Nowadays one can operate his personal computer using only free open source software without spending too much effort in the process. It is even possible to run a small business while using only free open source software thus avoiding the costly licenses fees.
The open source community has grown in number throughout the years and offers intelligent and elegant solutions for all of a user’s needs. Before getting a new software one can do some research and find different open source software for free such as:
Linux
Linux is the biggest open source operating system. Even though it is often mislabelled as an unfriendly system targeted at computer nerds and programmers, Linux is on par with Apple’s MacOS and Microsoft Windows in terms of available and functioning software, stability and ease of use. Even more, Linux has less security flaws (LINK), malware, spyware and other viruses than competing proprietary systems.
Mozilla Firefox
According to the w3 consortium, Firefox is the most popular browser currently. It is among the fastest and safest web browsers currently available, compliant with almost all of the w3 specifications for Internet development. It is lightweight, updated regularly by its distributor to add functionality as well as address any security issues. In fact, it is assumed to be the default browser by all developers.
Open Office
Open Office is an entirely free open source office suite. It includes a word processor, a spreadsheet utility, a slideshow creator, a database connection tool and even more. Supported by software giant Oracle, Open Office for Windows, MacOS and Linux systems. In fact it actually ships with some Linux distributions. It is fully compliant with the open document standard and is compatible with Microsoft office files. Actually, the compatibility works both sides, so you don’t have to worry about everybody having trouble opening your documents.
GIMP
GIMP stands for the Gnu Image Manipulation Program. It is a friendly high end software useful in image and photo editing and is often compared to photoshop for the vast amount of options it offers. It ships freely with some Linux distributions and there are versions for Windows and MacOS too.
I’ve listed 4 major players but there are many more free open source software available on the internet. Before choosing a new software, you should always run a careful analysis of your needs. For almost everyone out there an open source solution should be there to satisfy your needs. If all goes well your software costs should drop near zero dollars.
Quick links
Linux, the operating system
Mozilla Firefox, a fast and secure web browser
Google chrome, a performant web browser supported by google
OpenOffice, a fully fledged office suite
Banshee, an iPod compatible media player/management software
Wine, a compatibility layer for windows running on Linux systems
GIMP, an high-end image processing software
VLC, a media player with an exhaustive support of file formats