Best Free Software Suite
Best Free Software Suites include downloadable programs that contain multiple programs that perform multiple tasks. OpenDisc, Lupo Pen Suite, and Liberkey are examples of programs that provide integrated programs that perform a variety of tasks.
Office Suites are a subset of software suites, but provide only office type functions such as Word Processing, Spreadsheet, and Presentation programs. Open Office, IBM Lotus Symphony, and Google Suite are examples of programs that provide a set of integrated programs that perform Office tasks. We also maintain a category named Best Free Office Suite Replacements. This category is devoted to software suites providing office productivity packages that are a substitute for Microsoft Office.
Many users prefer the free Open Office, or IBM Lotus Symphony, rather than the expensive Microsoft Office.
OpenDisc offers for free a wonderful collection of just about every application software product you need to run a PC, including the latest version of OpenOffice. Many of these freebies substitute admirably for expensive commercial products. There is Abi Word as an alternative to MS Word, OpenOffice for MS Office XP, Thunderbird for Outlook, The Gimp for Adobe Photoshop, 7-zip for WinZip and many many more. If you then add to this collection some of the other utilities from my "46 Best-ever Utilities" collection, you'll have all the software you'll ever need without spending a cent. There is also a reasonably active blog and forum.
This is an extraordinary collection of software. Do note, though, that the full ISO download is 555MB. (If you have a slow connection you can purchase the CD for as little as $1.99. -- unverified 02/05/2008).
They've recently taken to highlighting featured software and providing links to the product developers' sites, so you can now download just individual programs.
The folks at Ubuntu Linux are giving away free CDs containing most of the programs on the Open CD together with the latest version of Ubuntu. https://shipit.ubuntu.com/ They will send you the full Ubuntu installation CDs, plus a live CD which will run Ubuntu directly from the CD. You can order as many CDs as you want and you don't even have to pay the mailing costs! When you get your CDs, read this simple introduction to Linux before starting: http://www.paulstamatiou.com/2005/10/24/how-to-ubuntu-linux-for-novices/
Lupo PenSuite is a completely free suite of portable programs and games (no need to be installed).
Optimized to be loaded on a pendrive, this suite works perfectly well on any hard disk. It includes over a hundred programs and lots of games, classified into several categories, such as:
- Internet (Firefox, Thunderbird, Skype, uTorrent, Filezilla...)
- Multimedia (VideoLAN, XMplay, Audacity, mp3DirectCut, DeepBurner...)
- Graphics (IrfanView, PhotoFiltre, The Gimp, FastStone Capture...)
- Security (CCleaner, TrueCrypt, Keepass, CyberShredder...)
- System (SIW, DTaskManager...)
- Office (AbiWord, Notepad++, Foxit Reader, EssentialPIM...)
IBM Lotus Symphony is a completely free suite of office programs providing Word Processing, Presentation, and Spreadsheet functions. Though not as rich in features as MS Office, and lacking a database application, it provides a solid set of programs for basic office tasks.
Product Details
OpenDisc
Website: http://theopendisc.com/programs/
Download link:http://theopendisc.com/programs/
Author: OpenDisc
Version: 7.1
Date: 09/27/2007
Download file size: 555MB (iso)
License: Free
Operating systems supported: Windows Linux Solaris Mac
64 Bit version available: No, but many of these 32 bit programs will run in a 64 bit environment
Portable version available: Unknown
Other languages supported: None
Additional software required: No
Lupo PenSuite
Website: http://lupo-pensuite.en.softonic.com/
Download link: http://lupo-pensuite.en.softonic.com/
Author: Softonic
Version: 6.53
Date: 03/26/2008
Download file size: 148.3MB
License: Freeware
Operating systems supported: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
64 Bit version available: Some of these programs will not run in a 64 bit environment
Portable version available: Yes
Other languages supported: No
Additional software required: No
Open Office
Website: http://www.openoffice.org/
Download link:http://www.openoffice.org/
Author: OpenOffice
Version: 2.40
Date: Unknown
Download file size: 127MB
License: Free
Operating systems supported: Windows Linux Solaris Mac
64 Bit version available: No, but this 32 bit program will run in a 64 bit environment
Portable version available: Unknown
Other languages supported: Many - see here: http://download.openoffice.org/other.html#en-US
Additional software required: No
Other relevant information: Available on 3-cds (includes clipart & full documentation) for a small shipping charge. See here: http://distribution.openoffice.org/cdrom/index.html#cdrom
IBM Lotus Symphony
Website: http://symphony.lotus.com/
Download link:http://symphony.lotus.com/
Author: IBM
Version: 1.0
Date: 5/30/08
Download file size: 200-300MB, depending on operating system selected
License: Free
Operating systems supported: Windows Linux
64 Bit version available: No, but this 32 bit program will run in a 64 bit environment
Portable version available: Unknown
Other languages supported: Yes - listed on the web site
Additional software required: No
Related Topics
This software category is maintained by volunteer editor Jack Miller. Registered site vistors can contact Jack by clicking here
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I prefer Go open office
http://go-oo.org/
Its much faster than regular open office and seems more MS compatible
-J
Have you seen this Office Suite? I found it just an hour ago. It is for MS Windows http://www.ssuitesoft.com/ . I am downloading it ( according to their site is free).
Google suite? I use it from time to time, includes word, spreadsheet, *.pdf files format, excellent integration in Firefox and IE, now also supports offline mode, you have several export formats, you can use it toghether with Google Gmail, Feeds, Notebook, Bookmarks and History...
take note that Lupo PenSuite comes with some overhead: BitDefender identified two viral infections in the download.
Lupo Pen Suite contains "Angry Port Scanner' (first Google result for "port scanner"), which is a nice prog., but it causes Norton to flag it as a potential hacker tool. I don't use NAV but they do were I work and it got my PC access pulled during the investigation. ( I still can't log in after a week) I didn't even know that program was included in Lupo, because it is in a folder called "extra". I did not even run the .exe file, the drive was auto scanned soon as it got plugged in. :(
Seems there is an online petition directed to Symantech to have that port scanner program removed from their hit list. Just a word of caution....
Thank you for the info.
We are always very grateful to our users for this type of feedback.
http://theopencd.org/ The Open CD is no longer under active development
Lotus and IBM have just released a free software suite which includes a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software. It's called Symphony and you can get it HERE.
- Joseph Francis
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