Free Software 

See Also: Free Office and Productivity Tools

• 50 Free Apps We're Most Thankful For
  A list with links from the Lifehacker site.
• 60 best free PC software downloads from Microsoft
  "There's a free program or service for just about every aspect of PC use, from headline-grabbers such as Windows Live Essentials and Microsoft Office Web Apps to smaller but no less useful tools such as Microsoft Autoruns, Security Essentials and Desktops."
• AlternativeTo
  "Tell us what application you want to replace and we give you great alternatives, based on user recommendations."
• The Best Free Software of 2011
  "Every year PCMag puts together a fresh look at the Best Free Software. We check the previous year's picks to make sure they've still got the chops (and the $0 price tag) and cull through other options that have come our way."
• Downloadpedia
  Wiki of freeware and open source software.
• Free Software Foundation
  "Dedicated to promoting computer users' rights to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs." Includes links to free programs.
• Free Software Magazine
  "Free Software Magazine is the free online magazine about free software." Includes articles, book reviews, newsletters, blogs, and forums.
• Freeware Mission
   The main purpose of this website is to help you select the best software and use it safely on your PC. Our job is to test every detail of the program and give you our honest expertise. 
• Gizmo's Freeware Reviews
  "At this community site you'll find the best freeware, reviewed and rated. Just click a category."
• MakeUseOf: Directory of Apps
  Lists of webapps and downloadable apps by category. Includes many free alternatives to popular commercial software.
• Older Versions
  • Last Freeware Version
  • OldApps.com
  • OldVersion.com
  • Old-Versions.org
  • Old-Versions.net
  • Software for Classic Macs
• OpenDisc
  "OpenDisc is a high quality collection of open source software (OSS) for the Microsoft Windows operating system" on a downloadable CD-ROM disc image, as is the collection for students and teachers, OpenEducationDisc.
• Open Source Living
  "An archive of the Web's best Open Source software, applications and references for a zero-cost / top quality digital experience."
• Open Source Windows
  "A simple list of the best free and open-source software for Windows."
• osalt: Open Source Alternative
  "Our mission is to provide easy access to high quality open source alternatives to well-known commercial products. And remember that open source software is also a freeware alternative."
• Portable Applications
  • 45 Free Useful Thumb Drive Apps
  • 70 Free Useful Portable Applications You Should Know
  • PenDriveApps
  • PortableApps.com
  • The Portable Freeware Collection
  • Softpedia: Download Portable Software
• Softpedia
  "The Encyclopedia of free software downloads!"
• SourceForge.net
  "SourceForge.net is the world's largest Open Source software development web site, hosting more than 100,000 projects...." Good place to look for reliable, high-quality open-source software of all kinds.
• Wakoopa
  "A social network that helps people discover the best software, games and web apps on the market. Sign-up, install a small tracker on your desktop and automatically create your online software profile that you can share with friends and the world".

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