Free Open Source Programs that Do It Just Like the Pros
Free Open Source Programs that Do It Just Like the Pros
November 7th, 2007When the latest version of Photoshop or Microsoft Office comes out, what do you do? Click on their “Update Now” button? Let’s face it, how many Bangkokian geeks would pay 300-something US dollars for genuine software when they can just get the same program for just B100 (or B500 for six!) at MBK or Pantip. But can you really trust those copies? And if you own a business, do you want to take the legal risk? So, give up on branded software altogether and opt for free open source programs instead. Bye bye Photoshop, MS Offi ce, Nero, Winzip, Norton. Hello open source.
WTF is open source?
First, open source doesn’t always mean free of charge, and free programs are not all open source. Open source indicates the coding of the program is available or “open” to all. So let’s say you like most of the features on a music player, but there are a few things you’d like to add. Well, if you know how to code things, just grab the code or the “source” and create your own version of that software.
Where to get open source software
The biggest Open Source software hub is SourceForge (www.sourceforge.net). Just like Download.com or CNET.com, it offers a wide range of downloads as well as reviews and ratings. If you’re a developer (an open source creator), you can also submit your project to their website so others can download and use it. And yes, it’s free to put your software on the site.
7-Zip
www.7-zip.org
replaces WinZip, WinRar
Zipping is great for packing large documents into a more email-friendly size. The catch is that Winzip can only open .ZIP files while WinRar can only access those stored in .RAR format and neither program is free (They’re only free for evalutation). 7-Zip, on the other hand, is not just free, but it can read and create both types of compressed files—.ZIP and .RAR—and many more.
Supported Operating Systems: Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP
Audacity
audacity.sourceforge.net
replaces Soundforge
Wanna mix your own track or just simply want to cut up an MP3 file to make your own ringtone? Forget those expensive sound-mixing programs, Audacity can import, export, remove noise, add effects, and cut and mix almost all types of audio files (except restricted formats like .WMA), all for free.
Supported Operating Systems: Mac OS X, Windows and GNU/Linux
CDBurnerXP
www.cdburnerxp.se
replaces Nero Burning ROM
Most everybody knows Nero. But CDBurnerXP does the same thing for free, and it even supports Blu-Ray and High Def DVDs. It also has the ability to erase rewritable discs (CDRW, DVDRW) and packs all the other features you’d find in a commercial burning program.
Support Operating Systems: Windows 2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista
Jahshaka
www.jahshaka.org
replaces: Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro
Attention aspiring (and broke) movie directors. Jahshaka is a perfect tool to start your first indie film project. Upload your video to your computer and you’re all set to edit, add effects, soundtracks, and graphics to your movies—or even try to become an amateur 3D animator. It currently supports most video formats, including MPEG, AVI and Quicktime MOV, as well as JPEG and TIF photo formats if you want to add stills to your movies.
Supported Operating Systems: Windows 98/NT/2000/XP, Linux and Mac OS X
Open Office
www.openoffice.org
replaces: MS Office
Usually new computers don’t come equipped with Microsoft Office, forcing users to pay extra for it. Screw that, go for Open Office instead. This free office suite comes with Writer (Word), Impress (PowerPoint), Calc (Excel), and other programs that do everything MS Office does.
Supported Operating Systems: Microsoft Windows 98/2000/XP/Vista, GNU/Linux, Mac OS X, and FreeBSD
Media Portal
www.team-mediaportal.com
combines: media players, image browsers
Media Portal is an incredible multimedia center. Instead of having separate players for your music, movies and photos, this one combines all the players in one, with additional coolness like TV (analog and HDTV) and Radio (both FM and internet). Other offbeat functions include weather forecasts, games, RSS reader and an internet browser. You won’t ever have to close this program.
Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP/Vista
Paint.net
www.paint.net
replaces Adobe Photoshop
No, it’s not the crappy Paint included with Windows. This one is more like a free Photoshop, but unlike the program its modeled after, it only takes up about 2MB of your hard drive space. Aside from doing simple tasks like resizing, rotating, and cropping, there are also Photoshop favorites like layers, magic wand, clone stamp and more.
Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP and Vista.
PDFCreator
www.pdfforge.org
replaces Adobe Acrobat Pro
Create PDF copies of almost any document that can be printed: .Doc files, photos, even a web page. You can merge multiple PDFs together and also encrypt your created files so others cannot edit or print them.
Supported Operating Systems: Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP/Vista n
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