These pages include a combination of tips for using apps and lists of recommended apps.

Alternatives for Popular Apps
Alternataives to Internet Explorer (IE) and Outlook 
 Microsoft's Web browser and email/address book
ActiveX and VB script in IE make it vulnerable. 
Both programs are targets for hackers because of the large number of users.
Many companies are switching to Firefox by Mozilla and Google Chrome. see browsers.
It is the most popular alternative for IE and it's free.  "Opera" is another popular browser.

Alternataives for Outlook (mail, calendar and contacts) include,
 Thunderbird by Mozilla, Open Office (Star Office), Eudora.
Outlook has been replaced by Windows Live Mail in Windows 7.

Alternatives for Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, ...) are open source software- 
  Open Office (from Sun)
  and LibreOffice, developed by some of the Open Office team after Sun was sold to Oracle in 2009.

Adobe Photoshop - Photoshop Elements - Gimp
InDesign - Scribus
Dreamweaver - Aptana
textedit - vim
MS Access - Libre Office Base, MySQL
Filemaker - Bento (Mac)($35), Relationship ($39)
Adobe Illustrator - Inkscape
Database Managers
alternatives.rzero.com/db.html

Image - Drawing - Painting - Photo touchup
Paint.net,
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Corel Draw


Page Layout
InDesign
QuarkXPress


Mac
Mac Software Sources
Microsoft Windows on a Mac

Internet
Internet Browsers
  Firefox
Facebook



Tablets
Android Apps
iPad Apps
Bible Apps


Amazon.com Best Sellers: Best Software

Links:
Computer Store Ratings
The Best Free Software of 2010 at PC Magazine