Software we Use and Recommend

This section is to let you know about some of the great free alternatives for software that you probably currently use and have to pay for.

These programs are recommended here because we use them. There may be other great programs available that are not listed here. If you know of other great programs that you would like to share then please send us a mail.

First is firefox. Firefox is a web browser that is particularly helpful to web developers. It is compliant to the web standards and has many cool plugins that help with web design
operating systems: Linux / windows / mac

The gimp is a free alternative to photoshop. It has loads of features and functions but it is quite hard to get used to. Thankfully there is a lot of independant infromation available. we have on this website a mirror to some excellent videos.
The videos were created by jimmac, his website is here and his videos are available from our japan mirror here
operating systems: Linux / windows / mac

Open office is an alternate to Microsoft Office. Save yourself a couple of hundred dollars use this instead. Open Office comes installed by default when you download ubuntu if your willing to make the jump to total free software.
operating systems: Linux / windows / mac

Mozilla thunderbird is created by the same organization that controls the firefox project. It may be inappropriate to say 'made' because it is a collaboration of programmers from all over the world. You can help too if you want to.
operating systems: Linux / windows / mac

The operating system of choice. Moving from Windows to Linux can be a scary experience because you may not know how different it is going to be. In the beginning there are quite a few things to get used to but after a couple of months you forget about the operation system and get on with just doing whatever it is you normally do. Web design, surfing the net, writing documents etc. And it's Free.

"I use Eclipse as a php development platform. I used to use Macromedia's Dreamweaver which is an excellent tool, for a while and found that I would use both about equally but as programming became more and more complex, I found myself using eclipse for the php programming and only coming back to Dreamweaver for layout work."

- Michael,
Apicos.

Website Hosting:

• Cpanel or Plesk control panel. (because sometimes you need to change servers and its good to move to familiar places.)
• Support. (when your website suddenly disappears from the net and you don't know why and you want to talk to someone, you dont want to wait 24 hours for an email.)
• Price. A fair price for the amount of computer space that you are renting.

• Cpanel control panel.
• Support. 24/7 online chat that you get to talk to someone who actually knows whats going on. (some places have chat where support and technical are different.)
• Price. If server specs were the only aspect, jbservers.net have a fair price, but factor in the level of support and their price is Amazing!

- Michael,
Apicos.