Alternative Software – Microsoft Project

Its not difficult to look at every task that we do as a project. Sometimes that task may be to call at the corner shop for pint of Milk. Or you may be managing a new advertising campaign for a major customer. Or maybe embarking on a self build. Like most people I couldn’t tell you the price of a pint of milk but I do know the importance of managing my budget. When managing a project it is essential to be able to track the cost and time involved. Whilst monitoring the projects adherence to the schedule and adjust as issues arise .

That is why many people use software to manage the time and resources of a project Microsoft’s Project has become the industry standard tool tool for project management and scheduling. However Open Workbench has all the common features of Microsoft Project allowing you to schedule your project, manage resources and track your costs. Creating similar reports and colourful Gantt charts.

You rally can manage any project, what ever the size, with Open Workbench and best of all its FREE

Alternative Software. Visio

Many Businesses use Visio to produce organizational flowcharts and diagrams. With many freely available templates with special objects included Visio is a fantastic and easy to use tool. However it is quite expensive.

A simple to use alternative is Dia which provides all the same functionality and feel as Visio, including template and objects and costs absolutely nothing. It really is very easy to use and  get to grips with.

If you don’t want or need all the features of Dia then Openoffice Draw is also a very capable drawing tool and can be used to quickly knock up a simple diagram.

End of Term Christmas Games.

Its nearly Christmas and everyone is starting to wind down. So why not waste a few of those long office lunchtimes with a bit of fun on-line gaming. Here are my top 3 free online games.

Tower Defence.

Just imagine your sat at your desk when a whole host of monsters starts to scurry across it. What can you do? Well with this game you setup a whole host of cannons and other weapons to smash the smithereens other of the critters. Click here to give it a go.

Line Rider.

Erm. It doesn’t really get simpler than this. Draw a line and watch the rider, ride his sled along the line. Unbelievably addictive. You will fine time moves fast when you plat this.

Bejeweled

Again its oh so simple to play but not so easy to stop playing. Just match any 3 jewels in a vertical or horizontal line and watch your score rise and the time tick by.

Alternative Software. Publisher

Microsoft Publisher is fantastic for designing newsletters and brochures but it comes at a price, nearly £100 for software that you might only use once a year.  Instead of splashing out on Publisher why not give Scribus a try. It is a completely free Desktop Publishing application that  feature for feature compares very well with Microsoft Publisher. Plus there are loads and loads of on-line tutorials that will have you producing professional looking flyers and lovely looking leaflets in minutes.

Back to work.

It looks like most of Britain can return to work this morning after the snow yet again brought the roads to a grinding halt. Did the weather last week force you to take a day off work? Did you or a member of staff struggle to get to the office? Maybe now it a good time to think about how you can access all your important data from home or perhaps from a beach in Barbados?

There are many ways to enable remote access to your data. You can setup a secure connection directly to your company network.  Giving you direct access to all the servers and resource in the office. If you don’t yet have a company server to store all your important documents your may want to consider using one of the may Online systems now available. Google Apps and Microsoft Small Business Live provide feature packed solutions that allow you to store all your vital documents safely. Then access them from anywhere with an internet connection. You can also store and manage your email. Taking advantage of spam filtering and keeping all your emails backed up. You can also use each system to manage your customers contact details with a built in CRM system.

If you take action now, the next time it snows you can sit back with your slippers a warm cup of coffee and just get on with a normal days work.

Alternative Software. Excel

Microsofts “Excel” spreadsheet software has long been recognised as the professionals choice and has seen off most competitions. Its  packed full of features and  easy to use but do you really need all the advanced functions. Its also comes in at an hefty £120 which isn’t pocket change for the average user.

So is there an alternative? Most definitely. Open Office “Calc” spreadsheet is a fantastic alternative to Excel. With around 98% of the functionality of Excel it really is Value for money. That’s mostly because it is FREE. Yes completely FREE.

You might also want to consider Google Docs Spreadsheet its also feature rich and completely free.

Laptop Bargains.

With Christmas fast approaching many people are thinking of buying a new laptop. In a previous post I suggested a few points to bear in mind when buying a laptop but I didn’t suggest where was the best place to buy from. Well here are a few suggestions on where to bag a bargain this year.

Dell Factory Outlet

Depending on what is currently available you can often get a good deal from the Dell Factory Outlet. These are laptops returned to Dell which have either been fixed, refurbished or in many cases have just been sent back. They all come with a 12 month warrenty.

Laptops Direct

Laptops Direct have long held a reputations for good customer service and reasonable prices. They also often have refurbished or end of line laptops available for rock bottom prices.

Argos Outlet.

Argos use an Ebay shop to sell off end of range and returned laptops. They are all at bargain prices and come with varying warrentys.

Finally for a bit of fun try the

Comet Auction.

You never know what will be on there but there are often bargains. Especially for Kitchen goods.

If your looking for a laptop I hope you find a bargain.

Do you sometimes read a news article or a book and come up against a word you haven’t seen before. By using the Google define feature you can quickly get  a definition. Just type define: “the word you don’ understand  for example define:sesquipedalian and Google will educate you.

Find the time.

Maybe you’d like to  call your family in Australia to give them the fantastic news that you have won the lottery, but don’t want to wake them and you’re not sure what time it is in Sydney. Google can help just type what time is it in Australia or what time is it in Sydney and Goggle will tell you if  its a good time to call.

Look for a file.

Perhaps you heard part of a lecture and need to find the mp3 again or you could be looking for a PDF Manual for your old phone. To look for a specific file type in google type filetype:pdf “search term” For example filetype:pdf iphone