You’ve heard the rumors from people at work. Maybe a news article about a free program helping a film get an Oscar nod has caught your attention.
Whatever the case, you want to know whether free software is actually something you can trust or whether it’s more of an urban legend than reality. The truth: open source software is not only free, it is also safe for you to download.
Find Open Source Software to Download
All open source software is free. If a developer is charging for a product, then it’s not open source. While you could do an Internet search to find free software, you can save yourself time by trusting people who stay abreast of the latest programs. Consider the following sources:
SourceForge
If you want a place where you can find over 260,000 free programs, then head to SourceForge. As an open source platform for development, it’s a sure win destination to find the program you need for free.
InfoWorld
At InfoWorld, you can find top-10 lists for free software programs, a test center, and webcasts. All these tools can help you figure out how to download free software, as well as what programs to download.
Lifehacker
Since 2005, Lifehacker has been teaching readers about open source programs and hacking source codes. It highlights the best downloads based on category and recaps the top 50 free programs on an annual basis.
AlternativeTo
Type a program name into the search box, and AlternativeTo will return a list of alternative programs. Want a photo-editor? Download GIMP. Need to create a PDF? Try PDFCreator.
Consider Downloading a Zip Utility
One of the main benefits to open source software is the ability to download a product on several different operating systems. While Windows-based downloads usually have an installer included, many of the downloads for other systems will use zipped folders to deliver the software. To make sure you’re ready to handle any free download, consider installing zip utility on your hard drive. 7-Zip is a free utility you could use.
Start Downloading Free Programs
Before you can download a program, you need to know what type of operating system you use. The main operating systems are Windows (Microsoft), Apple (Mac), Linux (Sun Solaris, Red Hat), and UNIX. If you go to a developer’s website and only one version of a program is available, then the developer has most likely installed a program designed to detect your operating system automatically.
Start the download process and wait for the files to transfer. If you are using a zipped folder, you will have to unzip the software and launch the program manually. If you use a program with an installer, you will see an installation wizard open after you initiate the download.
Keep in mind that your computer’s security system may interfere with a download. You may need to override this by clicking “Run” on any security windows.
Go Crazy
The amount of downloading you can do for free software is only limited by your operating system. As long as you have space on your hard drive, you can add to your software collection.
