Don't Spend A Dime

James Floyd Kelly is a professional writer from Atlanta, Georgia. He has written numerous books on multiple subjects, including LEGO robotics, open source software, and building your own CNC machine as well as a 3D printer. He is the editor-in-chief of the number one MINDSTORMS NXT blog, The NXT Step (TheNXTStep.com), where he is joined by fellow NXT experts who share their knowledge and designs with other robot fans around the world.

• Part I: High Quality - Low Price Computing. 1 - Why Free Software? 2 - Name Brand computer vs. Built-It-Yourself. Part II: The Software. 3 - Word Processing: Microsoft Word VERSUS Google Apps: Document and OpenOffice Writer. 4 - Spreadsheets - Microsoft Excel VERSUS Google Apps: Spreadsheet and OpenOffice Calc. 5 - Presentations - Microsoft PowerPoint VERSUS Google Apps: Presentation and OpenOffice Impress. 6 - Email - Microsoft Outlook VERSUS Google Mail (gmail) and Google Calendar. 7 – Photo Editing (Photoshop VERSUS GIMP). 8 – Graphics (Illustrator VERSUS InkScape). 9 – Antivirus (Norton Antivirus VERSUS AVG and Avira. 10 – Data Backup (Norton Backup VERSUS SyncBack). 11 – Your Finances (Quicken VERSUS Money Manager Ex and Buxfer. 12 – Web Design (Dreamweaver VERSUS Trellian). 13 – Project Managemetn (Microsoft Project VERSUS OpenProj). 14 – Gaming (World of Warcraft VERSUS Runes of Magic). 15 – 3D Design (AutoCAD LT VERSUS Google SketchUp). 16 – Flowcharts/Organization Charts (Visio VERSUS Dia). 17 – Hard Drive Imaging (Ghost VERSUS DriveImage XML or Macrium Reflect. Part III: Fun and Useful and Totally Free. 18 - Picasa - photo management. 19 - Skype - free phone calls. 20 - Blogger - free blogging. 21 - Facebook - free social tool. 22 - Doodle - free group/event scheduling. Part IV: Appendices.