Good (and Free) PC Programs

[Aeson]

Originally posted by LordShiva
That's why you should just use 7zip

It even gets better compression ratios on regular zip files.

I've been meaning to look around for a better one, just too lazy I guess.

I think I ended up using IZArc because of the way many compression programs had trouble decompressing Civ III saves from zip files. It was the first one I found (after trying 10 or so others out) that would handle the problem saves correctly. That's no longer a factor for me though.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker


MS Office is much better, and Office 2007 is miles ahead of OO.org. And that's just if you're talking about Word vs. Writer; don't get me started on Excel vs. Calc

(admittedly, I've never tried their presentation program, which may be better than PowerPoint)

That's what I would have said if you hadn't said it first.

[KrazyHorse]

Free software I use:

Windows:
WinAmp
Firefox
PuTTY
Acrobat Reader

Linux:
Linux
gcc
gnuplot
GIMP
VLC
Grip
Acrobat Reader

[Hot Mustard]

AnandTech Forum thread: Freeware programs and applications

[aneeshm]

Anyone know a good IDE for Linux (other than eclipse)?

[SlowwHand]

Nice. I saved as html and bookmarked in 3 folders.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Solver
To your question .

OpenOffice, or OpenOffice.org more precisely, is an open source and free office suite. It's pretty good, though admittedly, I think MS Office is slightly better in some regards.

MS Office is better categorically...often by a huge margin.

[Aeson]

Originally posted by Asher
MS Office is better categorically...often by a huge margin.

Categorically is a bit overstating. There are some preferencial categories that can go either way, and of course price slightly favors OpenOffice.

Not to mention the category of supporting the evil empire.

[Asher]

Can you give some software examples where OO > MS Office?

[reds4ever]

http://www.stellarium.org/

Is very good free planetarium sofware.

[Aeson]

I said preferencial. I based that off my own switch to using OpenOffice (even though I do have a copy of MS Office available to use), because I prefer to work with it.

Obviously those things will differ from person to person and may not even be seen as factors at all. It's been a few years since I last used Microsoft Office, so specific examples would be difficult on my part. I like that I don't have to type in a serial code every time I reinstall. IIRC it has a smaller installation footprint, but not sure on that.

For what I use(d) them for, they're basically indistinguishable in how they perform. YMMV

[Asher]

Just wanted to make sure you had nothing to back it up. That's all.

[Hot Mustard]

OpenOffice.org Writer vs. Microsoft Word

Conclusion

OOo Writer scores most of its victories in features that make the creation and maintenance of highly formatted or long documents easier. This pattern is not accidental. According to Elizabeth Mathias of Sun Microsystems, the documentation of OpenOffice.org has a long history of being written in Writer itself. As a result, the program's developers had the incentive to include the tools they needed. This legacy continues to give Writer advantages over competitors like Word.

That is not to say that Writer is a perfect program. Its interface is wildly inconsistent. Some features, notably cross-references, can most kindly be described as lacking. And in version 2.0, the attempt to imitate Microsoft Word hides several useful features.

Yet, despite these shortcomings, OOo Writer is not only as fully developed as Microsoft Word, but often superior in terms of features and stability.

Several years ago I concluded "Opening Up to OpenOffice.org" by saying, "OOo Writer outperforms Microsoft Word in almost every way." With the release of the version 2.0 beta, that statement is truer than ever. At its worst, OOo Writer is an adequate alternative for Microsoft Word. Most of the time, it is a superior one. And the greater your need for page design features or long document handling, the greater that superiority becomes.

Review is a little old, but still relevant. I have been quite happy with OO for my personal use the last couple of years.

[Hot Mustard]

Originally posted by Asher
Just wanted to make sure you had nothing to back it up. That's all.

Geez, Asher - I hope you don't wonder why you get under everyone's skin. Attitude like that is going to sink you IRL, fast - I'm curious to see what you're like in 3-5 years or so.

Just b/c someone can't be bothered to look up specific examples to counter your ridiculous claim of "better categorically", doesn't mean you're right. It also doesn't mean they're right, and ultimately, it DOESN'T MATTER.

Can't you accept that some people may have different preferences and usage needs than your own?

[SlowwHand]

Word doesn't even qualify. It's not free. Doesn't meet the criteria.

Come on. More cool, free stuff.
BTW, I bookmarked that planet place.