Free Software!

Most people have no idea that just about every piece of software you could ever want can be downloaded for free! I'm going to introduce you into the world of "Open Source Sofware".

Open Source Software is 100% free, and the source code can be downloaded for you to tweak the program to your own liking. This is really appealing to computer geeks, because you can learn from the source code and actually play with the internal workings of the program. If you aren't interested in tinkering with source code, Open Source Software can still be of use to you. It is literally "beefed up" and "debugged" by computer geeks around the globe for you to download and enjoy. So the next time you search for "free" software, try to include the phrase "open source" in your search term, and you will probably pull up even more freebies for you to download. Also don't get confused about this: not all free software is open source.

When I said every piece of software you could want can be downloaded for free I mean EVERY piece of software. What would you say if I told you there were free, open source Operating Systems for you to download and use? It's true, just check into linux (there are many distros (flavors), my personal favorite is Ubuntu. Don't feel like downloading it? Just tell them your address and they'll send you 5 free discs!). Most people have no idea that there are operating systems besides Microsoft Windows, but in many people's opinions Linux OS' are much better than Microsoft!

"Orange" a team of computer animators used Blender to make an Open Source movie! You have to buy the DVD, but it includes .blend files which have all the models, scenes and animations from the movie, free for you to use how ever you want!

Enjoy the Free Software!