A few years back we had decided that we didn’t like the antivirus software that we were using and started asking around as to what software to buy. The tech guy at my husband’s work recommended that he use an open source antivirus program, and recommended that we use an open source malware software program as well. Open source software has the upside of being FREE, but in the years since then I have found that I enjoy a lot of open source software as much or MORE than the software that you pay for. The first two have the option to upgrade and pay for them, but for us the free versions have been more than adequate.
I thought I would pass on some of our favorite open source programs – 3 that protect your family and computer, and 1 that is for photo editing:
Avast! is the antivirus program that we have liked the most. I had been using another antivirus software program, and when I installed this one it caught a couple of viruses that the other program hadn’t. Yikes! The downside of this program is that there is a little box that pops up on the computer whenever it updates, but that is something that is only a small thing to me. You can also download for your iPad, iPhone or Android.
Malwarebytes is the malware software program that we like. This is the program that will look out for “malware”, which are things like worms, Trojan horses, rootkits, etc.
When protecting your computer from harmful things that could take your personal information or wreak other havoc on your computer, don’t forget to protect against all of the grime on the internet, especially if you have kids. K9 is an awesome program. I cannot say enough good about it. We have paid for programs before, and have not found one that we like better than this one. It is very well done. It blocks exactly what you want it to block and nothing else, which is different than the experience we had with the other programs. And it is FREE! It can even be programmed to block ads, which is fabulous on so many levels, not the least of which is that your kids aren’t exposed to junk on otherwise “okay” websites. It’s not a substitute for talking with your kids about internet safety and for monitoring what is going on, but it definitely keeps the door shut from a lot of stuff. You can also download for your iPad, iPhone or Android.
I wish I could explain how much I love GIMP. It is a free image manipulation software. I know a lot of people who love Photoshop, but I have been able to find tutorials for whatever I have needed to do with GIMP and have been totally satisfied. And, again, it is FREE. Round edges, blur, color enhance or shadow removing, taking imperfections out of pictures, etc. – I have been able to do all of it.
There you go! Four of my favorite free programs: 3 for computer safety, and 1 for photo editing. Enjoy! :)
I love gimp too! I especially love that it’s free, and I’ve never had a problem doing everything that my Photoshopping friends are doing.
Yes! Sammy, no wonder we are friends. :)