OPEN OFFICE

If you are user of Microsoft Office products (word, excel, powerpoint, access, etc...) then you will be pleased to read that the Open Office does everything that Microsoft's offering does but does it all for free!

It's also got a the very useful option for creating PDF's so you can open and edit your .DOC file and when you've finished with it simply save as PDF to use on the web. Neat!

I cant recommend this software suite enough - I've been using it for a year or so now and am constantly amazed at it's flexibility, ease of use and the way it looks and feels like MS-Office and I have never had a single problem opening a word, excel, or powerpoint document using it.

Double Thumbs up from me!

Try it out as it costs nothing and I'm sure you will rapidly become a convert.

http://www.openoffice.org/

Microsoft Word = OpenOffice Writer

A word processor you can use for anything from writing a quick letter to producing an entire book.(MS Word equivalent) Fully Compatible with Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel = Openoffice Calc

A powerful spreadsheet with all the tools you need to calculate, analyse, and present your data in numerical reports or sizzling graphics. (MS Excel equivalent) Fully Compatible with Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Powerpoint = Openoffice Impress

The fastest, most powerful way to create effective multimedia presentations. (MS Powerpoint equivalent) Fully Compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Paint = Openoffice Draw

Lets you produce everything from simple diagrams to dynamic 3D illustrations.Fully Compatible with common graphic formats and Flash

Microsoft Access = Openoffice Base

Lets you manipulate databases seamlessly. Create and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports, all from within OpenOffice.org, (MS Access equivalent) Fully Compatible with Microsoft Access

Openoffice Math

Lets you create mathematical equations with a graphic user interface or by directly typing your formulas into the equation editor.