Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover, September 15, 2007
Reviewer: Ric Raftis
Now that's an old saying isn't it? But the reality of it is that we do. And I must say that the quality of the cover of this ebook to me indicates the quality of the content inside. I wouldn't even bother to download it.
Someone else can prove me wrong about the content.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Free Computer Software Report By Robert Eilers
Kinda Cool, Kinda Deceiving, September 15, 2007
Reviewer: Pure JTS
I felt a little deceived after reading this eBook, but on the other hand, I ended up getting some cool information - just not what I was seeking.
Somehow I thought I would get information about how to legally get popular software cheap (Adobe, Microsoft, etc.). Nope. What's in there are sources for free software: freeware, open source, etc.
But, once I accepted that I wouldn't learn about places to get Adobe Photoshop for $25, I did find the content useful. For example, while I already knew about OpenOffice.Org as being a viable replacement for MS Office for some people, I didn't know about The Gimp, Avast, the Blender, and more - all potentially handy tools and replacements for popular paid software.
When I went back to re-read the original blurb for this product, I noticed that it did not lie - I just was misled by my own personal biases.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Free Computer Software Report By Robert Eilers
Nice Starter Book For Freebies, September 15, 2007
Reviewer: Dan Levy
At first, I found myself a bit dissapointed in the book because of it's brevity and that I already knew about most of the free software. But, then I've been on the Net a very long time. Most of us old-timers won't find anything needed in here.
That said. Most people new to computers, the Net, or marketing will probably have little knowledge beyond the MS products that come bundled with their computer. These people mostly don't know about OpenOffice, Firefox, or other alternatives.
For them, this book points them in the right direction. Most of the resources are ones that I use and would highly recommend. I wish there were more programs listed and reviewed, but most of the basices are covered; office suites, email, browsers, and graphics. And, he does point people to websites for more free downloads.
This is not the 'ultimate' list for freebies, but is a good one for getting people pointed in the right direction for no-cost alternatives to pricey programs.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Free Computer Software Report By Robert Eilers
good applications mentioned here, September 16, 2007
Reviewer: Lorie Therese Locara
You may have been looking for free software replacements for your Microsoft Office applications, and you are dumbfounded where to start looking. But here is a free e-book that serves as a guide for the most essential, and the best free software replacements to Microsoft applications.
I am a big fan of the applications the author recommends myself, so I can vouch for the quality of the programs he recommended.
Although I was expecting programs I haven’t come across, this is a good enough guide for those unfamiliar with the Open Source applications the author presented here, especially since this is a free resource.
Just because it’s Open Source doesn’t mean that these software are any less good than its high-cost counterparts. On the contrary, the software mentioned here are as good, or even better than their Microsoft equivalents.
What makes them good would be the fact that they almost have the same functionality as the Microsoft Windows applications, and even better features in some aspects. Open Office, however, has formatting issues when transferred between Microsoft applications, even at the Microsoft file formats.
With Mozilla Firefox, the only thing I want to say is that it is much, much better than Internet Explorer 7. In fact, the only other application I like next to it would be Apple’s Safari.
Good e-book because of what it mentions. Also because of the author's tech evangelization for Open Source applications. Altogether better because it’s free.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Free Computer Software Report By Robert Eilers
, September 24, 2007
Reviewer: Lynn Lopez
Honestly, this doesn't strike me as anything special at all, although it did inspire me to finally check out the Opera Web browser (and yes, in case you haven't tried it yet, it's really very good!). If you've been on the Internet for several years now and are aware of alternative products you can use, you can happily skip this one. But if you're the kind of person who's either a newbie or sticks to what he knows, then you may be amazed that there are some other options for e-mail clients and Web browsers. It's a pretty simple product that enumerates other software options you can use as well as provides a decent overview of them, although you might really have to admit that it's nothing totally groundbreaking. Don't expect a truly exhaustive list of product alternatives; this will give you just a handful, but they are the pretty good alternatives.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Free Computer Software Report By Robert Eilers
Great free resources, October 03, 2007
Reviewer: Andrew Conway
This is one of the best e-books that I have ever read.
The free resources in this book will save anyone a great deal of money over the long run.
I wish that I had read this book before I had made some purchases on the net
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Free Computer Software Report By Robert Eilers
Very helpful, February 21, 2008
For someone accustomed to paid software like Microsoft Office but would like to look for alternatives, this report is free software heaven. There is free software for Internet browsing, e-mail, word processing, graphics, animation, computer protection and more. Personally, though I am already familiar with some free software, this report is still a very good resource. For example, I do not know that Firefox offers a higher security than Internet Explorer. As for free downloads of software, I am only familiar with downloads.com and nothing else.
The report is also quite straightforward and well-written. I appreciate that the author kept this short and simple, as he said, “the world is busy enough.” Only the most important information for each software is given here. Should you want to know more about the software, the author lets you click on a link.
My only nitpick is the layout. I believe the entire report moved up a little. Chapter titles are at the bottom instead of at the top.
