Free alternatives to proprietary PC software

[tepples]

For a while now I've been cutting back on the amount of pirated software I use, favoring free applications whenever possible

I got my boss hooked on open source too, but it's not for everyone nor for everything.

for example, I replaced Nero with ImgBurn

I've been using InfraRecorder on my Windows machines.

Photoshop with GIMP

I'm a fan of GIMP. But a lot of Photoshop fanboys say they can't work without Photoshop's adjustment layers, which are layers that are automatically rebuilt using a filter on pixels in the layers below them. For example, an adjustment layer might perform a (non-destructive) color correction or rotation. Does GIMP have anything similar?

Likewise, I have started to learn Blender instead of pirating 3ds Max.

MSOffice with OpenOffice

Agree, until you get to Base. Access/VBA apps, such as one used by my employer, won't run in OOo Base.

WinRAR/WinZIP with 7-Zip

I agree here, at least until you need to submit a .rar file to a repository that takes only .rar files, not .7z files.

What do you recommend instead of Adobe Flash CS series for making web animations in SWF, SVG+JS, or Canvas+JS format?

[danntor]

For the archiving the windows version of 7zip is a great replacement for winRAR. Does all the major formats plus it does not thave the nag screen(I know it can be removed but that can be quite hardd for some if they don't feel like dishing the money out). For GNU/Linux I use pz7zip-full(I think that is what its called and fileroller(plus the unfree unrar for passworded rars).

[tokumaru]

I've been using InfraRecorder on my Windows machines.

I tried that one before ImgBurn, but it betrayed me in a way I can't recall right now (it's been a while), and I've been happy with ImgBurn ever since. InfraRecorder is probably pretty good too, if I can't remember what my problem with it was it probably wasn't a big issue.

I'm a fan of GIMP. But a lot of Photoshop fanboys say they can't work without Photoshop's adjustment layers

True, I miss that, and I'm not aware of anything similar in GIMP (although I admit there's a lot about GIMP I don't know yet). So far this hasn't been a deal breaker for me, and I'm managing to live without that feature.

Likewise, I have started to learn Blender instead of pirating 3ds Max.

I haven't done any 3D since college, but I'm considering taking a look at Blender.

Agree, until you get to Base. Access/VBA apps, such as one used by my employer, won't run in OOo Base.

So far I haven't needed that, so I'm good. What I have are clients that sometimes require documents in Microsoft's formats, so I still have to keep a copy of MSOffice around in a VM.

I agree here, at least until you need to submit a .rar file to a repository that takes only .rar files

Never had to deal with such repositories... It decompresses rar though, and since I only compress to zip and 7z, I'm fine.

What do you recommend instead of Adobe Flash CS series for making web animations in SWF, SVG+JS, or Canvas+JS format?

Good question. I used Flash mostly for applications rather than animations, so FlashDevelop was a good substitute. I have even made some simple scripted animations with it, but for longer movies it would be a pain in the ass. I also haven't used JavaScript for complex web animations (I just occasionally move a few things around).

[Dwedit]

I'm still a huge fan of Ulead PhotoImpact, which is basically abandoned by current owner Corel, and hard to buy, except for that $10 ancient version of PhotoImpact 5 on Amazon. Except it's not open source by any means and doesn't belong in this thread.