Best Free Software Suite
Software Suites are downloadable programs that contain several applications that perform multiple tasks. OpenDisc, Lupo Pen Suite, and Liberkey are examples of programs that provide integrated programs that perform a variety of tasks.
Office Suites are a subset of software suites, but provide only office type functions such as Word Processing, Spreadsheet, and Presentation programs. Open Office, IBM Lotus Symphony, and Google Docs are examples of programs that provide a set of integrated programs that perform Office tasks. We also maintain a category named Best Free Office Suites. This category is devoted to software suites providing office productivity packages that are a substitute for Microsoft Office, since many users prefer the free Open Office, or IBM Lotus Symphony, rather than the expensive Microsoft Office.
Free Software Suites
OpenDisc offers for free a wonderful collection of just about every application software product you need to run a PC, including the latest version of OpenOffice. Many of these freebies substitute admirably for expensive commercial products. There is Abi Word as an alternative to MS Word, OpenOffice for MS Office XP, Thunderbird for Outlook, The Gimp for Adobe Photoshop, 7-zip for WinZip and many many more. If you then add to this collection some of the other utilities from my "46 Best-ever Utilities" collection, you'll have all the software you'll ever need without spending a cent. There is also a reasonably active blog and forum.
This is an extraordinary collection of software. Do note, though, that the full ISO download is 555MB. (If you have a slow connection you can purchase the CD for as little as $1.99. -- unverified 02/05/2008).
They've recently taken to highlighting featured software and providing links to the product developers' sites, so you can now download just individual programs.
The folks at Ubuntu Linux are giving away free CDs containing most of the programs on the Open CD together with the latest version of Ubuntu. https://shipit.ubuntu.com/ They will send you the full Ubuntu installation CDs, plus a live CD which will run Ubuntu directly from the CD. You can order as many CDs as you want and you don't even have to pay the mailing costs! When you get your CDs, read this simple introduction to Linux before starting: http://www.paulstamatiou.com/2005/10/24/how-to-ubuntu-linux-for-novices/
Lupo PenSuite is a completely free suite of portable programs and games (no need to be installed).
Optimized to be loaded on a pendrive, this suite works perfectly well on any hard disk. It includes over a hundred programs and lots of games, classified into several categories, such as:
- Internet (Firefox, Thunderbird, Skype, uTorrent, Filezilla...)
- Multimedia (VideoLAN, XMplay, Audacity, mp3DirectCut, DeepBurner...)
- Graphics (IrfanView, PhotoFiltre, The Gimp, FastStone Capture...)
- Security (CCleaner, TrueCrypt, Keepass, CyberShredder...)
- System (SIW, DTaskManager...)
- Office (AbiWord, Notepad++, Foxit Reader, EssentialPIM...)
Liberkey is a true "Swiss Army Knife" of free programs that comes in three sizes; basic (30 programs), standard (106 programs) and ultimate (214 programs). Most of the programs are recommended programs in other categories on the Best-ever Freeware site. You really need to check out the Liberkey site and pick the size that suits you.
Free Office Suites
IBM Lotus Symphony is a completely free suite of office programs providing Word Processing, Presentation, and Spreadsheet functions. Though not as rich in features as MS Office, and lacking a database application, it provides a solid set of programs for basic office tasks.
Open Office is the free suite of office programs included in OpenDisc (highlighted previously). Open Office is also aviable separately at http://www.openoffice.org/
Product Details
OpenDisc
Website: http://theopendisc.com/programs/
Download link:http://theopendisc.com/programs/
Author: OpenDisc
Version: 7.1
Date: 09/27/2007
Download file size: 555MB (iso)
License: Free
Operating systems supported: Windows Linux Solaris Mac
64 Bit version available: No, but many of these 32 bit programs will run in a 64 bit environment
Portable version available: Unknown
Other languages supported: None
Additional software required: No
Lupo PenSuite
Website: http://lupo-pensuite.en.softonic.com/
Download link: http://lupo-pensuite.en.softonic.com/
Author: Softonic
Version: 6.53
Date: 03/26/2008
Download file size: 148.3MB
License: Freeware
Operating systems supported: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
64 Bit version available: Some of these programs will not run in a 64 bit environment
Portable version available: Yes
Other languages supported: No
Additional software required: No
Open Office
Website: http://www.openoffice.org/
Download link:http://www.openoffice.org/
Author: OpenOffice
Version: 3.0.0
Date: 9 October 2008
Download file size: 128 MB
License: Free
Operating systems supported: Windows Linux Solaris Mac
64 Bit version available: No, but this 32 bit program will run in a 64 bit environment
Portable version available: Unknown
Other languages supported: Many - see here: http://download.openoffice.org/other.html#en-US
Additional software required: No
Other relevant information: Available on 3-cds (includes clipart & full documentation) for a small shipping charge. See here: http://distribution.openoffice.org/cdrom/index.html#cdrom
IBM Lotus Symphony
Website: http://symphony.lotus.com/
Download link:http://symphony.lotus.com/
Author: IBM
Version: 1.0
Date: 5/30/08
Download file size: 200-300MB, depending on operating system selected
License: Free
Operating systems supported: Windows Linux
64 Bit version available: No, but this 32 bit program will run in a 64 bit environment
Portable version available: Unknown
Other languages supported: Yes - listed on the web site
Additional software required: No
Liberkey
Website: http://www.liberkey.com/en/
Download link:http://www.liberkey.com/en/
Author: Various
Version: 4.0
Date: 6/11/08
Download file size: 78-333MB, depending on size selected
License: Free
Operating systems supported: Windows
64 Bit version available: No, but this 32 bit program will run in a 64 bit environment
Portable version available: Yes
Other languages supported: Yes - French
Additional software required: No
Related Topics
This software category is maintained by volunteer editor Jack Miller. Registered site vistors can contact Jack by clicking here
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As far a suites go and in the vein of Lupo this makes sense to be in this category as well its opensource too http://portableapps.com/
I really like the SSuite Office suite mentioned below. The Fifth Element office suite is a real knock out, it consists of more than 30 applications.
As far as I know, SSuite Office comes in a variety of choices, depending on your system specifications. There is even a database application that works just like MS Access.
They are all lightning fast, as they are all written in native WIN32, which Windows fully supports.( Win95 up to Vista , and even Windows 7 )
They are all free for download!
See the links below for further detail.
http://www.ssuitesoft.com
http://ssuite5element.webs.com/thefifthelement.htm
Do you know Softmaker Office for Windows? Very close to MS Office in functionality plus a number of extra good ideas, outstanding MS compatbility, very fast and light on resources, plus very efficient and friendly support in English and German (the firm is German).
Office 2008 is cheap, and very very cheap for students and teachers.
And now (which is why I am posting it here) they are giving away the previous version, Office 2006, for free. It includes both their word processor and spreadsheet (without the presentation app, which appeared in 2008).
http://www.softmakeroffice.com/
I prefer Go open office
http://go-oo.org/
Its much faster than regular open office and seems more MS compatible
-J
Have you seen this Office Suite? I found it just an hour ago. It is for MS Windows http://www.ssuitesoft.com/ . I am downloading it ( according to their site is free).
Google suite? I use it from time to time, includes word, spreadsheet, *.pdf files format, excellent integration in Firefox and IE, now also supports offline mode, you have several export formats, you can use it toghether with Google Gmail, Feeds, Notebook, Bookmarks and History...
take note that Lupo PenSuite comes with some overhead: BitDefender identified two viral infections in the download.
Lupo Pen Suite contains "Angry Port Scanner' (first Google result for "port scanner"), which is a nice prog., but it causes Norton to flag it as a potential hacker tool. I don't use NAV but they do were I work and it got my PC access pulled during the investigation. ( I still can't log in after a week) I didn't even know that program was included in Lupo, because it is in a folder called "extra". I did not even run the .exe file, the drive was auto scanned soon as it got plugged in. :(
Seems there is an online petition directed to Symantech to have that port scanner program removed from their hit list. Just a word of caution....
Just as an update to Lupo Pen Suite on my work PC: I removed a few more apps that the Lupo web site said could cause false positives. After being afraid of plugging in that thumb drive for the past few months, I tried it again today and Norton classified the file shredder (CWS Shredder?) as Adware and quarantined it. The file was removed by Norton on my USB drive and no further action has occured (yet).
No one has locked me out like last time, so I'll continue to use other programs in the suite.
Zeus36
Thank you for the info.
We are always very grateful to our users for this type of feedback.
http://theopencd.org/ The Open CD is no longer under active development
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