It’s no secret that everyone is developing a taste for free open source alternatives to traditional proprietary software. Mozilla Firefox as an alternative to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser is my favorite example when I explain ‘Open Source alternative’ to a friend or a family member.
Even if you haven’t actually stepped out of your way to find an open source alternative, you might be already using a couple of these. Some people consider open source versions to be inferior to proprietary software but in a lot of occasions that’s far from the truth.
I have shared many of my finds here and I have a bunch of these apps bookmarked in del.icio.us as well! A fellow open source lover has done something very useful with his collection of bookmarks. He created Open Source Living.
Welcome to Open Source Living, a collection of the Web’s best Open Source software, applications and references for a zero-cost / top quality digital experience.
Open Source Living has a great list of open source apps categorized based on their function so you can easily find an application you are looking for.
Each open source link comes with a short description and the site’s link. I browsed through various categories and found the listing to be quite extensive and features some of the best in the category. Here are some screenshots from Open Source Living for your viewing pleasure.
I like the simplistic interface and it makes it very easy to find an open source alternative you are looking for.
I am always looking for sites such as this one that makes finding the right app for the job at hand very easy. Where do you turn for your open source needs?
Good find. This was easier to use than SourceForge or HotScripts to find the most popular open source applications. Here is the link to the Source Forge Top 50 Downloads.
skarld, thanks! Sourceforge is great but it can be too hard for an average user to find the right tool for them. The top 50 list will be a great help too! Appreciate the link buddy. 🙂
K, That’s a good website – Thanks!
I agree that finding apps via Sourceforge is hard to do – there are a lot of apps there that are dead in the water, which makes it hard to find the gems.
I found the open source stuff that I use from the following places:
1. General Awareness: everyone knows Firefox, PHP, WordPress etc.
2. Search: when I’m looking to solve a particular need I ‘google’ it (eg APD that we were discussing on my site).
3. Website such as yours!
I’m a big fan of open source software, as well as the concept behind it.
I’m confident that it will continue to grow, so I purchased a domain called “Open Source Land” that I may launch someday. 😀
More and more companies are switching to open source to try to compete, and we as consumers are the winners!
Stephen.. sorry for the late reply. It’s been a little crazy at work and I just getting back to my blog. You bring up a good point about ‘google’ing. It’s sometimes faster than going through my own bookmarks to find a site I use often. However, I am finding myself resorting to searching Del.icio.us than Google when I am looking for something new in a topic. And thanks for being so nice to me. 😀
Kyle.. you are a busy man! I admire your ability to maintain as well as provide quality content in multiple blogs. Consistently. That is a great domain name and I’m sure you’ll do wonders with it. You are already filling a niche with Hack WordPress. 🙂