This week's Web Winners: Free software
Free software can be dicey. Is it safe? Does it work?
Well, yes, some of it is, and does. Here's a collection of useful freebies.
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GOOGLE PACK
The software that comes with Google Pack is some of the most popular on the Web - including a spyware detector, a six-month trial of Norton AntiVirus, the Mozilla Firefox browser, and the addictive 3-D browser Google Earth.
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WEB HOSTING
One of several places online to set up and manage a free Web site, this one by Microsoft - called Office Live - includes free domain name registration (as long as you keep the MSN account).
http://officelive.microsoft.com/officelivebasic.aspx
Microsoft is testing Office Live along with a bunch of other services under the rubric Windows Live.
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THINKFREE
ThinkFree is a package of word-processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software that you access with a Web connection. It is free in its current "beta" form and worth a try if you've got a fast Internet connection, and some reason to access your work from various locations.
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YAHOO CALENDAR
Millions of people are used to using Web-based e-mail that they can access from all over the world. Many sites that offer Web mail also have branched out with services such as Yahoo Calendar and Yahoo Notepad, which can then pepper you with e-mail reminders and alerts.
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LINUX DOWNLOADS
Feeling brave? Very brave? You may be ready for the free computer operating system called Linux, whose mascot is a cute penguin. Users say life without Windows can be good. But what protection is there when cold winds blow? At this site, you can read about Linux and find links to some of the countless sites that offer downloads.
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Reid Kanaley: rkanaley@phillynews.com
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