Freelancer’s Toolbox Part 2, Software

Last time around, I talked about computer hardware, and what you need to be a successful freelancer. Today I want to talk about software. Wonderful stuff, software; it’s what really gives your computer the ability to do all those creative things we all do with them all day. Without software your computer’s just going to sit there like a lump and use up electricity. Sure, it will help heat the house, but it’s an expensive and inefficient substitute for a space heater.

So, it’s decided, you need software.

But what software do you need? That’s the real question. Now, I’m a writer, so I’m going to focus on writing software. It’s what I use to earn my living so it’s what I’m most familiar with. Even so, the same basic rules apply to freelancing whatever your field, so at least some of this can be extrapolated.

So hold your nose ’cause we’re jumping feet first into the deep end.

Microsoft Word:

I put this one first, because it’s the standard. Microsoft Office rules the business world. There are plenty of alternatives but if you’re a writer and you expect to make a living at this, you need Microsoft Word. I recommend the latest version too; not because it’s necessarily the best (though I like Word 2007) but because it will read all the older formats as well as the current ones. If someone sends you a .doc from Word 97 you need to be able to read it, if they send you a .docx from Word 2007 you need to be able to read that too.

I’m not saying that you need to do all your work in Word, I certainly don’t, but you do need to have the software. I do most of my work in a program called yWriter 3 from Spacejock Software, but before I fire it off to my clients I usually filter it through Word. Funnily enough, I just discovered they updated to yWriter 4 as I was writing this post. I haven’t tried that one yet, but will download and install it soon.

Firefox:

Yes, I put a web browser second. I’m writing this post using Firefox. Modern freelance writing often takes place on the web, so you need a good browser. Firefox is extremely customizable and includes a spell-checker by default. You can use other browsers, I have IE, Opera, and Safari installed on this machine, but I highly recommend Firefox. I also use it to check my mail.

Webmail is king these days, especially since the advent of Google’s Gmail which has pushed it to a new respectability. As a Freelancer you may find yourself moving around a lot, between ISPs as well as houses, and it’s a lot easier to keep things straight if you don’t have to change your email account every time you change providers.

Open Office:

Open Office is probably the next contender for an office suite after Microsoft, and it’s free to download so there’s no excuse not to have it on your machine. Nelson Manning, who also writes for oDesk Insider uses it as his primary office suite. It’s an excellent package and with the price being right there’s no excuse not to install it. I use it fairly regularly and if I didn’t need full Microsoft Office compatibility I’d be happy to use it all the time.

Other Software:

I don’t want to make this post too long, so I won’t go into detail about every piece of software available, but there are a few I want to mention. I’ve already mentioned yWriter, which is an excellent piece of software. I wrote my last two projects in yWriter, and one of them was an eighty-thousand word novel that I wrote in about three months. It’s a great program because it’s designed as project management software for writers that lets you structure a large project effectively using a modular approach that lets you handle the project in manageable sections.

Another program I recommend, if you can justify the cost, is Acrobat. Not Acrobat Reader, but the full Adobe Acrobat. It lets you manipulate PDF files rather than simply read them.

I’ve also used Abiword, Notepad, and many other programs, and if you have any questions or opinions on these or other word-processors don’t hesitate to comment. I’m always on the lookout for new software.

I can’t close this section without mentioning the oDesk Client. If you’re working on oDesk it’s one piece of software you absolutely need.

About Unauthorized Copies:

If you’ve been on the internet for any length of time, you probably know there are ways to get copies of commercial software without paying for them.  Don’t.  That’s all, just don’t.  Remember, a freelancer is a professional, and your word is what matters.  Using stolen software won’t give you the reputation you need to succeed as a freelancer. Tools are tax deductible.  Buy yours.

General Notes:

As I said earlier, I’m a writer, so I’m mostly familiar with writing software.  However whether you’re a writer, a coder, a designer, or anything else that ends in “-er” you probably know what software is the industry standard for your field.  Whatever it is, get it.  Get Photoshop or the GIMP if you do image manipulation.  Going back to our toolbox metaphor, you can think of it this way:  No one’s going to hire a carpenter who doesn’t have a hammer.

In the next post in this series, I want to talk about setting up your workspace.  What’s important and what’s not.  Until next time, have fun freelancing.