How much do the softwares really cost? (and what are the free alternatives?)

These are the actual costs of some of the popular softwares we use:

S.N.	Software	Price of Genuine Copies		Price of Pirated Copies
		US$	N.Rs.	US$	N.Rs.
1.	Microsoft Windows 7	200	17,073	0.6	50
2.	Microsoft Office 2010	120	10,244	0.6	50
3.	Adobe Dreamweaver	120	10,244	0.6	50
4.	Adobe Photoshop	200	17,073	0.6	50
5.	VMWare Workstation	200	17,073	0.6	50

A fact: It would cost around N.Rs. 40,000 to buy the genuine copies of 

Windows, MS Office and Photoshop!!



BUT WHAT CAN WE DO?




We can't work without softwares and we can't afford to buy them. So we need to use the pirated copies. Right?


WRONG!!!


There are plenty of free software products available which are as good as the ones we normally use .



The following table shows some of the alternatives:

These Cost a Lot	Free Alternatives	Are the alternatives better?	Where can I find these alternatives?
Windows	Ubuntu	Linux is much more secure than windows and there are over 30,000 absolutely free (and useful) softwares available for Linux.	UBUNTU
Microsoft Office	Libre Office	Anything you can do with MS Office, you can also do with Libre Office.	Libre Office
Adobe Dreamweaver	Kompozer or Bluefish Editors	I have not used dreamweaver, kompozer or bluefish extensively, so I won't judge.	Kompozer BlueFish Editor
Adobe Photoshop	GIMP	I think, Photoshop is somewhat better. But with Gimp, you can write your own scripts to get the desired graphical effects.	GIMP
VMWare Workstation	Virtual Box	Both have similar features. So both are equally good.	Virtual Box

Final words...

Piracy is theft.

There is no reason for us not to use the free alternatives.

"It is not wrong to be poor but it is wrong to steal."