The year looks set to be a rough ride economically, where nothing is ­certain. But, you can still save money by adopting free ­software.

If you have been watching the news lately, you might feel that the world is in a dark place both economically and financially.

Many of us, being the Asians that we are, were looking to save money even before this crisis began.

Now, penny pinching has become more important than any other time since the great depression.

Here we are trying to do our part by casting aside the myth that there is nothing truly free on the Internet (or if it is free, it is not strictly legal).

The truth is there are many work orientated, utility and entertainment programs online that are both free and legal to download.

Here are a few suggestions:

Office suite

FEATURE-PACKED: With OpenOffice, you are not only getting a complete office suite but also saving money in the process.

OpenOffice is a free open-source application which was created largely as an alternative to Microsoft Office. Officially released in 2002, it is essentially an office suite designed to run on all major ­platforms including Windows, GNU/Linux, Sun Solaris and Apple Mac.

OpenOffice has five components: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw and Base.

Writer is, as the name suggests, a word processor with many of the same features as Word.

Calc is a spreadsheet program, Impressis for constructing presentations, Draw is a photo editor, and Base is used to manipulate and monitor a database.

Ultimately, it contains pretty much everything you would receive from purchasing Microsoft Office with slight variations as to the format, function and some features.

As mentioned before, it is designed to be a Microsoft Office substitute.

There have been worries over compatibility, especially with Word or Mac’s iWork.

OpenOffice allows files (especially Word files) to be saved in a wide range of formats so they can be viewed on other computers which may not have the application installed.

With OpenOffice, you are not only getting a complete office suite but also saving money in the process. Get it from www.openoffice.org.

Antivirus

One of the most popular free ­antivirus programs is most likely AVG.

According to its website, it has over 80 million users which puts it in the top three, at the very least.

As mentioned, AVG is free but the protection level you get for no cost whatsoever is good enough for most users.

The free package includes an ­antivirus and an antispyware with safe search function which ensures that search results are safe to be clicked.

If you want complete protection, there is a fee to be paid. AVG Anti-Virus Pro comes with extras such as a spam filter and a safe instant messaging function that protects MSN and ICQ conversations from intruders.

Also, the free version comes with no technical support.

Download AVG from www.avg.com.

Another popular free antivirus you can download from the Internet is Avira AntiVir Personal.

Like AVG, the free version only offers selected features. In this case, the free features include an antivirus and protection from Trojans and phishing.

If you are willing to pay for the full version, you will also get a a firewall and Game Mode which prevents the scanner from interrupting gameplay.

AVG 8 is available from free.avg.com and Avira AntiVir Personal can be downloaded from www.free-av.com.

Multimedia players

If you have ever played music on your PC, chances are you have used or at least heard of Winamp.

Many people do not realise that Winamp can also play videos, stream radio transmissions and organise pictures.

MULTIFUNCTIONAL: Winamp is an all-round multimedia hub that can even be used to sync your iPod.

So, on top of having an extremely recognisable name, it is an all-round multimedia hub that can even be used to sync your iPod.

The new and improved Winamp still really whips the Llama’s ass. Check out www.winamp.com.

If you are the type of person that downloads a lot (especially torrents), you need a player that will play just about any media file.

In my opinion, there is no better program than VLC media player.

Again, it can be downloaded for free from www.videolan.org, and is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux.

There is an entire list of types of files it can (and the few it cannot) play in relation to the various ­operating systems it is available for.

Encryption tool

To secure electronic communication from prying eyes, it must be encrypted.

The Flexcrypt Free, an encryption tool, allows you to protect text, e-mail messages, files, and instant messengers like MSN and ICQ easily.

For example, with text ­encryption, you only need to paste the encrypted text into any application, a handy feature for web-based e-mail users.

E-mail encryption allows you to send and receive sensitive e-mail messages.

The tool supports up to three e-mail addresses for sending encrypted messages.

File encryption is a good option for sending an encrypted attachment via e-mail.

To encrypt conversations on MSN and ICQ instant messengers, the software requires the sender and receiver to install Flexcrypt Free and add each other’s MSN/ICQ ID.

All encryption is done with AES 256-bit algorithm in combination with a password.

The tool is developed to meet the encryption needs of users with no hidden charges or limited trial ­period.

However, professionals must purchase a Flexcrypt Biz or Flexcrypt Pro version.

Flexcrypt Free only works with Windows XP and Vista. This tool highly recommends you to use e-mail clients (such as Thunderbird or Microsoft Outlook) instead of web-based e-mail.

And remember to test Flexcrypt Free with non-critical data first.

Got your attention? Visit http://www.flexcrypt.com.

Password manager

Are you having problems ­remembering too many passwords? If you do, try out the Efficient Password Manager, a password management tool.

This tool helps you to keep track of passwords for applications and online sites, software registration codes and more.

A random password generator is also available, which saves you time coming up with unique ­passwords.

With this tool, you can be assured that your private information stays secure as it uses the 256-bit AES algorithm.

The Efficient Password Manager offers up to eight different interfaces and colours for you to choose from.

The tool runs on Windows 98 and later.

The bottom line is that with Efficient Password Manager, you only need to remember one password. Check out www.efficientpasswordmanager.com.

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