Freeware

This page helps you find out free programs with which you can fully engage in the digital world: operating systems, office suites, Internet browsers, email clients, programs to compress data, software for playing video and audio files, multimedia codecs, software for working with photos and graphic files. Some of the programs listed below, other than they are free, are also open source programs, i.e. programs available to anyone interested to study them, modify and further distribute.

If you know a highly useful and free computer program, please feel free to contact us at this e-mail address: info@ITdesk.info in order to put the program on the list. Thank you in advance!

Operating Systems

Most widely used free operating system is Linux. There are different versions, called Linux distribution, free to use and modify, tailored to different types of users. On Wikipedia page en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Linux_distributions described are the most popular Linux distributions with their main purposes for which they are programmed, and links placed on the official site Linux distribution from which you can download the Linux distribution and learn how to install it on your computer.

Office Suite

Office Suite is software package intended for office data processing. Generally, office software packages contain programs for: word processing, spreadsheets, creating formulas, drawing, creating presentations and working with databases. And to home users these packages can be extremely useful, especially for an academic, that is school, needs of individuals.

The following software packages are top quality and stand-by-side to commercial office suite:

OpenOffice.org

LibreOffice

  • to find out more go to Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibreOffice
  • LibreOffice can be downloaded on this page: http://www.libreoffice.org/download/.
  • Over the last two years the Education and Teacher Training Agency of the Republic of Croatia has approved certain materials for use as official teaching aids, within the elementary school subjects Computer Science and Information Technology. The following material aims at education in the English language in the Republic of Croatia for children of diplomats, children of businesspeople from abroad and children of returnees:

Word processing – Libre Office 3.6 Writer, handbook: Link

Spreadsheets – Libre Office 3.6 Calc, handbook: Link

Databases – LibreOffice Base, handbook: Link

Internet browsers

Without the Internet browser it is impossible to “surf” the Internet, i.e. to visit web site. The following is a list of links to sites from which you can download the browser of your choice:

Mozilla Firefox

Opera – on the web page http://www.opera.com/ you can find out more about the Opera Internet browser, and download it to your computer.

Google Chrome – on the web page http://www.google.com/chrome you can find out more about the Google Chrome Internet browser, and download it to your computer.

Safari – on the web page http://www.apple.com/safari/ you can find out more about the Safari Internet browser, and download it to your computer.

Mail Clients

You can check your e-mail via the free on-line service such as Gmail or Yahoo!, as well as download it to your own computer. Often, when you charter a connection to the Internet through an Internet provider, with a connection you will receive e-mail address. To be able to use this e-mail address you need to have installed email client software.

One of the most popular free mail client is Mozilla Thunderbird.

Programs for data compression

When you want to send multiple files at once via email (attachment) or compress file so that it takes less space on the hard disk, then you need a program for compressing data.

If you want to learn more about using programs for data compression, view two presentations of module 2:

– http://www.itdesk.info/en/using-the-computer-and-managing-files-2/ (data compression is shown at 9 minute and 55 second of presentation)

– http://www.itdesk.info/en/using-the-computer-and-managing-files-3/ (how to decompress data is shown at 15th second of presentation)

If you want to learn more about data compression, you can do so using the handbook published on http://www.itdesk.info/handbook_using_computer_managing_files.pdf or on Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_compression.

7-zip is a freeware program to compress / decompress data

  • on the web page www.7-zip.org/ you can download 7-zip installation and to learn more about the program

Multimedia

Computers are extensively used for listening to music and watching movies. To be able to play audio and video files you need to have the program installed for viewing audio and video files, and have installed the appropriate codec.

Programs to play video and sound:

VLC – the website where you can download VLC media player and find out more about the program (recommended for video files): www.videolan.org/vlc/

Winamp – on the website where you can download Winamp player and learn more about the program (recommendations for audio files): www.winamp.com/

BSplayer – the website where you can download BSplayer installation and learn more about the program: http://www.bsplayer.com/

Multimedia codec:

K-lite codec

Programs for working with photos and graphic files (2D / 3D)

Diagram Designer – video presentation that shows the installation and use of this program you can view at: www.itdesk.info/en/installing-diagram-designer/ and program can be downloaded at: logicnet.dk/DiagramDesigner/

Inkscape – the website where you can download Inkscape installation and find out more about the program: inkscape.org/

IrfanView – the website where you can download IrfanView installation and learn more about the program: www.irfanview.com/

Blender – the website where you can download Blender installation and learn more about the program: www.blender.org/

GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) – the website where you can download the GIMP installation: www.gimp.org/

– via these quizzes, you can repeat or learn about the basic terms and tools which are used while processing images, as well as about using GIMP, the specialized program for image processing:

Module 9: Basic image processing and the use of the GIMP program – quiz 1 > Link

Module 9: Basic image processing and the use of the GIMP program – quiz 2 > Link

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Antivirus programs

Antivirus protection is required when surfing the Internet and using removable media. More about protecting against viruses and other malicious programs can be found in the manual Basic Concepts of Information and
Communication Technology, in the chapter Protection when using ICT, published on link:
www.itdesk.info/handbook_basic_ict_concepts.pdf

Video presentation that shows the finding, installing and using free antivirus program view at this link: www.itdesk.info/en/installing-anti-virus-software/

 

Computer-aided design – CAD

download LibreCAD from: http://librecad.org/cms/home.html and install it on your computer.

with the help of these quizzes, you can repeat or learn the basic terms and tools that are used in computer-aided design and the use of LibreCAD:

Module 10: Computer-aided design (CAD) and the basic use of the LibreCAD program – quiz 1 > Link

Module 10: Computer-aided design (CAD) and the basic use of the LibreCAD program – quiz 2 > Link

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