It seems every day, there are several media reports concerning pirated or illegal software and programs. This also includes the rampant rise of illegal music and video downloads.

On one hand, some say that it is the high cost of purchasing legal software that drives the pirated software actions. Other say that pirated software is a drain on the economy, depriving an industry with a full income flow. Many others who download illegal files do it just for the thrill.

However, to address the opinion that the price of commercial software is too high, there is a very legal and very legitimate option. You probably won’t be able to find online college courses using the Open Source option; however, you will be able to find application and tools that can benefit that online education.

The Open Source option is a group of developers, supporters and users who are dedicated to providing free, well-developed software options. These applications are available free of charge under the GNU General Public License. In addition, the source code for the programs is available to anyone who wants them. This allows anyone with the knowledge and desire to change the code to improve the program.

Many people are concerned that any free software will come with viruses, spyware or other malicious code. This is not true with Open Source software. The developers and community work diligently to not allow any such code.

Open Source options include options that can replace such expensive software as the Microsoft Office Suite, as well as the Adobe Creative Suite. These programs perform as well, or better than their commercial counterparts in many cases.

Ad you can see, there really is no reason to pirate software applications, when there are free, legal options.