Cool Open Source Software
September 24th, 2009 | 
Author: I think it is really cool the amount of Open Source software out there today. I am going to share some of my favourites. If you have a favourite that is not listed, please share in the comment section.
The first Open Source software that I think is really cool is Audacity.
I use this little gem quite frequently. It is a program that you can use to convert files from mp3 – wav or wav – mp3. It also allows you to edit audio tracks including some really good features such as splitting channels, time shifting, noise removal, inserting white noise, cross-fading and a whole bunch of other nifty features. Of course it does have a few limitations HOWEVER being that it is free, one cannot complain. I use to have a very expensive program that I used for sound editing. I had uninstalled it from my computer a few months ago. When I went to reinstall it, I discovered I had lost the key. That is when I found Audacity and am very happy with it. Audacity 1.2.6 is available for Windows 2000/XP/Vista. On Sept 1, the Audacity Team announced the release of Audacity 1.3.9 (Beta) for Windows, Mac and Linux/Unix.
The second Open Source program, and I think that most are familiar with, is OpenOffice.org.
If you are not familiar with it, it is a full office suite including word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is compatible with all other office suite software. Bonus is regardless of purpose (personal, non-profit or commercial) it is free to use. It is available in PC, MAC and Linux. I downloaded this program a few months ago after I had to reformat my hard drive and was waiting for my Microsoft Office disk to be returned to me. I did notice a few bugs with the word processing program, especially when it came to formatting, however overall it is a very solid program and again it is free. I was informed that these bugs could be a result of my OS and not the app itself.
The third Open Source program I will mention is dotProject.
Run completely by volunteers, dotProject is a time and project management program. dotProject can be used in a huge range of applications and environments, from small offices, single people trying to manage their own workload, companies, government departments, not for profit organisations, schools and so on. If you are managing any type of project and need to structure a series of tasks and make a schedule associated with those tasks to achieve an outcome, dotProject will help provide you with the tools necessary to manage sharing, communication, schedules and tasks. It is still has some bugs to work through and the developers fully admit that and are working on them, but comparable programs can cost individuals and companies a pretty penny.
The fourth Open Source program I will mention is Epiware.
It is an web based document sharing program and more. Beside allowing the user to upload documents for multiple users to share, it also allows for project management, creating schedules, managing tasks and more.
And the final Open Source program that I will mention is Wordpress.org.
Now some think that because this site is powered by Wordpress means that it is a blog. It is not. My blog can be found here (also powered by Wordpress). What this site is, is an offshoot of my Geeky Pleasures radio show. I use this site to puke up a lot of content. Some of it gets mentioned on my show and some of it is content that I wish I could cover on my show but may not necessarily have the time. So I point my listeners here. Yes Wordpress was created as any easy way for people to be able to blog and not have to fight with formatting etc., but I am not the only one who has seen the beauty and simplicity of Wordpress and use it for other purposes. Before deciding on Wordpress to power this site, I tried other Open Source programs such as Joomla! as I needed something module based, but in the end decided on Wordpress as I like the look and feel better. I also wanted something that allowed for easy reader feedback.
So these are just a handful of Open Source programs that have made my life easier in some way.
Posted in Featured, Geek, Geek of Note, Internet, Technology | 
Tags: Featured, Geek, Internet, Technology
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Microsoft Office just stopped working for me today. Downloaded and got open office up and running in short order. Means I can keep working. Woot??
Sometimes work can be woot!
Good article. I enjoy! and happy happy with that you write. good job