I've been thinking recently, since I had to buy a new PC, if I could mange to survive using only totally open-source software. I mean using completely free applications, not trials or demos, and continuing to work from home, to see if I could actually manage.

At present I am using #Office 2003 and have been for years. I could however probably change to Open Office, as it more than likely has all of the functionality that I need to use at home. For email I could use #Thunderbird (we do in work), and its just as good if not better for searching as Outlook.

I use #Catch for notes so that they are available wherever I am, even on the mobile. I use #DropBox for saving and managing files and #Astrid for reminders. I use also #Google's calendar & bookmarks. These are all web and mobile apps that constantly keep in sync, and are all free to use.

The other applications I need are for web development are #NetBeans & #Navicat, both open source and excellent dependable applications. No problem there, however, this where it ends. I still use #Fireworks & #Photoshop and #PaintShop (depending on the job), and have jet to come across open-source alternatives that are as good.

So, I'm not about to move for the sake of it - but "could I ?" is the point I am trying to make, and the answer is No.