If you are anything like me you can’t pass up a freebie. How about free software? I am not talking about software that no one but a real geek would want. I am talking about programs such as Microsoft Office, Frontpage, Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop and plenty more.

When I switched over to my new MacBook in January I made a drastic decision that I would drop all commercial software and just run with Open Source offerings. I will admit that I wasn’t sure if it could be done but after nearly 11 months I can attest that it is really easier than I thought.

With Open Source programs able to import the file formats of the commercial software that they are designed to replace it is a real easy matter to make the switch. For example, Open Office will handle Microsoft Word and Excel spreadsheets with ease, Adobe Photoshop files are no trouble for Gimp and those dreaded Microsoft Frontpage sites can be easily handled by NVU.

To find the Open Source replacement for your Windows apps look here, Mac apps can be found here and here.