As the regular readers of this blog might have noticed, I’m a free software type of person. On my own laptop I run Ubuntu Desktop 9.10 . I have a Server running Ubuntu Server 7.04 with a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) install and some other security software. I just love the way it works and the ease of configuration. The nice thing about Linux is, you get most applications for free and don’t need to purchase everything to try it. In most cases you just add the software, and if you like it, you use it, if you don’t, you remove it and try another.

This article is not aimed at the Linux user, but the Microsoft Windows user. The reason for this is, most Windows users get a certain basic package that will help them with lots of productivity issues they might have, but essentially Windows comes in a bare state. Most users will want to add some functionality to their Windows boxes and for this I feel there is loads of good, even great free software to use. I’ll give you some examples of web sites you can visit to help you find the software you might be looking for. I will also cover some of the software that I see my clients need from time to time to make their life just that little bit easier.
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If you are a home/personal computer user on a budget, and run Microsoft Windows, there are many options open to you.

If you have access to the Internet you have access to almost endless resources of free software.

In part one of this article we’ll deal with the security aspect of daily computing. You’ll learn about the basic software you’re going to need to keep your online experience a pleasant one.  These basic tools you’re going to need are free to download, as long as you’re a private home user, and include an Anti Virus, Firewall and a Spyware program.
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