Computing is much less expensive, in many respects, than it has been in recent years: You can get a very, very good desktop Windows PC system for between $500 and $750, and roughly the same for a good Windows notebook. An Apple Macintosh desktop computer starts at $599 if you bring your own keyboard, mouse and display; a MacBook portable starts at $1,099 and the all-in-one desktop iMac starts at $1,199.
Those prices may seem daunting to some, but they each represent a fair amount of computing power for the buck; bargain-seekers can also find gently used and well-refurbished models of fairly recent vintage at good prices.
Of course, the expense of computing is not limited to the PC itself.
There are accessories to buy, most likely a printer, and applications software. Some computers arrive with trial versions of key programs such as Microsoft Office; others will come “bundled” with various programs. Trials expire, however, and the bundled applications aren’t always what you’re looking for. That’s part of where the phrase “bloatware” has its origins.
I mention all this to lead up to a happy conclusion: There are tons of free applications software out there, some of it quite good. Other applications are low enough in price to merit serious consideration without the usual worry that accompanies such purchases.
On the free side, I’ve been playing with the newest beta release of OpenOffice 3.0 for the Macintosh, available online at www.openoffice.org. This software is intended to be a replacement for Microsoft’s Office suite, and it’s a rather capable one. No, it’s not exactly the equal of the Microsoft product, but it’s not far off the mark. The “Writer” program is a good substitute for Microsoft Word 2008, although it has its limitations.
Other modules for OpenOffice include a spreadsheet, presentation graphics, illustrations and a database. I’ve been underwhelmed by the database in each of the previous versions, but the other modules should be more than adequate for many tasks.
OpenOffice is available in versions for Windows, Linux and the Mac, as well as Sun Microsystems’ Solaris operating system. Even if you eventually decide to migrate to a commercial product such as Microsoft Office, this is a good “starter” for a new computer user.
Another product in beta is a rather specialized one: It handles e-mail from only one service — Google’s Gmail — and it runs only on Macs. But this thing is so darned elegant, you ought to point your Web browser to https://mailplaneapp .com just to look and marvel at Mailplane’s 2.0 version.
What Mailplane provides is a “browser” designed for Gmail. It lets your view and interact with the Gmail service in a simple, elegant fashion. There are shortcut keys you can use for various functions to create, send and delete mail.
Most impressive is the “iMedia” panel, which lets you select photos, audio or video clips, or even Web links, to drop into an outgoing Gmail message. It’s simplicity itself, yet it’s also a bit of genius.
Call me a pushover, but Mailplane is the kind of software I wish more people would write: simple and elegant, as I’ve said, but also highly practical. Estimates suggest that tens of millions of people use Gmail, so the need for a program such as this is evident. The software sells for $24.95, and you can try it for 30 days.
• Read Mark Kellner’s Tech blog at https://video1.washington times.com/technology.
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