Free Software For Students

Say a student asks me for advice about buying a new computer. He or she wants to have something powerful and portable and, very important, not too expensive. Lately I always find myself recommending the Macbook. It used to be the iMac, but the Apple laptops are so affordable these days and seriously capable. But what about the software? Isn’t mac software expensive? Well, it can be, but if you do a little research you will find out that there is a lot available, for free!

In this months edition of Wired Magazine I read a great story by Chris Andersen on how companies like Google offer so many great services for free. This doesn’t mean they are not making any money. They’re either making money on a different product they offer, or are investing in what might earn them money in a later state, like their GOOG-411 service.

There are two different kinds of free software. One kind is software developed by companies who are trying to make money by selling side-products, or subscription plans. The other kind is software developed by enthusiasts, often supported by a large user base, who just want to make great things and share them with the rest of the world. For the average student, either way is fine, because you can choose from a nice selection of great products without having to pay anything!

When you buy a new Mac, it already comes loaded with a lot of great tools. Enough tools to get you going, but not quite enough to really get the most out of your computer. When you are a student you definitely need a decent word processor. Maybe a spreadsheet application, and of course a nice way to take notes and organize them. And some handy tools for playing video, burning CD’s and DVD’s and communicating with your friends and classmates. Right? Well all of the above can be found for free.

•    There is NeoOffice for your office-like needs. I personally find it a bit sluggish, it doesn’t run as fast as I would like, so I prefer to use the Google Docs, great and simple tools that do just what you expect them to do. A constant internet connection is required for this though. And when you have such a connection (and who doesn’t), there are some powerful tools waiting for you online.
•    I recently discovered Evernote, a great note taking application that, syncs with an online version. It also has a tool to grab information straight from the web into Evernote by using a simple browser button that says ‘Clip to Evernote’. You can clip pictures and text from websites, but you can also just use it to write notes and always have them available online on your free Evernote account. Currently only in invite-only preview mode, but that will probably change soon.
•    VLC will play all your movie files!
•    For burning CD’s you have several options. Like BurnX Free or the appropriately named Burn.
•    My personal favorite tool for communication is Skype. I like the way you can talk with people, and you can use it for instant messaging very well too. It’s platform independent, but of course you can only use it if your friends are using it too. You could also use iChat of course if you like.

These are just a few examples of great (and for a student quite essential) on- and offline tools you can use for absolutely free. Together with the software you get with your Macbook for free (including tools for making wesites, movies, managing your photos) it gives you a good starter kit!

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Photo by laffy4