For the last several months, I’ve been using a PC that does not have any commercial off-the-shelf applications. Other than the Windows XP operating system, everything else loaded on the PC is freeware.

I didn’t originally intend to do this, but after I loaded the OpenOffice suite, I thought what the heck, lets see how far I can take it.

I ended up with the following free applications:

• OpenOffice.org 3 – Word Processing, Spreadsheet, Presentation, Database, Drawing
• Smooth Draw 3 – Image editing
• PhotoScape – Photo Retouching
• IrfanView – Image viewing and batch processor
• Notepad+ – Text Editor
• Thunderbird 2 – Email Client
• Avast – Antivirus
• PDF Creator – Creates .PDF files
• Nvu 1 – HTML Editor
• BlogDesk – Desktop Blogging Client

Combine this with all the online Web 2.0 applications, and I’ve got everything I need to take care of business.

How much did this save? Considering comparable off-the-shelf (OTS) applicaitions, you’re looking at a minimum savings of $1000 (USD) with no loss in productivity.

Check out Gizmo’s Freeware at www.techsupportalert.com for listings and reviews of the best freeware offerings. For example, here is a comparison of free paint programs:

• Best Free Paint Programs

So, before you head out to purchase any OTS retail applications, check to see if there are any comparable freeware versions. Download and try them, you may be quite pleased.