No one has any money these days. So what are potential web stars to do when they have to eat ramen for a month to afford a Mac, and then there’s nothing left over for software? Get creative. There’s a ton of free software out there to streamline your website development and marketing onto a simple platform. Sometimes the hardest part is finding it.
After the jump, we’ve rounded up 10 free applications for your solipsistic meanderings on the web.
1. GIMP
This excellent graphics software works as an alternative to Photoshop, and is compatible with a number of different operating systems. Plus the name is just really awkward to say.
This cross platform application allows file transfers up to 4 GB in size, good for basic file uploads and downloads across multiple sites from different servers. Easy to understand and use.
3. Textwrangler
This is an all purpose text editor as well as a Unix or administrator’s tool. It allows all sorts of editing and configuring files on your Mac, as well as writing HTML and coding.
4. Ping.fm
Ping is extremely easy to use. As with FriendFeed, you can post to all your social networking sites at once from one location: Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Tumblr, Blogspot, LinkedIn, Live Journal, WordPress, Delicious, Typepad, Flickr… the list goes on and on. The ability to use this application with iPhones and BlackBerries puts it on top.
5. KompoZer
Want to design and author a website, but you don’t know HTML or web coding? This does it for you. You get a professional looking website without being a technical savant.
7. Simple CSS
For those familiar with cascading style sheets, which formats the HTML content, you can adjust and specify what fonts and styles you want across a number of different web pages with this app. This allows you to import your own styles easily, and simplify edits across multiple pages. Also, it limits the file data transfer when trying to view the site.
For Mac users, this virtualization application allows you to create a Microsoft environment on a Mac. This makes cross browser testing much simpler.
Thanks to new templates, this Google application allows you to build websites again without fluency in HTML coding or web design. Like KompoZer, it doesn’t require any technical knowledge to design your own site.
Last, we have something new that hasn’t even launched yet. Flavors.me is used for personal webpages, webstreaming, microsites, and celebrity fan pages, promotion, and even brand marketing. Watch the demo below for Flavors.me and sign up on their email list if you’re interested.