Graphics & design software

Free Software Worth a Donation, Part 1

I turn to the same software time and again. Some I did not have to pay for, thanks to the generosity of hard-working developers who share their creations for free, asking only for a donation from those who are willing and able. I looked through my Start menu and taskbar for those applications I take for granted all year long. If you're already using these, now is a great time to support them or their causes. And if any are new to you, you're in for a treat.

The GIMP Team GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP)

For image editing and creation, GIMP is free, open source, and very powerful.

Irfan Skiljan IrfanView

IrfanView is a very fast, compact and innovative FREEWARE image viewer/converter for Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7. IrfanView is fast and small, with extremely low system resources requirements. It is trying to be simple for...

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TrueCrypt Foundation TrueCrypt

This free, open-source encryption program lets you place files and folders in "safes" of any size.

VideoLAN VLC

The ability to play virtually any file type without external codecs and cornucopia of controls makes VLC a must-have download.

Tom Revell, Zhorn Software Stickies

Store info, e-mail it, or pop it up with a timer with this sticky notes program.