backFree and Open Source Software
Here is a list of Free and Open Source Software that I use.
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- Mozilla (email/web-browser w/ popup ad blocking and spam filtering)
- This is the application that I probably use the most. Actually, it's now two applications: Firefox and Thunderbird. I contributed bug fixes for bug #127461 and bug #252324.
- EzGallery (Web photo album generator)
- This is what I use to create my web photo albums. It's easy to use and generates static HTML, so you don't need any special server support. In fact, you can just open the files from your hard drive, or put them on a CD and view them from there. (See if you can find my name in the Release Notes. I made a feature request that got added and I also fixed some bugs!)
- OpenOffice.org (MS Office compatible suite of applications)
- If you want to save money, but still want something similiar to MS Office, give OpenOffice.org a try. First off, it's totally free! Secondly, it has good compatibility with MS Office documents, although there are some things that may not display correctly. And thirdly, if you find a bug and report it, there's a much better chance it will get fixed. (When was the last time Microsoft fixed a bug that you found? Probably never!) Of course, this is a different product, so it doesn't have the same look and feel as MS Office, but I'm sure you won't find it too difficult to learn, especially since you'll be saving $150!
- GIMP (Image manipulation program along the lines of Adobe Photoshop)
- This program has a pretty good user base. I can see why, considering the price of Adobe Photoshop. I've only used it for minor image changes like resizing and cropping, but you can do an awful lot with this program.
- Gaim (Instant Messaging client)
- Since the AOL Instant Messaging client is not available for Linux, I use Gaim on both Windows and Linux. Works and looks pretty much the same.
- Linux (An operating system, like MS Windows but different)
- I am currently using RedHat 8.0, an old distribution no longer supported, and Fedora Core 4. If you'd like to give Linux a try but don't want to actually install it onto your computer, then try one of the "Live CD" distributions, like Knoppix.