Five programs you can afford in a financial meltdown
Submitted by srlinuxx on Tue, 09/30/2008 - 19:21.
No matter what happens to the bailout, it's a safe bet that times are going to be hard. So what can you do if you're not in Congress and you want to get new programs, but not pay an arm and a leg? After all, it's not like you can print money. Unlike, say, the U.S. government. The choice is clear: switch to open-source software.
Like what you ask? Like these five prime examples of open-source software that's every bit as good, if not better, than their proprietary equivalents.
1) Microsoft Office: OpenOffice. Here's your choice: You can pay about a $110 street price for Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, which includes the basics office trilogy of Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, plus OneNote, Microsoft's take on a digital notebook, or you can pay nothing, Nada, for OpenOffice.
If there's anything you can't do in OpenOffice, which is soon upgrading to version 3.0, that you can do in Microsoft Office, I don't know what it is.
Financial melt down is over exaggerated ? Govt controls ?
Wall street fraud caused many rumours(FBI investigating failed Wall street firms), and Wall street tried to dip their hands in the govt till(Paulson $750 billion bailout plan).
Govt had many controls not exercised so far. First is shot gun marriages of financial institutions. FDIC has not come up with massive multi mergers yet. Asset pooling will strengthen banks. In early 1990s, banks were merged down to 15,000(Bush administration action). Now we expect will be down to 7500 in 2009, increasing productivity by cloud banking and Paypal or Google email account money transfer.
Federal Reserve bank has not changed the bank reserve ratio(10 to 1, loan to deposits was 6 to 1 in 1991) to ease credit yet.
And economy may be slowing down due to population shift from America to foreign land by troops deployment. Less population, less economy. Shrinking pay checks did not happen yet. Energy cost is returning to normal; produce at harvest time is fresh and cheap. Troops returning will boost economy, and absorb housing surplus.
So, beware of Oktoberfest, too much beer can swell your head. Get congress to use govt control and settle peace abroad(use CIA instead of battle fiold troops) to bring back troops? Keep in mind, cash is king, and your life will be enriched by higher standard of living.