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Small businesses can benefit from free software

If you have a small business, you know that software can be expensive. Surprisingly, only 6% of people have ever used software alternatives to Microsoft Office. But our Free and Cheap List has no-cost options like OpenOffice.org, which is now offering the newest version of its office suite-style software for free. Clark's not an anti-Microsoft person, but he'd rather you save the dough. OpenOffice is inter-operable with Microsoft Word if it's used correctly. What if you're a small business owner burdened by the hassle of making appointments? You might want to check out GenBook.com for free online appointment scheduling software. That way you can focus on making money, instead of playing phone and e-mail tag with clients.


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What others are saying

  • Free IBM Lotus Symphony based on OpenOffice.Org
    Check out http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/products.jspa
  • 46 Best Freeware Utilities
    I high recommend this site (http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm). He's broken out a lot of free software utility offerings into 46 categories. If you subscribe (free... just involves getting on his mailing list), you get access to 72 other catgories.

    He's done an outstanding job of writing concise reviews of each offering. He indicates things like whether one tool would be good for a beginner and another tool for someone more advanced... as well as indicating strengths and weaknesses of each offering... along with all appropriate links.
  • open office.org
    I have the program, been using this program for a year. It's great. I use it on my personal computer.
  • MS Front Page Alternative
    Check out DotNetNuke at www.dotnetnuke
  • Google
    Google has a whole suite of free software alternatives to microsoft. Most of them allow you to access all your files online as well as share and colaborate with others.
  • Alternate to MS Software
    I've used Open Office for over a year.
    Very low learning curve, and it does almost everything nearly the same way.
    Great for anything, Better for some.
  • web site software
    I'm looking for a good replacement for Microsoft Front Page. Any ideas?
  • Free Online database software?
    I like google online software but they only offer a word processing and spreadsheet software. Does anyone offer free online database software, similar to dbase3+ or Alpha4?
  • Open source bookkeeping
    Has Clark found any free alternatives to QuickBooks. That software is really a money-suck for small businesses. Help!
  • Even More MS Alternatives
    Yes, OpenOffice is available for Windows and Apple OS X, but it's also available for Linux. There are several Linux distributions that cost NOTHING to legally download and install - even on old desktop PCs, servers, and laptops - that make effective replacements for Windows, including CentOS, Fedora, and Ubuntu. A skilled IT professional can outfit an entire office with Linux and other Open Source software for a software license cost of exactly $0, without forcing you to replace all of your hardware.
  • Free Online Alternatives to Office Suites
    Small businesses can also find good value from free online office suites such as Google Docs (http://docs.google.com) and Zoho (http://www.zoho.com) which both offer free basic features online...which means no software updates or data backup worries. Both online suites provide all of the functionality needed by 90% of small offices including word processing, spreadsheets, etc.

    RockAndRollProgrammer
    http://www.JournalOfTheRandom.com
  • Free Software Brings New Life to Old PC
    If you just need a PC for home use, you can breath new life into an old PC using Ubuntu (www.ubuntu.com). It is an extremely user-friendly version of Linux that replaces ALL the software on the computer (Windows, Office, etc.) for free but is VERY easy to use. Email, surf the web, word processing, spreadsheets, even games - its all there.

    If you are more of a business user instead of a home user, you can look at Novell's SLED (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop). You can buy it for just $50 and it comes with software for every business need, tech support, and documentation.

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This week's poll
The high cost of jet fuel has a lot of people staying at home this summer instead of traveling. Is there a "staycation" in your immediate future?
Yes, I just can't afford a plane ticket and/or hotel room right now.
No, I've saved up all year just to get away for a bit.
Maybe, I have to wait and see how my finances pan out.
see previous polls


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