Web Stuff – Page 5 – Techodyssey

Open Source Software – Take 2

What is Open Source Software? I gave a quick and in many ways not very accurate description in my last post of this series but for a much clearer understanding see the Free Software magazine.

I also mentioned in that post that I didn’t agree with all of his choices. One of the good things about OSS that there are usually many choices in each category. So listed below are the changes I would make to the list.

3. If only Google Calendar had a “To Do” list. It’s not open source but Google Calendar is great. For “ToDo” I use “Remember the Milk”. The suggested Sunbird is the best OSS option.

4. I haven’t used Abiword but as choice 5 is Open Office why duplicate. Open Office Writer is a good Word replacement and reported to be the most compatible with the MSOffice format.

6. My choice would be AVG which while not OSS is free, or at least a free option is available.

18. Handbrake is a Mac program.

29. GnuCash, this choice is a little strange as there doesn’t appear to be a version for Windows. I say doesn’t appear to be as the website gives instructions on how to compile under Windows and how the problems may be handled. So while some people with access to the right tools may be able to have it, GNUCash is not available for download from the official site however unofficial copies can be found. I don’t have a replacement but can say GnuCash works well under Linux.

And the one item missing from the list –

31 Nvu

http://www.nvu.com

A wysiwyg html editor, a suitable OSS for website creation whether you want to work at code level or wysiwyg level.

Have I missed anything? Let me know what you think.

Open Source Software

I have been a fan of open source software for quite a while now. For those unfamiliar with the term open source refers to the source code of the software being available for download. Most commercial software vendors jealously guard their code but the OSS community makes it freely available.

This has a great many advantages. Here are just a few –

You can trust that it does what it claims. – Those with the appropriate skills have reviewed the code and seen that it does what it claims without doing anything undesirable such as adding spyware to your system.
Problems are easily found and solved. They can also track down and report problems and often solutions. Many OSS developers have got bug fixes out in less time than commercial developers take to admit there is a problem.
Some OSS licences allow the code to be used to develop other applications too. The spirit of co-operation for the common good is alive and well.
Many OSS applications are free too.

Popular OSS applications include FireFox and Open Office. The following link is a list of popular solutions and the commercial packages they replace. I would query some of his choices but would like to know of any alternatives you can suggest. i will add my list later.

Thirty Pieces of Essential Software.

Cool Text

Would you like a a cool new logo for your site or for some other use? Then have a look at Cool Text. It is a free service that designs logos and buttons that you are free to use as you like.

There are a large range of styles and you can select the font and colours used. The final image is a jpeg file you can download and use as you want. I have experimented and made the following in a couple of minutes.

Have a look at Cool Text. Even if you don’t use the image it is a lot of fun.

Photo Editing Tools, Take 2

Recently I have been experimenting with Paint.Net. Paint.net is a free photo editing package which is a step above the basic editors that are available. It has layers and many of the options of Photoshop. It was developed as an university project and continues to be supported. If you already have .net on your computer it is a download of less than 4 meg, with .net it is 46meg. Paint.Net is only available for Windows. See getpaint.net for more info and downloads.

I found Paint.net to be a reasonable editor but not in the same class as Photoshop or the Gimp. While it handle the basic edits well some of the screens were not as user friendly as I was expecting. The auto fixes achieved a similar result as Photoshop Elements which suggests the internal routines are well written.

I have been using Photoshop Elements 4 too. I found it simple to use and effective for most uses. The photo organiser has not been used extensively but I found it more powerful than Google’s free Picasa.

So what was my final decision. While Photoshop is the industry standard there is no doubt for most people one of the free options will provide most if not all of the tools required to edit photos and create works of art. There are of course commercial options. Photoshop Elements is a useful package that uses the Photoshop engine with a simplified interface and options. It includes the most popular options but without the more powerful tools. Another popular editor is Paint Shop Pro. I have used an older version and found it very useful and it deservedly has many fans.

But none of the commercial packages have a great advantage over the free options except in one area. None of the free software mentioned above can handle camera raw. For that you need the software supplied with the camera, a specialised program such as RawStudio or you will need to spend money. Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and Paint Shop Pro handle a varying range of Camera Raw. If this is important to you confirm your camera is covered before you put your money down.

If you intend to work professionally there is no substitute for Photoshop but most users will never use 90% of Photoshop’s power. I use the Gimp most of my editing. Give the free software a try, after all what can you lose it won’t cost you anything.

Photo Editing Tools

I often wonder what software people are using to prepare the photos they post in their blogs. I have seen mention of a couple and so I thought I would list some of my experiences with software.

Initially I used an LE version of Photoshop that came with my scanner. I was never able to find out what made it LE but I suspect it was an earlier version sold to the scanner company at a very good price. Surprisingly there was no option to update to a full version.

I have tried various demo copies but never found anything that was a big enough improvement to part me from my money. OK I am a bit of a miser but when I spend money I want something for it.

In search for something better I have checked out a couple of free tools and must say I was impressed. They are Open Source alternatives to the commercial editors. Many people may dismiss them for this reason but many open source applications are true alternatives developed in line with user needs not corporate agendas.

First was the GIMP. An Open Source alternative to Photoshop. Despite it having most of the options available in Photoshop it was criticised for its quirky interface. This is not a problem if you haven’t used anything else but coming from Photoshop it was quite a change.

This has never bothered me but it bothered some people so much they developed GimpShop. It is a development of the Gimp with Photoshop like interface. This is one of the advantages of open source, anyone with the knowledge can modify, improve and adapt the original program. Both the Gimp and GimpShop are available for Mac and Linux as well as Windows.

The only complaint I have at the moment with the Gimp is that it does not handle Camera RAW. This is not a major problem as the RAW can be converted to TIFF by software supplied with the camera. It can then be edited with the GIMP. All digital cameras that have a Camera RAW option provide a similar facility. Unfortunately these tools often are only available for Windows and often Mac, never for Linux. Linux has inbuilt support for many digital cameras and the list is growing all the time. Check out Rawstudio to see if your digital camera’s RAW format is supported in Linux.

My advice is check them both out after all they are free so what can you lose.

Sync your Browesrs

Do you use more than 1 computer or do you use a dual boot system? If so you will have a problem accessing your bookmarks etc when you change computers. Google has an answer for you, Google Browser Sync.

It only works with Firefox but allows you to share your bookmarks, history and passwords between each system. It is a Firefox extension, one of the advantages of Firefox is the ability to customise it with extensions.

Of course if you share computers with someone else you will need to consider the security aspect. You may not want to have your passwords available on a computer someone else uses. If you are the only one using them Browser sync is incredibly handy. I use a desktop which I dual boot in WinXP and Linux and I use a laptop too. With Browser Sync it doesn’t matter which system I am using Firefox has the same bookmarks and passwords etc. It even remembers the last page I used and will return there if I wish.

One of the best Firefox extensions and it works fine in Firefox 2. Download it here.

A Call for Manners in the World of Nasty Blogs

High-profile figures in high-tech are proposing a blogger code of conduct to clean up the quality of online discourse. Many bloggers have been the victim of abuse, harrassment and even threats. Now some are suggesting a voluntary code of conduct among bloggers and commenters.

While the internet is a place for free speech does that free speech give everyone the right to abuse anyone they choose? Does a blogger have the right to delete any comment left on their blog?

What do you think?

Getting Organised

When I started using Google Calendar I wished it had a “To Do List”. Well it doesn’t but that doesn’t mean you can’t have one on your Google Calendar. A great Australian site Remember the Milk, what a great name!, allows you to create a To Do list and link it to your Google Calendar.

I have been using it for a few months now and find it works well. Each day in the calendar has a button at the top which will display your tasks for that day. Very handy.

The Remember the Milk site allows you to categorise the tasks, defaluts are work, personal etc. but you can make your own. There is also the option to link a map to a task so you can see where you must be for each task. Very clever. there are some other features I haven’t explored yet too.