Tired of Outlook? There is a better way

Monday, July 13th, 2009

So I was once again wrestling with Microsoft Outlook.  Tried to send the same email 5 TIMES and my system kept crashing!  The error message from Microsoft was essentially “You have an old version of Outlook, so your system is crashing.  How about going to our website to buy a new version?”

So I looked into buying a new version of Outlook.  I went to Amazon to get some honest opinions…and learned that many of the same problems I was having in Outlook 2002 had not been resolved for the 2007 version (the newest available).  So instead of plunking down $100 for a new version of the same problem, I thought, There has got to be a better way.

And there was.  Enter Mozilla Thunderbird.  Great functionality.  Easy to use.  Doesn’t crash.  And FREE, because it is Open Source software.  It was easy to import all of my folders and addresses into Mozilla from Outlook (when Outlook wasn’t busy crashing in the middle of the process). 

So if you are exasperated with Outlook, know that there is a better way.  You can download it here: http://download.cnet.com/Mozilla-Thunderbird/3000-2367_4-10213643.html?tag=mncol

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.

Tags: computers, open source, saving money, saving online, top 10
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What the heck is Open Source?

Monday, April 20th, 2009

A few years ago, I was introduced to the concept of Open Source software, that is software that is non-proprietary and in other words, free.  In the world of Open Source, you have simplified, user-friendly versions of the Microsoft Office suite (i.e. Open Office) as well as pretty much anything else you can imagine.  Mozilla Firefox is a great example of Open Source software that works very well.

If you like this concept, are a tiny bit computer savvy and are tired of paying through the nose for various types of software, Open Source might be the way to go.  To get you started, here are two great Open Source sites:

Open Source As Alternative: www.osalt.com  This site will help you find Open Source alternative to your favorite proprietary programs.

For Windows users, there is also: www.opensourcewindows.org. 

Finally, definitely check out www.cnet.com.  They have a giant proprietary and non-proprietary download database plus user reviews that are extremely helpful–which is where I learned about my favorite encryption software, TrueCrypt.

Because of the nature of my work, I need to have my data and backup sources encrypted at all times.  And encryption software and support can be expensive, time consuming, and not to mention scary if you don’t install it correctly.

After carefully reading through the TrueCrypt instructions, and following them step-by-step, I found it quite easy to use.  If you have a need for this type of software, check it out on www.truecrypt.org.  It works with Windows, Mac & Linux.

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.

Tags: downloads, free stuff, open source, software, top 10
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