Free Ways to Nerd en Masse
Free alternatives to Webex, Camtasia, etc
The Rimm-Kaufman Group lists some ways to share desktops, video and more with your friends while you geek through the internet together.
“Interesting open source alternatives for handling online meetings, videos, screenshots, and files:
- DimDim, an open-source free alternative for online collaboration (paid comparison: WebEx)
- CamStudio, an open-source free limited AVI screen recorder and AVI-SWF converter (paid comparison: Camtasia)
- MWSnap, a free alternative for basic screen captures (paid comparison: Snagit)
- CutePDF, free print-to-PDF software (paid comparison: Adobe, Win2Pdf, etc)
- FileZilla, open-source free alternative for FTP and sFTP (paid comparison:SmartFTP, WS_FTP, etc)
- CrossLoop, free remote screen sharing app (paid comparison: CoPilot,GoToAssist)
You get what you pay for: these free versions are far more limited than their full-featured commercial cousins.
However, depending on which particular features you need, sometimes they suffice.
They also provide an easy, no-cost, first step into these categories.“