Free Software Download Guide for Students

<Update (12/09/11) – Added Microsoft Security Essentials>

I have recently decided to return to university to do a post graduate course (which is why I haven’t had time to post for a while!). The prospect of being a student again, although exciting, means that I’m going to have to watch my pennies even more.

I decided that it’s time for a new start and so I dusted off my old laptop, wiped the hard drive and began thinking of all the programs I’d need to install for my studies and everyday life as a student.

The list is quite extensive for the modern student, and the costs of all the programs can pile up quickly… so I decided instead of spending all this money I didn’t have, I’d do a little research to see what I could get (legally) for free.

So I thought I’d help people on the way and share the Kaluuja guide to:

The Free Software Download Guide for Students (on windows)

So the following is a list to help you out with programs you might need during your time at university. It’s designed with students in mind, but if you’re not a student and want to save soem pennies then it will be helpful to you too. I’ve given links to the websites for easy access as well, so try them out and let me know what you think!

Libre Office – Not all of us can afford Microsoft Office, but it’s very difficult (especially if you’re a student) to manage without it, and at around £70 for the latest version, that’s a chunk of your budget you could probably do with not spending. So I’ve found Libre Office to be a great, FREE alternative that allows you to open and save in Microsoft Office formats! (Download Link)

Sumatra PDF – You’ll probably be using PDFs at some point during your student career and I’ve found that Adobe Reader just sucks the life out of my computer, takes ages to load and seems to need to update constantly. I’ve tried a few others that you might want to look at (such as FoxIT Reader and Cool PDF Reader) but I’ve found that Sumatra is a much lighter alternative and suits my needs perfectly. (Download Link)

Thunderbird – I honestly think that Thunderbird is better than Outlook, and it’s free! It’s highly customisable, you can still view your mail offline, and you can easily link most online email accounts to it. I have two gmail accounts synched to mine at home, and it works perfectly (by the way, if you’re a new student and you’re still using your hotmail account from when you were 14 that looks something like xx-pinkladyprincesscutie-xx@hotmail then I’d recommend changing it!). (Download Link)

Firefox/Chrome – I have been using the Mozilla combo of Firefox and Thunderbird for years, and have been very happy with both. They’re free and easily customisable with different skins, themes and add-ons, and have a great support community. However I’ve recently being trying out Chrome and I’ve been impressed, it’s as quick (if not quicker) than Firefox and is growing very quickly. I use both of these programs (one on my laptop and one on my pc) and I’d recommend either of these as an upgrade to Internet Explorer, just see which you like more! (Firefox Link)(Chrome Link)

CCleaner – This was one of the best finds I had during my research. In a nutshell CCleaner cleans your pc from all the clutter and makes it run faster. It removes all the unused and unneeded files in your computer, cleans internet history and cleans your registry, and it does it all ridiculously quickly! (Download Link)

7-zip – If you’re downloading zipped files that have extensions that windows can’t handle (such as .rar files) then I’ve found 7-zip to be the best option for my needs, it’s small and light but still powerful. (Download Link)

K-Lite Codec Pack – I’ve tried a few of the alternatives to Windows Media Player (KMPlayer, VLC Player, DivX) but honestly I’ve found that it’ll play pretty much any video you throw at it once the K-Lite Codec Pack was installed, and no need to download new programs! (Download Link)

iTunes – If you’ve got any kind of iPod/iPhone device then you’ll pretty much need iTunes anyway, it’s not the greatest music player in the world, but it works (once you give it time to warm up). A lot of people use it as well, and so if you’re on a network and have music sharing enabled, (like I was in my halls in my first year) that’s access to a lot of free music! (Download Link)

Spotify – Spotify is great, it’s free streamed music that doesn’t take up any of your precious hard drive space, and you only have to listen to a short advert once in every 5 songs or so, which I don’t even mind any more (they’ve got to pay the bills as well!). The BEST thing about Spotify is that you can share a playlist with your friends and get them to suggest and add songs to it. This was great when we used to throw house parties, email the playlist to all your friends you’d invited, get them to add songs they like, hit shuffle and then everyone’s happy! Just another thing you don’t have to worry about. (Download Link)

Skype – If you’re wanting to keep in touch with your family and friends over the internet then Skype is a great way to do that with both voice and video. It also supports up to 5-way calling in conference calls, so it’s great if you have a family like mine who are spread out all over the place! You can also get an online phone number that you’re family can call, so you might not even need a phone! (Download Link)

(If you’re in to gaming and don’t want to pay the money for a server for things like Team Speak or Ventrillo, then I’d recommend Xfire. The voice quality is OK and it definitely takes up less of your bandwidth than Skype, plus it integrates perfectly in to games like league of legends so you can see who’s talking on the actual game.)

Gimp – Photoshop is great, but it’s expensive. So for those people who want a similar level of customisation, but don’t want to shell out the prices that Adobe charge, then Gimp is a great alternative. I started using it over 5 years ago and it suits my needs perfectly, there are also plenty of guides out there, and loads of brushes on places like Deviant Art. If you’re studying something that involves digital pictures or art then you’ll probably be working in Photoshop, but for everyone else I’d recommend it! (Download Link)

BurnAware Free – If you’re burning any kind of file to DVDs/CDs/Bluerays then BurnAware Free is great for it. An easy-to-understand interface, quite a few options available (such as burning and making ISOs!) and it’s very quick and light. (Download Link)

DVD Flick – If like me you’ve got some absolutely classic videos of your friends on your phone or iPod and you want to share them, then DVD Flick is great for making your videos play on your DVD player. It’s easy and will convert your files to PAL/NTSC before it writes them to disc, and allows you to add a title screen and chapters to your creation, perfect for making simple home videos. (Download Link)

Object Dock – I’m a big fan of docks and would recommend them to anybody who tends to find their desktop gets a bit cluttered. As soon as I saw a dock on my friends Mac I knew I wanted one for my pc. Although the free version of object dock is great, I’m still searching for a free dock program that lets you create a ‘folder-tree’ when you hover over a dock icon. Until then I’ll keep using Object Dock, and would recommend it to people who haven’t yet tried using docks, or who don’t quite need the level of cutomisation of something like Rainmeter. (Download Link)

µTorrent – I used Vuze for a good while but found that they just kept adding more and more features to it, making it bigger and slower, and so I went in search for another BitTorrent client. I found µTorrent and haven’t looked back since. It’s probably the lightest client out there without sacrificing functionality, and you can even stream videos as you download them if you can’t wait! (Download Link)

Lazy Meter – This isn’t a program you can download like the rest of the list, but I had to include it as I’ve found it to be invaluable to me in terms of helping me be more productive and getting things done. And the best thing about it is how simple it is. They’re in development of an app, and hopefully soon they’ll add offline compatibility, but it’s a great new tool if you find yourself a bit of a procrastinator. (Website Link)

UPDATE – Microsoft Security Essentials

I have realised that when I originally compiled this list, I missed out quite a vital program for modern computers; Virus Protection. A lot of companies try to scare people and charge you a lot of money to keep your computer safe. I converted to free anti-virus software very early and have never had a problem. Originally using programs such as AVG, and Avast! I have recently been converted to Microsoft Security Essentials, it not only covers your computer from viruses, but also provides spyware and malware protection for a safer internet experience. It’s light, doesn’t take up nearly as much processing power as other free software and it’s a single program covering everything in one. I converted to this over a month ago and have been very impressed so far, definitely recommended. (Download Link)

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If you find that the programs above don’t suit you, then here are some other FREE alternatives. I’ve tried all of them, and there’s nothing wrong with them, I’ve just found that the ones in my main list were more suited to me.

Alternatives:

Productivity Suites – It used to be just open office, but recently the company has split into Libre and Open. At the moment it seems Libre is looking better for the future, but Open Office is still a good alternative.

PDF Readers – Not liking Sumatra? Try FoxIT Reader or Cool PDF Reader. They offer various levels of depth, but for me Sumatra was great.

Video Media Players – Want a change from Windows Media Player? Try these out: KMPlayer, VLC Player, DivX

Audio Media Players – Not in to iTunes? Most of these offer great customisation and are still compatable with your iDevice! : Winamp, Songbird, MediaMonkey.

BitTorrent Clients – If you’re looking for an all-in-one client instead of a light one then give Vuze a go.

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I hope this list helps people save some money! And good luck if you’re just starting university. If you think I’ve missed anything, or disagree with anything then please let me know! Any other comments welcome.

Until next time!