ieeetabletop

Linux is the king of open source when it comes to operating systems, which means just about anything you want to run on Linux will be open source as well. However, with so many different programs available, choosing the best suite for your software needs can be a little tricky. Here are the top five open source Linux apps you should have on your computer.

1. Open Office – While it makes a great alternative to Microsoft Office on a Windows machine, Open Office is also supported on Linux machines as well. It offers the same functionality as Microsoft Office, including the ability to create and edit documents, Excel spreadsheets, and even Power Point presentations.

2. Handbrake – For people who like to rip their DVDs to their computers for digital storage, there is no better option. Handbrake is second to none when it comes to the codecs and formats which are supported, and it’s quite speedy for a DVD ripper.

3. VLC – VLC is a popular media player on all platforms, but its never gotten so much recognition as it has on the Linux OS. This is because it can do just about everything, from playing audio and video files, to making simple recording and splicing together two mp3s.

4. Pidgin – Pidgin is a great open source IM client which takes inspiration from both Adium and Miranda. Formerly known as Gaim, Pidgin has gained a massive following on Linux in the past few years, even though it is available on all three platforms.

5. WINE – One of the major downfalls of Linux is the inability to run Windows programs, but most notably, games. WINE solves all of these problems by providing the ability to run Windows games and programs on your Linux set up, as long as your computer is fast enough to handle the specs.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 at 12:19 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.