechanical product design.  View the extensive feature list and screen shots at juergen-riegel.net/FreeCAD/Docu/.
FreeCalc		Enhanced-functionality replacement for the standard Windows calculator. More info: www.moffsoft.com/freecalc.htm
GIMP		Open source image authoring and photo retouching software (comparable to Photoshop).   Features, screen shots, docs, etc. at www.gimp.org.
GNUcash		Open source small-business accounting software.  Read all about it at www.gnucash.org.
Inkscape		Open source vector graphics editor (comparable to Illustrator).  Galleries, docs, articles, and more at www.inkscape.org.
KnowledgeTree		Community edition of the popular commercial open source electronic document management system.  Everything you want to know at www.knowledgetree.com.
Open Clip Art		Public domain library of thousand of user-contributed clip art images.  www.openclipart.org
OpenOffice		High-quality open source alternative to the other Office productivity application suite. Info and downloads: www.openoffice.org
Spybot S&D		One of the best spyware detection and removal tools available... and it's free! Check it out at www.spybot.com/en/spybotsd.
Sunbird		Mozilla's desktop task & appointment scheduling calendar app. Screen shots, docs, and extras at www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/sunbird/.
Turbo Pascal		Borland's classic object-oriented IDE and compiler.  An antique, but still great for the development of simple custom applications.  Here you go: dn.codegear.com/article/20803
Winamp		Free version of Nullsoft's ultimate multi-media player and management system. Get it now at www.winamp.com.
ZipCentral		Free file compression utility with graphical user interface.  Comparable to the widely used WinZIP.  Info and downloads at zipcentral.iscool.net