Other articles by Matt Andazola:

Video gamers go retro Kids: Get paid to collect drink pouches for recycling 7 at UA lay down man laws Pilots show off radio-controlled plane skills Theatre preview: 'Bus Stop' still relevant and funGet great deals on plenty of fine clothing at fundraiser Technical effects make PCC's 'BFG' challenging

Health Care
Sonora Behavioral Health
RN General
Acorn
Activist/Organizer Mechanical
Pioneer Landscaping
Diesel Fleet Mechanics Office and Clerical
Pima County Fair
Front Desk Receptionist Finance and Accounting
VALOR HOSPICE CARE
CONTROLLER General
Award Service Inc
Route Sales Health Care
RLM Services, Inc.
Pharmacist

A computer is only the beginning. Walk down the software isle of any computer retailer and you'll notice that the software — the programs you need to do anything meaningful with your new machine — can cost hundreds.

But "open source software," created by vast networks of programmers instead of commercial companies, may provide you with the office productivity, photo editing and Internet surfing abilities you need for free, and may do it better.

Take, for example, Mozilla Firefox, an Internet browser made as an alternative to the Microsoft Internet Explorer.

"It has a real nice design and layout," said Sean Schnell, a student tech lead in the Office of Student Computing Resources at the University of Arizona. "It's constantly improving itself."

Schnell also said various extensions and add-ons make Firefox more customizable than other browsers.

The design, or source code, behind Internet Explorer and most software sold in stores is kept secret from ordinary users, available only to programmers inside the company selling it, but programs like Firefox leave their source codes in the open for tinkering.

Firefox programmers from around the world have created and continue to modify it, offering what they see as a faster, safer, more user-friendly Web experience than Microsoft.

Some advocates for the idea of collaborative programming say the days of paying money for programs like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop might be coming to an end.

"In the long term, I'm thinking — or at least I hope — that people will use more free and open source software," said Jim Garrison, public relations coordinator for the Software Freedom Law Center.

Mike Shaver, chief evangelist for Mozilla, which distributes Firefox, said it has more than 130 million users worldwide.

Of course, both Firefox and Internet Explorer are free. Look in the accompanying boxes for more about how other programs compare with their costly counterparts.

Besides costing less, open source software typically offers fewer new features and doesn't look as sleek as the proprietary type found on store shelves.

Companies like Microsoft strive to make programs on the modern edge of computer users' needs, a Microsoft spokesperson wrote in an e-mail, but many open source programs are "aimed to meet the needs of the past."

Shaver said proprietary software may have a slight edge for now, but he thinks that is sure to change as open sourcing gains more traction.

Collaborative programming makes localization, security and the addition of new features easier and faster, Shaver said.

"It changes the distance between people developing the software and the people using it."

In theory, open sourcing offers two huge advantages.

For one, malicious programs like viruses, spyware and adware are less likely to be on open-source software because the vast network of programmers quickly can stamp out such problems.

Also, companies sometimes discontinue support for their products, as Microsoft did its Windows 98 operating system last summer. The company's Web site says it will do the same in 2014 for Windows XP.

Open source programs belong to a collective and are less likely to be abandoned, Garrison said.

It's true that many of the programmers are hobbyists, Garrison said, but only up to a point. Many businesses, including IBM and Sun Microsystems Inc., invest in open source projects.

Programmers are the new car enthusiasts, building and modifying and showing off what they've done for the world to see, Garrison said. The difference is car enthusiasts don't usually have the option of giving everyone in the world access to their masterpieces.

That's why Garrison said so many programmers are turned off by proprietary software, which only grants code access to employees of a company.

"Would you buy a car with its hood welded shut?" he said.

Business Wire photo. Photo illustration by Hugo Torres / Arizona Daily StAr. Logos courtesy of companY web sites.