The new directory has also been rebuilt using MediaWiki--the free software that powers Wikipedia--for easier participation by users and other members of the free software community. A set of extensions called Semantic MediaWiki, meanwhile, add advanced search and presentation capabilities.

"6500 programs is a lot, until you look at how many we don't have listed," Sullivan explained in a on the topic. "The new version is progress here because it enables a more direct way of submitting new entries and empowers a potentially unlimited number of people to help keep existing entries up-to-date and informative."

'Free' in More Ways Than One

I frequently write about and many of the other great examples of out there for business purposes, including ways to for them. Even more such software can be found at the and on .

Wherever you get them, these free alternatives can not only save you a great deal of money--as much as , by my last calculation--but they also deliver a raft of other benefits associated with in general.