To a lot of geeks, software that costs money is automatically superior. To other geeks (such as myself), software that is free and preferably open-source is always best. Whether you're a geek or not, where would you fall into this? Is price a factor when you get software, and can you go through a few hurdles if it means saving a chunk of change?

Good Software Comparisons:
Gimp vs. Photoshop
Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora, OpenSuse, etc.) vs. Mac OS X or Windows
Pidgin vs. Trillian
OpenOffice.org vs. Microsoft Office


Additionally, what are some applications in either category that you can't do without?

Gimp is unusable to me compared to photoshop. The UI is just impossibly unclean.


But because everyone else uses MSO, I can't use Soffice for anything at school.

I'll take free GIMP over pirated Photoshop, though I'd like to buy a CS at some point or another. The interface is unquestionably terrible, but when you get used to it, it's usable (albeit not nearly as streamlined as PS). As for the office software debate, I would easily go for Google Docs over OpenOffice. OpenOffice isn't bad or anything, but I much prefer Google Docs' interface and web connectivity.