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It's not just false advertising. You really can file your taxes for free. Thanks to tools from the IRS, tax preparers, and the time of nearly 100,000 volunteers, there are a number of free ways to to file your taxes online (and offline) in 2017.But where you should go depends on your income, age, tax status, and the complexity of your federal and state tax filings.

Here are several ways to file your taxes that are truly and completely free to use.

Filers with adjusted gross incomes of $64,000 or less can make use of the IRS's list of free filing software linked from its website. The IRS has arranged for free use of 12 popular preparing services that include familiar names such as TurboTax, H&R Block, and TaxAct, subject to some simple limitations.

In general, filers must meet one of the following criteria to use the IRS Free File:

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Importantly, not all services are created equal. Some offer completely free federal and state returns, while some preparers only offer free federal returns.Save time by using theLook Up Tool to find the best completely free software for you based on your income, age, and the state in which you reside.

If you earn more than the $64,000 limit, the IRS has a solution. ItsFillable Forms toolallows you to complete common tax forms including the 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ electronically (see all the forms here). It's completely free, the only caveat being that it won't help you with your state taxes, and it assumes you have some familiarity with paper tax forms.

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In the 2015 tax year, volunteers around the country helped file more than 3.7 million tax returns through the IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs.

VITA provides free tax help to people who earn less than $54,000, or who have disabilities or limited English speaking abilities. Elderly filers can get help through the TCE program, which is specifically designed for people who are 60 years of age or older. TCE specializes in tax issues related to retirement, pensions, Social Security, or other retirement-age tax concerns, making it a great resource for new and longtime retirees.

See if there is a VITA or TCE site near you by entering your ZIP code on the IRS website. (Note: VITA and TCE tax centers usually begin popping up around the country closer to the filing deadline, which is April 18, 2017.)

The site known for free access to your credit score wants to help you prepare your taxes, too. The 2016 tax year will be the program's first year, but CreditKarma has promised to file individual tax returns completely free, offering full federal and state tax forms without income limitations.

The only downside is that it won't work for everyone, particularly those with trickier tax filings. You can't use it to file multiple state returns, or to file your state taxes independently of your federal taxes, for example. Here's a complete list of tax forms it supports, and forms or situations it doesn't support.

Given this is the company's first play at the tax preparation game, it's too early to say exactly what its service will look like. Much like its free credit score product, CreditKarma hopes that offering a free tax solution will enable it to collect information to better target its users with advertisements for credit cards or mortgages, for example. That's a pretty small price to pay for a free way to file a state and federal tax return electronically.

The $15,834 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $15,834 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after.Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

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The Free Software Foundation Tuesday announced a major rethinking of the software projects that it supports, putting top priority on a free mobile operating system, accessibility, and driver development, among other areas.

The foundation has maintained the High Priority Projects list since 2005, when it contained just four free software projects. Todays version mostly identifies priority areas, along with a few specific projects in key areas:

The re-working of the HPP list is a meaningful change that can substantially alter the course of free software development, according to FSF executive director John Sullivan.

We've seen the High Priority Projects List guide contributors and funding to important free software projects, he said in a statement. I hope others will support us, both financially and with their input, so that this can become a sort of annual strategic plan for advancing computer user freedom."

Given how much the computing landscape has changed in the past decade, the update is long overdue, said Benjamin Mako Hill, a FSF board member who worked on the HPP revamp.

Since the first version of the list was published, threats to users' freedom to use their computers on their own terms have changed enormously, he stated.

A full description of the new list can be found here.

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Free Software Foundation shakes up its list of priority projects - Computerworld Australia

What is GNU?

GNU is an operating system that is free softwarethat is, it respects users' freedom. The development of GNU made it possible to use a computer without software that would trample your freedom.

We recommend installable versions of GNU (more precisely, GNU/Linux distributions) which are entirely free software. More about GNU below.

The free software movement campaigns to win for the users of computing the freedom that comes from free software. Free software puts its users in control of their own computing. Non-free software puts its users under the power of the software's developer. See the video explanation.

Free software means the users have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software.

Free software is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of free as in free speech, not as in free beer.

More precisely, free software means users of a program have the four essential freedoms:

Developments in technology and network use have made these freedoms even more important now than they were in 1983.

Nowadays the free software movement goes far beyond developing the GNU system. See the Free Software Foundation's web site for more about what we do, and a list of ways you can help.

GNU is a Unix-like operating system. That means it is a collection of many programs: applications, libraries, developer tools, even games. The development of GNU, started in January 1984, is known as the GNU Project. Many of the programs in GNU are released under the auspices of the GNU Project; those we call GNU packages.

The name GNU is a recursive acronym for GNU's Not Unix. GNU is pronounced g'noo, as one syllable, like saying grew but replacing the r with n.

The program in a Unix-like system that allocates machine resources and talks to the hardware is called the kernel. GNU is typically used with a kernel called Linux. This combination is the GNU/Linux operating system. GNU/Linux is used by millions, though many call it Linux by mistake.

GNU's own kernel, The Hurd, was started in 1990 (before Linux was started). Volunteers continue developing the Hurd because it is an interesting technical project.

More information

Today's random package

EMMS is the Emacs Multimedia System. It is a small front-end which can control one of the supported external players. Thus, it supports whatever formats are supported by your music player. It also supports tagging and playlist management, all behind a clean and light user interface. (doc)

Short descriptions for all GNU packages

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The GNU Operating System and the Free Software Movement

Windows 32-bit 95/98/ME/XP/Vista/7 Windows 16-bit Win 3.x & DOS Home > 32-bit > Multimedia Apps > page 1 NOTE: Some programs require Visual Basic runtime files which are not included with the authors download. If you get an error message about a file not being found after you load a program specially DLL or OCX files then load the applicable VB runtime library. PCDJ PHAT (formerly PC DJ) Jukebox player with dual MP3 digital mixing capabilities, featuring dual volume & pitch control, cross-fading, play list creation and editing, integrated search, auto-play, shuffle-play, CD ripping, etc. Requires Windows Media Player, DirectX 7, Sound Card, PII 233MHz and 32MB RAM. Review/screenshot 2.59MB WavePad A simple-to-use sound editor that can create & edit audio recordings, with support for WAV (multiple codecs), MP3, VOX, GSM, Real Audio, AU, AIF, etc formats; features over 20 effects, supports sample rates from 6kHz to 96kHz, CD ripper, CD burner, and more. Review/screenshots 420kB Clementine Music Player A music player with an easy-to-use interface; features optional OSD, Internet radio, tabbed playlists (M3U, XSPF, PLS & ASX), visualizations, file conversion, edit MP3 & OGG tags, downloads album cover art, queue manager, and more. Requires WinXP or later. Review/screenshots 14.4MB Video DVD Maker A DVD authoring tool to create DVDs in 3 clicks; it can capture from any video device (DV camera, Web camera, TV tuner, etc) or import from any video file (AVI, DIVX, MPG, WMV, ASF, MOV, etc), and burn to any CD/DVD medium. Requires Windows XP or later. Info/screenshot 8.26MB FMaudio (full player) A feature-rich media player supporting MIDI (using a software synthesizer, not just the onboard MIDI), MP3, streaming MP3, OGG, WAV, MOD, etc; features all basic media player functions, EQ, play list, tuner, plus includes client-side engine & browser plugin. Review/screenshots 7.06MB

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