Open Source top 10
July 6th, 2008 Posted in Building my websitesOpen Source chart countdown
I’ve just been reading this article from theblogjoint.com and it got me thinking about my own Open Source Top 10.
It’s not that long ago that I learnt what Open Source is, but I’ve gone from 0-100mph in my use of it in the past year or so.
So here’s my personal Top 10 of Open Source sites that I use and like, in no particular order … feel free to add your own in the comments section and I’m always delighted to hear about new Open Source kit that I don’t already know about.
1 - Mozilla Firefox
I’ve been slow to move to Mozilla Firefox, and dare I admit it, I’ve always been a bit of a fan of Opera?
I was having problems with Internet Explorer 7 and it forced a comprehansive trial of Mozilla Firefox … I think I’ve finally made the move over properly now.
I really like the Speed Dial add-on that gives you instant access to your 9 favourite sites on your homepage … this was something that I immediately liked about Opera when I saw it.
Why doesn’t Internet Explorer offer this, and if it does, why is it so deeply buried?
I prefer the RSS feeds in Mozilla too - IE hasn’t really got this sorted yet for my tastes - but I’m not as keen on Mozilla for the handling of favourites.
However, it’s really catching on in a big way now and let’s face it those 8 million downloaders in one day can’t be wrong!
2 - Audacity
This was a pleasant surprise for someone working in the broadcast industry and using other paid-for products on a daily basis.
Audacity allows you to record and edit on your PC.
It’s a bit basic - I don’t like getting into multiple editing windows like I would at work - and you need to get plugins to use certain sound file extensions, but this is free and you can use it at home and it’s great.
It’s the best of Open Source, bringing cool stuff to normal people without them having to shell out a fortune for it.
3 - Open Office
How pleased was I when I discovered this?
I’m amazed at the number of people who still think you have to fork out for Microsoft products to create documents, use spreadsheets or Powerpoint presentations.
Open Office is free and replicates all those Microsoft programmes.
It performs brilliantly and I use in constantly to shuffle documents between work and home.
Please don’t shell out for Microsoft products before you’ve given this a try … I wonder if it will encourage Microsoft to ‘bundle’ its own products with operating systems in future years.
4 - PHPList
Joy, oh joy, a superb Open Source programme which allows you to simply and effectively manage all your newsletters in one place.
Many Open Source applications have little niggles about them which often put me off.
PHPList is quite simply excellent.
I made the mistake of making separate installations on all of my websites at first, but soon realised with use that I can administrate each website’s newsletter via the one installation.
A top tip … I password protected the admin folder and it frustrates the spammers delightfully.
Take a look at my ‘web wall’ for newsletters and you’ll see that each newsletter takes you back to webcumbria.co.uk.
5 - E107
I wish I’d discovered E107 earlier in my Open Source career.
It’s an integrated CMS system, photo gallery, forum and chat tool.
All these wonderful things - and more - are available via one login and there are many free add-ons, extras and templates which all integrate seamlessly.
If you’re thinking of setting up a site for a school, the local WI, the PTA or any other organisation where lots of different people will want to contribute material to a website, do give this the once over, it’s an extremely impressive bit of kit.
6 - Mambo
I use this a lot, for my own websites and those I have produced for other people.
I like it a lot - it looks good, has excellent support on the forums, is easy to use, intuitive, reliable and robust.
It’s easy to adapt templates and there are lots of free and paid-for templates available on the web.
I’ve built a couple of paid for websites now and as part of my package I train people how to use it so they don’t have to pay website companies loads of minor for minor tweaks and changes.
They take to it very quickly and seem to like it very much.
I know that probably doesn’t make good business sense, but it seems to be within the spirit of Open Source … help people to do stuff on their own.
So Mambo is a great resource for me and I’m quite an evangelist about it.
7 - SMF Forum
SMF seems to keep the spammers at bay (I had problems with phpBB which was my original choice) easy to adapt and administrate and simple to use.
It looks good, you can dive in and get using it swiftly and it seems robust and reliable.
I’ve used this across every one of my websites with a forum and so far, I really like it.
8 - Open Realty
Open Realty is a great programme, used and adapted for 4 of my own websites.
Easy to use, excellent support, no annoying bugs (or at least not at a basic operating level) and lots of add-ons, both free and paid for, though always at a reasonable price.
I’m a big fan - give it a try if your need to create a database driven website that’s fully customisable … don’t just think of it as a resource for property websites, it can be so much more than that.
9 - Mozilla Thunderbird
I’m new to this, but I downloaded it to help me to split my business emails and my personal emails.
I like it a lot, but think it just needs a few tweaks to make it a bit more graceful and user friendly.
For instance, I find it annoying that it highlights folders in bold and provides email counts when I’ve already read the emails … I’ll bet there’s a way round this, but I can’t be bothered to find it.
I don’t like the way it opens on the Local Folders overview, rather on my list of email accounts … I’ll bet there’s a really easy solution to this too, but I can’t be bothered to go looking again.
Why does Mozilla Thunderbird do these things - who wants them?
They’re minor gripes, because I really like it, but I can’t quite bring myself to sever all links with Outlook Express.
I’m currently using it to handle over 15 email accounts and each of them has HTML attached in the form of an autosignature. You can search your emails too, which is extremely useful.
Oh, and I don’t like the overcomplicated way it ‘autofills’ the ‘To’ windows in a new email either … why not just provide either the nickname or the email address?
Minor annoyances, but these are the useability factors which can put a man off.
10 - Wordpress
I can’t miss this off the list.
I tried Blogger first, then discovered Wordpress which I much prefer.
Why?
Well, Blogger is good, and it’s got better, but Wordpress is really hot and happening.
I’ve found Blogger a bit limiting, template-wise and in terms of its adaptability.
There are loads of templates for Wordpress, a really active community, it’s fully customisable, there are a heap of plugins and addons and it’s simple to use and build on.
I’ve started using it for this blog now so it’s a bit too late to change :-)
And finally ..
If a list of 10 isn’t enough for you, take a look at this list of over 400 Open Source applications and utilities … any advance on 400?
