There are many good free software programs available for Macintosh computers, and in this article I tell you how to find the best of these programs.
If you are like me, you enjoy using good free software on your Macintosh computer. But where do you find this software?
There are several good download sites for Mac software and you may already be familiar with the most popular ones - VersionTracker and MacUpdate. Of the two, I prefer MacUpdate because of its easy-to-use interface. But how can you find the best free programs from the thousands listed on the site? Fortunately, MacUpdate has a few features that can make this task a little easier. First, you can sort any list of files by "license" and then all free programs will be listed together. You'll find a short description of each program next to the program's name. If you click the program's name, you'll see a screen with information on the program including a link to the developer's site ("More information" link). If you scroll down the page, you'll find reviews of the software submitted by readers/users. This feature can be useful for determining the quality of a program, especially when reviewers seem to be in agreement on the strengths and weaknesses of a program.
VersionTracker's features are similar to those on MacUpdate, but, like MacUpdate, the VersionTracker site lists thousands of programs. There are, however, other download sites that list far fewer programs and that use screening methods so they will only list "better" programs. Two of these sites are Softpedia and Pure Mac. Apple's website also has a Mac OS X downloads section with descriptions of programs. However, no evaluations or reviews are given on Apple's site. Another excellent source for good software for Mac OS X 10.4 is an open source software site. Some of the best free software programs - like OpenOffice or the Gimp - are open source programs. Two good sites for downloading quality open source software are Open Source Mac and FreeSMUG. Here you'll find some of the highest quality software programs available for Mac OS X 10.4, including programs that emulate the most expensive commercial software for the Mac. For example, the Gimp is a PhotoShop-like advanced photo editing program and OpenOffice is a free version of an office suite similar to Microsoft Office. Note that some open source programs require that you first install X11 (on the Mac OS X 10.4 install disks) and some will not yet work well on Intel Macs.
Another source for good free software actually requires a small investment of money. Several of the top Macintosh magazines include a disk full of software with the magazine. Most of the freeware programs can be downloaded from the previously mentioned websites, but if you don't have a fast Internet connection, the small cost of a magazine may be a good alternative for you. Also, at least two of the UK magazines, MacFormat and MacWorld UK, often include full free versions of top quality commercial software. Many times the programs are not the latest versions of the software, but most, if not all, run fine on Mac OS X 10.4. And, in many cases, the older versions of quality commercial programs serve the needs of most home users very well. The programs offered sometimes cost several hundred dollars when originally sold so the small cost of the magazine may be worthwhile for programs that meet your needs. In addition to the free programs, you usually get special offers for upgrading the programs as well as a quality magazine with excellent and interesting articles.
With the information in this article you should now be able to acquire most of the quality software you need - for free.
Copyright 2006 Claire J Rottenberg- You have permission to publish this article electronically in free-only publications such as a website or an ezine as long as the bylines and all hyperlinks are included. If you post this article on a website/forum/blog, all URLs must be set to hyperlinks (clickable links). - You are not allowed to change or delete any words or links in the article or resource box. Paragraph breaks must be retained with the article. - You are not allowed to post/reprint this article in any sites/publications that contain or support hate, violence or pornography or in any indecent or illegal sites/publications. - You are not allowed to use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) or SPAM. - You are not permitted to insert affiliate links into any part of this article or into the author's resource box.
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