Every once in a while, there is a dramatic change in the computer industry. Certainly, the arrival of the Mosaic browser in the early 90's was a harbinger of the power of the Internet for millions around the world.
Another glimpse of something powerful happening is the open source software movement. Rather than using proprietary, company owned software, programmers are working together to create free software. It's not shareware, or adware or malware. It's really useful software that conforms to open standards. And its free to download.
The most well known project to date is the Linux operating system. Although it's taken hold many places, it's still pretty technical for the average user. The Firefox browser is another good example.
But a more useful--and more powerful new example-- is the OpenOffice software suite. It's available for free download at http://www.openoffice.org for a number of computer platforms. It includes word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing and database components. It really rivals the $500+ Microsoft Office package (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). And OpenOffice can read and write in the Microsoft formats. I've been using it and have grown to really like it.
So, if you have a PC that needs more powerful software, it's worth your time to look to the OpenOffice suite. I'm sure we'll all hear more about it in the months and years to come.
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