Free Alternatives to Excel and Word

Most organisers these days are using some computer assistance, eg for managing lists of riders or calculating results.  For most, this means purchasing Microsoft Excel and/or Word.

But there are some very good alternatives which are free:

• OpenOffice.org can be downloaded for free and has fully-featured spreadsheet and word processing programs which rival Excel and Word.  It will also open Excel and Word files so you can exchange information with people who are using Microsoft products.
• Google Docs has online spreadsheet and word prosessor programs.  It's much simpler than Excel/Word or OpenOffice but it easily has enough functionality for running an open event.  It is particularly useful if your race organisation is a team effort - several people can work on the same document (even at the same time).

Both the above suggestions allow you to produce PDF documents, which is the best way to circulate start and result sheets by email.

Is there a catch?

A lot of free software is laden with adverts (or worse) so you have to be careful when you see the term "free" - quite often you get "nag" screens inviting you to upgrade to the "professional", paid-for version.  The above suggestions don't have these drawbacks, however.  OpenOffice is "open source" software which is backed by the mighty Oracle Corporation.  You are invited to register your details when downloading the software but you don't have to.  To use Google Docs you need to register for an account with Google.  This is free and gives you access to their other services, many of which are also free.