Free Software Alternatives Encompass Students’ Needs

Noelle Blair, Staff Reporter

noelle_blair@csumb.edu

April 7, 2008

With the increasing prices for software, it is getting increasingly difficult for students to get work done. Fortunately for students, many companies have created freeware that is just as good and in some cases better than mainstream expensive software. Here is a breakdown of some of the most popular freeware programs:

Gimp  www.gimp.org

Gimp is a widely supported image manipulation program. An easy to use interface and capable of most things that Adobe Photoshop can do make Gimp an incredibly versatile piece of freeware.

Audacity (audacity.sourceforge.net)

Available on many lab computers at CSU Monterey Bay, Audacity is used to edit audio files. It can easily cut out pieces of sound files, record, and more. It also has an impressive amount of effects, such as an echo, pitch adjuster, and bass boost.

Firefox  www.mozilla.com

The default Internet browser in most CSUMB labs, Firefox is generally regarded as a safer and better alternative to the more popular Microsoft Internet Explorer. A large amount of add-ons, such as the Stumble button, which delivers web pages based on selected interests, make Firefox customizable. 

Open Office  www.openoffice.org

With the price of Microsoft Office going up to $500, students may start searching for a free alternative. Open Office is an open-source program with many of the same components as Microsoft Office, including a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation creator. 

DVD Shrink  www.dvdshrink.org

For students who have a habit of losing or breaking DVDs, DVD Shrink may be just the program to back up their discs. The easy to use interface allows users to create back-up ISO image files, which is a common file type for burning on to CD-ROMs, of their DVDs that will fit on a standard DVD-R. It can also be used to edit home movies that are on DVDs. 

Free Games for Windows www.freeware-software.org/games

The Internet is full of free games and this website directs users to some of the most popular Windows friendly games. Look for an early version of Grand Theft Auto and fan-versions of Super Mario. 

Blender  www.blender.org

For the student with a knack for 3D creating and editing, Blender is the perfect platform to create interesting 3D animations and games. The interface takes some time to learn to use, however there are several tutorials for users to read. For the beginner wanting to learn 3D animation,  www.alice.org is an amazing freeware program developed to teach students how to create computer-based animations for stories, games, and videos.