10 Open Source Softwares That Have Empowered Developers

As of today India completes 65 years of being an independent democracy. For the past 65 years, the government has strived to provide, through democracy, the freedom of choice and access to various amenities of life to the people of India, which essentially embodies the purpose and spirit of Independence.

This need for choice is ingrained in the human race and no bound system has survived forever.

Drawing a Parallel- Need for choice in software

The use of software can be easily monopolized by patenting a unique piece of code with a compelling use case and then selling it at a premium. This leaves the user with no other choice but to abide by the conditions laid out by the creator in terms of cost of access of the software and in terms of customization of the software.

This dependence on one source of software cries out for movement which will provide an inexpensive and customization alternative. And in this search for software independence, came about a solution that have for years provided users with free and near perfect replacements for expensive paid software. And NO, it is not piracy!

Open Source

For the companies that do not want to risk being sued for piracy and cannot afford original software, open source is a great alternative. It is estimated that the use of open source software has saved up to 60 billion dollars to users every year.

For all the start up’s out there, here are ten essential open source software which can have been a great alternative:

1)     Ubuntu – A Linux based distribution, this is possibly the most complete operating system out there for free. A great replacement for the expensive windows.

2)     Libre Office – A free and open source replacement to the all-powerful and essential MS office. It is compatible with most office suites and runs on Linux and Mac’s.

3)     Eclipse IDE – A powerful IDE, the apple of the developers eyes; this IDE is so comprehensive and versatile that most of the world’s software development happens on this IDE.

4)     Camstudio – A useful screen recording tool which is extremely useful in making video user guides and tutorials.

5)     Audacity – A complete audio recording and sound editing software.

6)     AVG Antivrus – An extremely versatile and regularly updated antivirus system. The best bit; it’s free.

7)     GNU cash – A finances management solution for small business and personal use.

8)     MySQL community edition – A free and open alternative for storing your web data.

9)     Apache – The god of the internet. If you don’t know what this is, then you’re not a web technology company. ;)

10)  Mozilla Firefox – The most stable and looked after browser on and for the internet.

This is our list. There is a lot more awesome open source software available. Let us know if we’ve missed something out.

Happy Independence Day!