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Taking stock of my computer the other day, I realized I've gone almost entirely to Freeware and Open Source software (oss). In fact, there are only about a half dozen programs I use regularly that are Commercial. Part of it is that I'm cheap but more of it is that I like the community freeware and oss brings to my computing. There's a strong sense of the Maker in this approach, and I connect to that in a big way.
It dawns on me that I've become a proponent of open source software. Almost all the software I've recommended to anyone recently has been oss. Basically, the idea is that the code for the software is made public. Thus the software is usually a collaboration by like-minded people and updates occur sometimes daily; people customize the software to work better, bugs are fixed faster and features are added quicker. And it's free.
Most of the software I use on a regular basis is open source and/or freeware. It hasn't hindered my productivity at all to be tossing all my commercial software -- in fact, it has pretty consistently enhanced my computer work. YMMV but I think you'll find that this stuff is in almost every case better than the comparable commercial software.
Open Source Software I use
- Firefox [web browser - Mac, Windows, Linux]-- probably the most secure browser available. The add-ons are amazing. I have Firefox set up with the following:
Add-Block (filters out pop-up ads)
Download Status-bar (shows what's happening in download land without having to have that window open)
Download Helper (downloads embedded videos, like from YouTube)
FlashBlock (replaces flash objects with a button so you don't have to load stupid flash items on a page)
History Submenu (adds extensive history information to the main menu)
NoScript (blocks all JavaScript until you okay the source)
Sage (manages RSS feeds)
StumbleUpon (for the boring minutes)
TabRenamizer (renames open tabs to titles you give them, thus confusing people who insist on looking over you shoulder and snooping on your browser tabs)
Ubiquity (dynamic commands in Firefox)
- NeoOffice [Microsoft Office without Microsoft - NeoOffice is Mac-only but it seems to be a part of a project called OpenOffice, which is multi platform]
- Gimp [Photoshop without Adobe or the $$$ price tag - Mac, Windows, Linux]
- SonicBirth [AudioUnit designer]
- Inkscape [vector graphics editor a la Illustrator]
Freeware I use
Commercial (paid for) software I use
- Logic Audio Suite (Logic Audio w/ Main Stage/Waveburner/Soundtrack Pro) [Apple multitrack MIDI/audio software collection]
- Pages & Keynote [Apple iWork suite]
- Peak [sound design program and audio editor]
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