Suggestions of Great Open-Source Software Replacements

You know that nag screen you get every time you open up a piece of shareware? Well now you don’t have to deal with it anymore. I have compiled a list of common Open-Source replacements for commonly used desktop software.

1. 7-Zip is a file archiver program for Windows (similar to WinZip) that supports 7z, ZIP, CAB, RAR, ARJ, GZIP, BZIP2, Z, TAR, CPIO, ISO, RPM, and DEB file formats. 7-Zip is free and open source and the command-line version can be ran under Linux with Wine. http://www.7zip.org
2. Firefox is a free and open-source web browser by the Mozilla group. Firefox features tabbed browsing, popup blocking, integrated spell checking, and live bookmarks, just to name a few. Firefox is supposed to be faster and more secure than Internet Explorer. Firefox also runs on other platforms such as Linux and Mac OS X.
3. Gaim is a multi-platform open-source instant messaging client similar to Trillian. It supports many protocols such as AIM, Y!, and MSN. It also displays all your “buddy lists” in only one window. Adium is a program similar to Gaim for Mac OS X (based on libgaim, actually.) http://gaim.sourceforge.net http://www.adiumx.com
4. The GNU Image Manipulation Program is a powerful image editor similar to Photoshop. GIMP is free and open-source and runs on many different platforms including Mac OS X and Linux. http://www.gimp.org
5. The Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) is a free, open-source, scriptable install system made by the people who wrote WinAmp. It allows you to create your own custom one-file installers. NSIS is widely used and very powerful. NSIS can be configured to self-extract ZIP files or to look like the popular InstallShield system with the “Modern UI” extension. http://nsis.sourceforge.net
6. OpenOffice.org is is a free and open-source productivity suite similar to Microsoft Office and compatible with most major document format (including PDF). OpenOffice.org uses parts of Java and runs on many platforms including Mac OS X and Linux. http://www.openoffice.org
7. FileZilla is a very good graphical Windows FTP client (and server). http://filezilla.sourceforge.net
8. While not open-source, I thought FoxIt Reader deserves a spot here since it is an extremely fast freeware PDF reader. http://www.foxitsoftware.com