Opensource Favorites

Greetings,

Commercial software can be quite expensive for the average user. Open source has become quite popular lately and there is a wide variety of Free Open Source software applications to fit the budget. Below is a small list of some great Open Source applications. Enjoy!

1. ClamWin - Great alternative to any commercial based Anti-Virus solution.  Has great self updating features and easy integration into Windows Explorer for manual based scans of folders.

2. FileZilla - Totally Free and completely functioning FTP Client. Has all the essential features needed in a FTP Client plus other great additions such as File Upload and Download Resume.

3. Firefox - Best alternative to using Internet Explorer. Has a HUGE database of Plugins and Addons to make your browsing much more enjoyable. Recommended plugin would be Forecast Fox.

4. Gimp - GNU Image Manipulation Program. Great alternative to Adobe Photoshop! A personal favorite of mine. Can be used for advanced photo manipulation and editing as well as photo touch up.

5. OpenOffice - Open source alternative to Microsoft Office Suite. Has same functionality as Microsoft Office, and can also read Office created files for an easier transition. Works just as good, and is about oh…..$700 dollars cheaper!

6. PDFCreator - PDFCreator easily creates PDFs from any Windows program. Use it like a printer in Word or any other Windows application.

7. aMSN - MSN Messenger client written in TCL/TK. Using currently as an alternative to Live Messenger.

8. KeePas -  KeePass Password Safe is a free, open source, light-weight and easy-to-use password manager for Windows. You can store your passwords in a highly-encrypted database, which is locked with one master password or key file.

9. HandBrake - HandBrake is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded video transcoder, available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows. It functions as a DVD to MPEG-4 ripper/converter.

10. Pidgin - Connect to multiple IM accounts simultaneously in a single app, including: AOL IM, MSN, and Jabber.