Create word processing documents, spreadsheets and presentations online using Google Docs. A free, web-based application, Google Docs allows you to create documents from scratch, upload your existing files or gives you a head start on creating a document by letting you choose from over 300 templates. Google Docs offers a collaborative work environment - choose who can access your documents, work together with a co-author or view a presentation with colleagues. You can store your files online or save to your own computer. Simply create an account on Google Docs and you can get started from any computer with an Internet connection and standard browser.

For Mac OS X users, NeoOffice is a free, open source software package that offers an entire suite of office applications, including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing and database programs.  NeoOffice includes nearly all the features in the OpenOffice.org suite and many of the commonly used features in Microsoft Office.  It has been adapted to meet the unique needs of  Mac users.  NeoOffice can import, edit and exchange files with Open Office.org and other popular office programs such as Microsoft Office.

ThinkFree is a free office suite package that includes ThinkFree Write (word processing), ThinkFree Calc (spreadsheet), and ThinkFree Show (presentation). ThinkFree is designed to look, feel and behave like Microsoft Office and runs the Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .ppt and .pptx). It includes multi-language support and the ability to save a document to secure online storage, to control who has access to your document and to publish documents to your own web site or blog.

A free word processing program similar to Microsoft® Word.  AbiWord is able to read and write a variety of standard document types including OpenOffice.org, Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, Rich Text Format, HTML and more.  Available in many different languages, AbiWord supports the common word processing functions: tables, bullets, lists, images, footnotes, styles, mail merge, etc.  There are also a variety of plugins available to extend the functionality of AbiWord.  A tour of the program, screenshots, user documentation and more information is available at the AbiWord web site.

Small, easy-to-use rich text editor for Mac users. Includes features such as live word count, autosaving, page layout mode, alternate colors option, selection of text by text style, paragraph style and color, dictionary, word completion, and more. Does not support footnotes, columns, pre-defined, text styles or floating graphics.  Can read and write .rtf, .rtfd, .txt, .html formats and import and export .doc, .docx and .xml formats.   Not a replacement for Word or other word processor software applications that are designed for complex documents. 

EditPad Lite is a general purpose text editor that is free for non-commercial use.  Designed to be small and compact but with the functionality you would expect from a basic text editor.  Features the ability to open multiple files within one tabbed window, unlimited undo and redo, multiple print settings and print preview, and the ability to configure the appearance of the editor.  For professional use or additional editing features, a commercial version, EditPad Pro is available for purchase.

A text editor that is installed on all versions of Microsoft Windows. Includes basic text editing features such as word wrap, text formatting, and search and replace.  Useful for creating simple documents that do not require a lot of formatting options. 

Free source code editor that can also be used as a replacement for Notepad.  Notepad++ supports several languages and has many features designed for programmers  such as syntax highlighting, syntax folding, and brace and indent guideline highlighting.

CutePDF is a Windows-only free option for creating PDFs. Much like Adobe Acrobat, CutePDF allows you to print your documents as a PDF. While the product is free, at the push of a button it is possible to print reliable PDFs from any file format. This piece of software is the free version of the more advanced CutePDF Professional which allows advanced form and editing capabilities. For basic PDF creation needs, this is an excellent product.

Everyone who uses a Mac running MacOS X is fortunate to have PDF creation abilities integrated right into the system. In fact, PDF is one of the essential technologies that makes the MacOS X graphics possible. Any application can simply go to the File > Print menu, then select to Save As PDF. In MacOS X Leopard (10.5), Apple added the ability to create different types of PDFs including PDFX1/A, and others.

GIMP is a very impressive alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Free and created by the open source community initially for Linux operating systems, GIMP now is able to be installed on practically any platform. The features it includes are comparable to Adobe Photoshop, being able to be used for some of the common uses for Photoshop.