My Opinion On Some Open Source Programs
For those of you that don’t know what open source is, it is basically where any programmer can have access to the program and as a community the program is developed and improved. These programs are also FREE which ads to their appeal. Again, in some situations I think you’re much better going with the proprietary program.
For the last couple days I’ve been having discussions with various people about different open source programs that are available to use for web design. My feeling on open source programs is that some of them are really good, but there are other ones that the proprietary version of the program is so much better (like DreamWeaver vs. Nvu). But when you’re just bootstrapping your online business, investing $300 in a good photo editor may not be an option. In situations like this you may just have to go with an open source program.
So here is a short list of some open source programs you can get for free that can help you improve your online business endeavor and my opinion on each.
FireFox is a web browser, like Internet Explorer, but in my opinion it is way better. FireFox is rapidly gaining more and more users, so if you haven’t used it you should. It’s also a good idea to make sure you website looks essentially the same in both FireFox and Internet Explorer. You can also customize a lot of things on it which makes it extra fun!
I stand by my belief that the best HTML editor out there is DreamWeaver. But if you need a program that can at least do the job, check out Nvu. You could very easily build a whole site using Nvu, and if you’re using some builder programs you can use it to spice up your site a little bit by learning HTML code.
Admittedly I’m not a big fan of GIMP, I find it a little clumsy to use. But if you don’t have a photo editor, you need to get something. So spend some time learning to use GIMP and you can get the hang of it. But once you have the funds I’d recommend you upgrade to Adobe FireWorks or Photoshop. I feel they give a much better atmosphere and usability.
I love FileZilla! This one is only for those of you that can upload and download from your site using FTP. FileZilla is a great free FTP client.
If you don’t have an office suite, you need to get one. OpenOffice.org is a good alternative to the proprietary programs which include Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, etc.) and WordPerfect. And it’s free too!
You can also get open source programs that would be your whole shopping cart program, blogging software, etc. But those are out of the scope of this article.
There are many more open source programs that you can check out, but I hope this list is enough to help you out. Check these tools out and make use of them as you need to. Who knows, maybe you’ll like them just fine and never have to get the proprietary programs! Some people like these programs better than others, it’s really a matter of personal preference.
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on February 22nd, 2008 at 9:27 pm
I’m a big supporter of open source software. My computer runs Ubuntu Linux, which is an open source operating system. I primarily use Mozilla Firefox for web browsing and Open Office for office documents. I would recommend all of these to others that are interested in trying out new software. However, there is a lot of good proprietary software out there. There is nothing close to Dreamweaver or Photoshop, that is open source.
on February 25th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
I’m used to all sorts of software and it has been a while since price was a big factor when it comes the software I use. On top of the ones you mentioned like Filezilla (which I use over any commercial ftp), some others open source projects are paramount pieces of software that have shaped the web as we know it, such as Apache, PHP and MySql.
on February 25th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
I’m also using the open source software, and so far I’ve never experience problems using it. And for those who haven’t tried yet, check out for those software.
on February 26th, 2008 at 3:52 am
I agree, the open source software is not always great option. For instance, there’s no way to create screencast video elegantly with open source software.
But with that said, there are opensource software that even proprietary software can’t compare to, such as the Apache web server software or Linux distribution which many web hosting server are based on.
on February 26th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Filezilla is probably the best out there and it’s not bloated like the two big commercial products. I switched over last year - it took a bit to get used to the different interface but I love it now. I wish there were a better non-bloated PDF reader that was reliable.
on February 27th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
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on February 28th, 2008 at 2:27 am
Open source software always keep an advantage to modify.This is the extra thing.But I like this type.
on February 28th, 2008 at 5:55 am
If you don’t have an office suite, you need to get one. SO how its possible on easy way.
on February 28th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I used Open Source for how many months already and I don’t have any problems with it. Well. it depends on what you preferred to use.
on March 1st, 2008 at 1:47 am
I’m a big fan of open source, and of development based on open communities.
On servers I prefer the RedHat Enterprise Linux clone CentOS. It is an enterprise class GNU/Linux distribution. Our business switched to Ubuntu Linux on our desktops half a year ago, and we are very happy with it. I use Mozilla Firefox for browsing and Open Office for office documents.
on March 4th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Filezilla is the absolute best.
on March 9th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Firefox leaves IE at the gate.
More power to open source
Rich
on March 10th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Personally, I love Firefox as do most users of it, I’m also a fan of Fillzilla.
on March 14th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
WinSCP is a better FTP client. Try it.
on March 25th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Open source software is the wave of the future. That is, of course, if people want to continue paying for inferior products. Thanks for the post.
on March 29th, 2008 at 12:16 am
The open source programs are really showing great effect. they are beating the professional programs.
on March 30th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I use 3 of the 5. Firefox absolutely rocks. The more I use it the more I love it. I’ve used WSftp for years and when I upgraded PC’s I decided to try Filezilla. It’s proven to be a solid program. I also started using open office when I got my new PC. This was more for security purposes than anything else.
Don’t forget the best open source of all… WordPress!
on March 30th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Thanks for the list of programs. I love Firefox and Openoffice. Haven’t tried any of the others ones but I will now.
on April 5th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
I agree, the open source software is not always great option. For instance, there’s no way to create screencast video elegantly with open source software.
on April 19th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Firefox is open source??? I never knew that.. You should also add open source operating systems to your list such as Linux and Ubuntu
on April 27th, 2008 at 9:23 am
I’m a big fan of open source software, obviously it’s not always better, sometimes you do get what you pay for (Antivirus software in my opinion), but more often than not the open source option is really great, plus it saves some cash!
I’m a big fan of Firefox, Filezilla and Open Office.
on May 10th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Firefox is definitely much superior to the internet explorer. I use it all the time.
on May 20th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Some OS prog like Firefox is definitely the greatest creation. But then things like OpenOffice is not practical =/ It’s not 100% compatible with MS Office thus reducing it’s usability. That’s why I stick to MS Office until now
on May 25th, 2008 at 10:54 am
It figures that Firefox is open source. It’s so much more better than slow old IE. Thanks for the article.
on June 2nd, 2008 at 1:16 pm
These types of advancement were only possible through the increase in the technology of the IT sector. This has made a lot many things easier and has given a lot of help to a lot many people. We are now trying to have a good use of these resources.
on June 5th, 2008 at 1:47 am
Hehe, I’m using all of those except Filezilla. They are all great.
on June 8th, 2008 at 11:07 am
I am a huge supporter of open source. I used to just use the apps but I have been learning some programming and enjoy participating as well.
on June 9th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
My personal experience:-
1) Yes! Firefox is way better
2) NVU - the only problem is it is not maintained anymore. Now replaced by Kompozer. I stick with MS Frontpage.
3) GIMP - yes it is free, but extremely difficult to master. I keep using Paintshop Pro 5 (not free and not open source).
4) Filezilla - Good for casual users. I need to upload hundreds of file in one go and need a feature that can compare the file dates. Only files with newer update dates will be uploaded and the program does this automatically for me. Hence I use CuteFTP (free but not open source)
5) Openoffice - yes it is free but after several years of trying I gave up. I stick with M$ Office. However now I have been trying/testing IBM Lotus Symphony (also open source and free)
on June 11th, 2008 at 9:02 am
I use Firefox, Filezilla and have experimented with OpenOffice yet I have not come across GIMP or NVU.
on June 12th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Wow, didn’t taught there were so much of these. I had some problem with firefox, will try others later.
on June 17th, 2008 at 5:59 am
I use filezilla , it is good but isn’t perfect .
.
I use firefox sometimes , i don’t escape ie’s curse
on June 17th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
IE is the worst. I stop using it long time ago. Now im using Firefox. Thanks for the list. Will check it out.
on June 18th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
As much as I’d like to advocate open-source software, there are few places where it’s still playing catchup. Take Open Office for instance. I can understand a business of institution using it to avoid massive licensing fees, but for an individual at home or at work, you probably want MS Office for all it’s useful features.
on June 21st, 2008 at 9:06 am
I have only tried before firefox and still using it. Will check out other links. I don’t think firefox have any problems with that.
on June 25th, 2008 at 9:31 am
I switched from IE to Firefox several years ago and I never looked back, not even when IE implemented (read “copied) tabbed browsing.
on June 25th, 2008 at 10:07 am
I’m an open source guy myself, but i get work to buy the apps i need. they are usually a little better than the open source mirror images. Unless the originals have gotten complacent for to long. Explorer vs Firefox as an example.
on June 26th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
I’m the big fan of Firefox….also I like using openoffice..
Good service from them as well…..
on July 1st, 2008 at 11:07 pm
I can vouch for 3. I use firefox, NVU and filezilla and they are all excellent programs, free and better than some paid versions, (including IE!)
on July 4th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
i will check it out i like firefox
on July 7th, 2008 at 8:34 am
yer i like free stuff doesent everyone!
not the same thou is it?!?!
on July 15th, 2008 at 7:43 am
Do you think Gimp is better than paint.net? That’s all I’ve used on my computer but I’d like to try something different. As far as firefox goes, its my favorite! I didn’t like it at first but it sure grows on you, now I have a hard time going back to IE.
on July 17th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I am a big fan of opensource, i have used all of the above software, my favourite has to be firefox, i use it everyday, but i must also say that software like wordpress which are also covered byt creative commons licencse are great and I use this to power my blog. I also have used nvu for webdesign a great opensoruce, alternative to frontpage
on July 17th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
FireFox the best… they do realy good browser
on July 21st, 2008 at 6:39 pm
For an open source text editor I would recommend jEdit. It’s handing of XML documents is outstanding.
on July 25th, 2008 at 2:39 am
Open source software is indeed the face of the future. It’s about time that they took over inferior costly products.!
on July 28th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Firefox and filezilla still is ok but other are compromising with the works
on August 4th, 2008 at 3:23 am
The open source programs are really showing great effect. they are beating the professional programs.
on August 9th, 2008 at 4:16 am
I have to agree with you about Filezilla. It’s the best for ftp transfers.
on August 11th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
I made the switch to Firefox recently, havent looked back!! I think i will have to give filezilla a try now.
on August 17th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Agreed with all of these, they are all good open sourcers
on August 20th, 2008 at 5:11 am
i installed firefox 3.0.1 yesterday and i saw the differance between İE and firefox… i like fire fox;)