With the recent release of OpenOffice 3.0, I figured this would be a good time to review the different open source software applications that I have been using. This started primarily when I got my Thinkpad last year, and since then the applications have continued to improve in their feature sets, usability and design:

• Mozilla Firefox: now at version 3, this is proving to be the browser to beat, especially with all the extensions and soon to be offline and cloud syncing capabilities.

• VideoLAN: with a new version 0.9.4, this video player is more stable and now works better with subtitles.

• OpenOffice: as mentioned at the beginning of this post, this productivity suite is now at 3.0 with more than enough functionality to replace MS Office. And its included Draw program can replace Visio which isn’t even included in MS Office.

• Mozilla Songbird: I use this for listening to music and internet radio. It’s still in early beta, but already a pretty nice app.

• WordPress: strong blogging platform for greater control and customization. With automatic plugin upgrades working smoothly, the only piece left is automatic core upgrades so I don’t have to mess around with FTP.

• GIMP: editing pictures and images without having to payout for excessive, bulky, commercial apps.

• Synergy: desktop sharing with a single mouse and keyboard [previous post].

• Handbrake: converting DVDs to MPEG-4 files. Easy to use when it works.

• Scribus: I started using PageMaker back in the 90′s. Desktop publishing can be overkill for most projects, but this program has all the tools that I need when the occasion comes up.

• Filezilla: now that SmartFTP no longer has a trial version, had to find an alternative. Simple interface without the eye-candy, but it works.

• Freemind: haven’t been able to incorporate mind-mapping into my daily workflow, but when I need it, this app works just fine.

• Audacity: editing audio clips, works for trimming down ringtones.

• VirtualDub: cut and pasting video segments.

• TrueCrypt: file encryption, not difficult to use, but adds just a little bit more hassle which keeps it from being a daily necessity.

To try:

• Linux (Ubuntu): one excuse to try out a netbook. If I can ditch Windows all together, wouldn’t that be a neat trick. Unfortunately, device drivers will always be a challenge until hardware makers see the profitability.

• Electric Sheep: networked screensaver, just because they can.

• SugarCRM: possible sales tool to use at work.

• Rockbox: alternative multimedia player operating system for different hardware.