Oracle Software

 Java.  The essential tool for using Blackboard and many other web applications. Java allows you to play online games, chat with people around the world, calculate your mortgage interest, and view images in 3D, just to name a few. It's also integral to the intranet applications and other e-business solutions that are the foundation of corporate computing. Free.

Open Office. Formerly, Open Office was a free application set published by Sun.  After Sun was acquired by Oracle, Open Office continues as a for pay product.  There is also a free, open source version at OpenOffice.org.  Contents include a word processor (Writer), a spreadsheet program (Calc) a presentation tool (Impress), a diagramming tool (Draw), a database application (Base), and a math equation editor (Math). Google offers a similar set of free, web-based tools called Google Apps.