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I use my computers for a wide variety of tasks. I send and receive email, write letters, design custom databases, create and maintain web sites, manipulate images, watch movies, listen to music, etc.
In order to do all of this this I need specific software to do the job. There are plenty of programs available, from high priced professional software to cheap, so called shareware.
There are also plenty of free products on the market and some of those are actually very good and easy to use.
Since I like to (need to) save money I mainly use this type of software and it works just fine for me.
Over the years I have checked out hundreds of programs, some got dumped almost instantly, some I have used for a while before switching to a better alternative. And there are the ones that I have stuck with ever since I first tried it. Of course speed, reliability and ease of use are important but I also prefer programs that have a pleasant user interface. Another important factor is that when the program is still under development you can expect new versions with more options and bug fixes. Some of the suppliers even give support and have help forums.
If you do a search on the Internet you will find a wealth of links to sites that offer free software.
However, many of these places just give you a free download, that does not mean the actual program is free. Some of them expire after a certain amount of time and others have features disabled until you buy a registration key.
Luckily there are also sites that list software that is absolutely free. Some of them have detailed descriptions, products reviews and allow user comments.
Here are few sites that I frequently visit to check what is new. Please keep in mind that the content of these sites is not unique. Often you will find the same software posted on all of these sites.
FreewareFiles.com: A great looking site with a wide selection, descriptions and ratings. It has some useful options like RSS Feeds.
FreewareGuide.com: A plain but functional site with software in every imaginable category.
Gizmo's Freeware: Software is categorized and rated.User comments are allowed and you can sign up to receive email about new programs that have been added. Overall a great site.
Portable Freeware Collection: All about software that is free and portable. Portable means that the program will contain all files in one folder and so can easily be moved or deleted. Some of them can be run from a USB stick. This site looks a bit out of date but has a large collection with descriptions and links.
I'm not aware of free software especially for truckers. I created my own program in Microsoft Access that allows me to store, manipulate and retrieve all relevant information, including reports and statistics.
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