Free Software is Better Than Whatever

What's better than free software? Free love, free food, free land, and, best of all, software. There's free and then there's the best free. That's what you're after when bringing software into your system, the best free software possible.

This software will simply and perfectly perform the functions you expect it to perform, what it claims it will perform. These functions might be part of the critical operations of your system as used by you, functions you often have to perform to get your work done. If free software cannot realize the functions you expected from it, it's really free junkware and should be avoided.

Of course, if it's free, you save money. The nice thing about software is that you can test it without purchasing and discarded it if it fails to work without feeling the bite because, well, it's free. For you, a positive indicator that the software will prove reliable is the availability and extent of software support. The best free software will always provide product support. This is good news for engineers, programmers, data base managers, all who fear free software will take away their jobs: all will continue to have valid roles in the method of intelligent human control of automated systems. The ship will require its crew.

Justly reciprocating, the software creator will give it a life of it's own; it will become, like an Adobe, or a Firefox, that is, an honorable, standards-based software package with pride of position, first in support, dedicated to solving the problem rather than fixing the blame. If it's that good, maybe the provider might ask for voluntary donations.

The best source for information on software is the world renown "PC Magazine". This magazine has been the premier source for all things PC since the PC hit the markets. In one of their compilations of best free software, they determined that if you bought the same software they listed as free, you would be paying about $5,183 for the complete set. That's a couple of new desktops at today's prices, and some fancy laptops too. The smart money is on seeking the best free software before paying for what might in fact be the worst.