Technical writing can get pretty expensive. You have to have applications that will help you in writing technical documentation and proposals, creating flowcharts of all kinds, modifying and manipulating images, and the list keeps going. The applications, like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, and Visio, usually come with a hefty price. Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to sacrifice the quality if your technical documentation and proposals without having to pay $500 for an application? I have found some open source or free alternatives to the expensive applications that you will need for technical writing. I have listed the five main ones here:

1. Office Suite

Everyone needs an office suite that allows you to write documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. This is regardless if you are in the technical writing field or not. People usually think of Microsoft Office when they want a word-processing software. NeoOffice and OpenOffice are great alternatives without the price. Like Microsoft Office, NeoOffice and OpenOffice have everything you need to write and develop documentation, spreadsheets, presentations, etc. I prefer NeoOffice, but it’s only for Mac. However, both applications can get the job done. The great thing about both is that there are tons of templates on their web sites. Furthermore, you are able to download the templates from the Microsoft site, and open them in both applications (I’ve done that a few times). One thing to remember is that people are still using the Microsoft extensions, like *.doc, *.xls, *.ppt. Therefore, you have to remember to convert your documentation into those extensions instead of the extensions used in NeoOffice and OpenOffice.

2. Creative Suite

Even though the graphic design is left for the graphic designers, Technical Writers usually need to have some knowledge on image editing and manipulation. Adobe is well known for their Creative Suite, which includes Photoshop and Illustrator.  The suite is extremely expensive. It is definitely worth it if you have the money, but if you don’t, then you can just keep on dreaming. If this sounds like you, then you should check out Aviary. Aviary is an online creative suite that allows you to do almost everything you could do using the Adobe Creative Suite. A great addition is if you use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome, Aviary has extensions that you can use to manipulate images that you find online. It also includes a screen capture application as well. If you want a more in-depth review of the Aviary online creative suite, then click here to check out what I wrote when I was writing for the awesome tech blog MakeTechEasier.

3. Project Planning

If you write project management documentation, then you know all about Work-Breakdown Structures (WBS) and Gantt charts. WBS and Gantt charts aid in planning how the project tasks will be broken down by time. It is something that needs to be done if you want to have a successful project. Without proper planning, a project will fail. Therefore, having a WBS and Gantt chart are useful because you have to think about how you will measure the success of the project during various phases. Also, you really consider the resources, which are usually actual people in roles, that you will need to ensure that the project tasks get accomplished. The usual application used to do this is Microsoft Project. I will have to admit that it’s probably one of Microsoft’s best applications out there. A great alternative is OpenProj that is very similar to Microsoft Project. You are able to easily create a WBS and Gantt chart that have milestones, resources, and attached to a time schedule. Additionally, you can specify dependencies. These means that if this task doesn’t get done first, then another task can’t be completed. I was very impressed with OpenProj, and it’s one of the applications I have on this computer.

4. Flowchart Creation

In many kinds of documents, like project plans, system architecture documents, and proposals, you always include flowcharts of all kinds. These flowcharts can be design flows, organizational charts, or workflows. It is a great way to show readers a complicated process in a simplified way. I usually use Microsoft Visio to create these. However, if you don’t have the money to spend on the application, then OpenOffice and NeoOffice both have Visio-like applications in their office suites. It doesn’t have templates in the application that you can use to quickly start your flowchart, which is something Visio has. However, if you go on their site, there are some templates that you can download, so you can use it to create your own flowcharts. There is a new service, Flowchart.com, that is currently invitation only, and it seems promising. However, I still don’t know the details, but I’ll keep a lookout for it.

5. Desktop Publishing

Technical Writers usually work in different areas. One day, you will see them writing a design document; the other day, they are working on a brochure. Therefore, a desktop-publishing software is something that every Technical Writer should have handy. There are some great desktop publishers out there, but they come with a hefty price. If you are starting out, and can’t afford to pay for one of them, then Scribus is an alternative you should consider. Scribus is an open source desktop publisher that allows you to create all kinds of publications. For instance, you can create publications like newsletters, brochures, postcards, etc. It doesn’t have any templates, so you kind of need to know what you are doing.  However, it has all the functionalities that you need to create a successful publication.

BONUS: Document Collaboration

Document collaboration is very important in technical writing. You are usually writing documentation that needs others input, or you are working in a team that is working on different pieces of a huge document. Therefore, you want to use an application that allows you to work together when writing and editing various documents. If it has version control and a mistake is made, then you can quickly revert back to an older version if an error was made. Google Docs is is my favorite way to collaborate with others when creating documents. If you haven’t checked it out, Google Docs allows you to chat with others while creating and modifying documents and spreadsheets. Additionally, it allows everyone to see the changes almost instantaneously, which is a huge plus. There is also version control in Google Docs. If you make a mistake, then you can revert back to an older version. Google Docs is a great alternative to Microsoft Office.

What are some of your favorite open source or free alternatives to popular but expensive applications?

Written by: Shevonne on August 19, 2010.
Last revised by: Shevonne on August 18, 2010.

Tags: free creative suite, free document collaboration, free technical writing applications, open source gantt chart, open source office suite, open source technical writing applications, open source wbs