Top Ten most user friendly “Open Source” programs!

So what is Open Source? Well, it means that the code to write the program is not encrypted. So if you know how to program, you can make changes. This also means that is is free because how do you release encrypted code and then try to charge for it? These companies make their money from support. Kind of like a drug dealer gives you a free sample to get you hooked and then charges every time after. The thing is that most of the time the support is way better than the mainstream companies. So give free a try with these items below. You will not be sorry.

1. Ubuntu:
I had a co-worker that was lucky if she could turn her computer on. I gave her an Ubuntu disc when she said her granddaughter kept putting viruses on her computer. She used the disc to install Ubuntu herself and has loved it ever since. Yes, Linux is now user friendly! Shocking to some I know. I was shocked at how much I ended up loving it too.

2. Gimp:
You paid how much for Photoshop? You are such a fool! I think Gimp is more user friendly than Photoshop. With less features it has much less of a learning curve.

3. Open Office:
The only thing that keeps me using MS Office every once in awhile is the “Title Case” format feature. If Open Office ever lets me select a block of text and change it to title case I would forever forget MS Office ever existed. Like Gimp, in many ways I like it better.

4. Mozilla Thunderbird
You still use Outlook? Well, since I use Ubuntu as the operating system on my main machine I have to use an open source email program. I have tried many and Thunderbird is the easiest to use.

5. Audacity
Very simple audio editing program. Well, it started out really simple at least. They have been adding more and more features with every update and I kind of wish they would stop. What I always liked about this program was how simple it was. It’s still pretty awesome though and you should try it.

6. Mozilla Firefox
My browser of choice. I have Opera on my desktop machine along with Firefox, but I almost never use it. I have Internet Explorer on my laptop because it has the Vista OS, but I only use it for Netflix streaming. For both machines I can’t help but use Firefox. Google’s Chrome has had a bit of buzz, but I don’t think it has what Firefox does.

7. Azureus
This is for downloading stuff using bittorrent. Like anything Nine Inch Nails releases (from the point they left the label) for example. I know of several video podcasts that release their material this way as well. Oh yeah, and there are some who do illegal stuff this way as well. But you shouldn’t because that would be wrong.

8. FileZilla
I know I am getting a little geeky here on some of you, but this is for something called FTP. That stands for . File Transfer Protocol. Basically it is for transferring files. Most of the time this is transferring files back and fourth on a server, but many use it to transfer files to each other as well. Anyways, it is the most simple one out there that I have been able to find.

9. phpBB
Ok, so most of my readers may not ever need this. I try to keep things simple so tech isn’t so scary and I will continue with that. However, if you ever need to run an old school style web forum, this is a great free open source option. I used it for many years on one of my sites until I grew to the point where I needed a pay solution.

10. Word Press
Now there are many better content management systems out there. We can debate which one is better until we are blue in the face, but this is about what is the most user friendly. Word Press is for the newbie that wants to run a website or blog and isn’t the most tech savvy person around. I use it for this site, my wife uses it for QueenOfCheese.com and our pets use it for their website CatsAreSoGay.com. That is how easy this thing is!

There you have it. My top ten most user friendly open source programs. Now I know a couple of them are slightly advanced, but I figure once you learn the basics you might get interested in running your own site. So I threw in a few that would help with that. If you have one I forget please mention it in the comments.

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