Free software
Below is a list of software products that are available for free from the open source community. All of these products have been or are being used by staff at Boyd Design, and we can recommend all of them.
Useful Office Software | |
 | OpenOffice.org 3 is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose. |
 | Mozilla Thunderbird 2 is an alternative to Outlook. It’s now even easier to organise, secure and customise your mail. Keep Your Vital Information Organised Thunderbird 2 features many new enhancements to help you better manage your unruly inbox, and stay informed. Thunderbird 2 scales to the most sophisticated organizational needs while making it easy to find what you need. |
 | Firefox is the number one alternative to Internet Explorer, and in most department it is a lot better. The Web is all about innovation, and Firefox 3 sets the pace with dozens of new features, including the smart location bar, one-click bookmarking and blindingly fast performance. |
 | This is my favourite. A really easy way to create PDFs from any software. Portable Document Format (PDF) is the de facto standard for the secure and reliable distribution and exchange of electronic documents and forms around the world. CutePDF Writer (formerly CutePDF Printer) is the free version of commercial PDF creation software. CutePDF Writer installs itself as a "printer subsystem". This enables virtually any Windows applications (must be able to print) to create professional quality PDF documents - with just a push of a button! |
 | Skype is a great way to make free calls to other skype users and also a very cheap VOIP option. Although the quality is not perfect, it has a lot of great free options. |
Business Planning | |
 | Edraw is great mind mapping software. This link will take you to a free version from Download.com but the publishers of this software have created some more powerful paid versions that might be worth a look if you are a keen Mind Mapper. Edraw Mind map is the quick and easy map mapping software for creating great-looking mind maps (graphical representations of thought processes) for brainstorming, problem solving, rational analysis, and decision marking. It includes thousands of ready-made graphics that you simply stamp to create your drawing. |
Design and Web | |
 | FileZilla Client is a fast and reliable cross-platform FTP, FTPS and SFTP client with lots of useful features and an intuitive graphical user interface. |
 | Creating web sites and applications on your platform of choice is now easier than ever. Aptana's PHP, Ruby on Rails and Jaxer application engines come ready to use and ready to scale in Aptana Studio, Eclipse and Aptana Cloud. Develop against local or remote engines. Deploy and scale on demand. |
 | GIMP is a versatile graphics manipulation package. It is a great alternative to Photoshop. |
