Out in the programming and software world there are many great products. Most users are only familiar with retail products. However there are a large number of software solutions that provide all the same benefits but are released as Open Source under the Open Source Initiative guidelines. These programs - the ones that we recommend - are stable and mature products. No program is bug free and paying hundreds of dollars for a software product does not insure peace of mind. Take a look at the web site of any well known software company and you will find a support section and a place to download fixes.
Links to some high quality, open source software.
OpenOffice - free replacement for Microsoft Office
OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute.
FileZilla is a fast and reliable FTP client and/or server with lots of useful features and an intuitive interface.
2006 Community Choice Awards Winner: Networking category
7-Zip is a file archiver with high compression ratio. Packing / unpacking: 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR.