Discover 30 free software programs

It wasn’t so long ago that software companies could demand an arm and a leg for applications and get away with it. Some versions of Microsoft Office, for example, used to sell for hundreds of pounds.

But that game is well and truly over. Ambitious upstart companies and countless bedroom developers have inadvertently conspired to drive down the price people are prepared to pay for software. Indeed, sometimes these days it can feel odd paying anything for applications.

Obviously, we are not about to advocate coughing up for programs when there’s no need but we think it’s fair to say that not all free software is worth bothering with. Similarly, some applications are so good that we would definitely pay to keep them.

So join us as we reveal the 30 free software giveaways to download right now. Some you will have heard of, some you won’t – but grab them all for no cost before the developers come to their senses and start charging.

COMMUNICATIONS
1  Logitech Vid
If your PC has a webcam then the chances are that it included a program that lets you chat to other webcam users. The trouble is that these applications are usually ropey affairs that get in the way of the most-useful part of owning a webcam – having face-to-face chats with friends and family.

Vid is a video-calls program that works with any webcam (not just those made by Logitech). While there are other better-known and more-widely-used alternatives (Skype, for example), Vid’s focus on video chat keeps things simple.

DISC BURNING
2  CD Burner XP
Most versions of Windows can burn movie and music discs – DVDs and CDs, that is. But throw a Blu-ray disc at Windows, or even ask XP to burn a humble DVD, and the operating system will give you the electronic equivalent of a funny look.

However, install the free CD Burner XP utility and you will be able to burn pretty much anything you want to pretty much any type of disc. It’s better than most free disc-burning tools supplied by the drive manufacturers, so it has no right being a giveaway itself.

 3  DVD Styler
If CDBurnerXP is the tool for those wanting to make music or movie discs irrespective of drive type or Windows version, then DVDStyler is for Window XP users who want an easy way to make nice-looking DVD movies.

It works with Vista and Windows 7, too, though owners of the Home Premium editions of those Windows versions have Windows DVD Maker, which isn’t too bad for the basics.