Google has announced it will offer an operating system for computers sometime soon. That will make four main contenders that I know about: Windows, Mac, Linux and Google. I downloaded Linux Ubuntu and found it is easy to install in an older Dell laptop and use it.
This announcement reminded me that most of what a person might want to use on a computer is available free in one place or another. For stand-alone computing tasks, the branches of Microsoft Works are a basic guide: word processing, spreadsheet and “flat” database. Throw in a drawing program and something to handle photos and you have basic unconnected computing.
Connected to the internet, you want a browser, email and some protection.
There is a slight difference between free computing and web computing. With Google Docs, for instance, any computer connected to the internet can be used to get to and edit a document you made with that program. With Open Office, you have a model using the old conception of a stand-alone computer. So, either you have to store an Open Office file on an internet source or send it some place where you can get it. Otherwise, you may have to get to the machine the file is saved on if you want to edit or use it without a copy on a pocket jump drive or something similar.
| Word processing | Google Documents | Open Office |
| Spreadsheet | Google Documents | Open Office |
| Database | | Open Office |
| Drawing | Google Documents | Open Office |
| Photo | Google Picasa | |
| Browser | Firefox | |
| Thunderbird | | |
| Protection - virus | AVG | |
| Protection - tracking | Ad-Aware | |
| Presentation (Powerpoint) | Google Documents | Open Office |
| Web site | Google Sites | |
| Blog | Blogspot, etc. | Open Office |
| Operating system | Linux Ubuntu | Google - later |
