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Desktop and Internet Applications
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OverviewPhilosophyHistoryCategoriesDistrosServerDesktopEducationProgrammingExploreGlossaryResources |
Switching
from a proprietary operating system (e.g., Windows or MacOS) to one
that respects users' freedom is a major decision that must be analyzed
thoroughly. An alternative approach to incorporating free software in
educational settings is to use free desktop applications, assuming they
are available for the existing proprietary operating system. Free, open-source software applications are available for a variety of tasks and operating systems. Here are a few of the repositories for free, open-source software: SourceForge, OSDir.com, SchoolForge, K12opensource, and The Savvy Technologist. The Simple End-User Linux project (SEUL) maintains a directory of educational applications for use on Linux. Some popular titles that you might explore include the following: OpenOffice.org - office productivity suite (MS Office alternative) NeoOffice - native MacOS office productivity suite Mozilla Firefox - Web browser (Safari and IE alternative) Mozilla Thunderbird - e-mail client Evolution - e-mail client AbiWord - word processor Gnumeric - spreadsheet Audacity - audio-processing application the GIMP and GIMPshop - image-processing application (Photoshop alternative) SeaMonkey, Nvu, and KompoZer - Web-authoring application (Dreamweaver alternatives) Pidgin (used to be GAIM) - instant messenger Scribus - desktop-publishing application (PageMaker, Publisher alternative) TuxPaint - KidPix-like paint program, includes add-in capabilities Inkscape - vector graphics program (Illustrator, CorelDraw alternative) Blender - 3D animation program Cinelerra - video-editing program Kino - video-editing program CMapTools - concept-mapping, knowledge-modeling program (Inspiration alternative) In Pictures provides free picture-based tutorials for both free and proprietary software. |
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