Examples of Open Source Software

1. Resources from OSS Watch

There is a huge range of open source software available to download from the Internet. These OSS Watch documents concentrate on useful tools and best-of-breed examples often found in UK colleges and universities.

• Using LiveCDs to solve everyday problems
• Open source and web admin
• Open source and the web browser
• Five essential open source tools for the sysadmin

2. Examples of open source software in use at UK universities and colleges

• Apache HTTP Server [http://httpd.apache.org/] (web server)
• Blender [http://www.blender.org] (3D graphics and animation package)
• DSpace [http://www.dspace.org/] (digital repository)
• EPrints [http://www.eprints.org] (digital repository)
• The GIMP [http://www.gimp.org/] (image editor),
• GNOME [http://www.gnome.org/] (Linux desktop environment)
• GNU Compiler Collection [http://www.gnu.org/software/gcc/gcc.html] (GCC, a suite of compilation tools for C, C++, etc)
• KDE [http://www.kde.org/] (Linux desktop environment)
• LORLS [http://bookworm.lboro.ac.uk/distribution.html] (reading lists management system)
• Mailman [http://sourceforge.net/projects/mailman] (mailing list manager)
• Moodle [http://www.moodle.org/] (virtual learning system)
• Mozilla [http://www.mozilla.org/] (web browser and email client)
  • Firefox [http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/] (web browser based on Mozilla)
  • Thunderbird [http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/] (mail client based on Mozilla code)
• MySQL [http://www.mysql.com/] (database)
• OpenOffice.org [http://www.openoffice.org/] (office suite, including word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software)
• PHP [http://www.php.net/] (web development)
• Perl [http://www.perl.org/] (programming/scripting language)
• Plone [http://plone.org/] (content management system)
• PostgreSQL [http://www.postgresql.org/] (database)
• Python [http://www.python.org/] (programming/scripting language)
• Samba [http://www.samba.org/] (file and print server)
• SSL-Explorer: Community Edition [http://3sp.com/showSslExplorerCommunity.do] (browser-based SSL VPN solution)
• TeX [http://www.tug.org/] (typesetting language)
• WUBS [http://sourceforge.net/projects/wubs/] (resource booking system)
• XFree86 [http://www.xfree86.org/] (implementation of the X window system)
• Zope [http://www.zope.org/] (web application server)

3. Would you like to add your example to our list of examples?

If you would like to suggest a software package that we should be using as an example, please do. But to make that suggestion especially useful, also please identify a college or university (ideally your own) which is using that software. Send your suggestion to info@oss-watch.ac.uk

4. Resources cataloguing and providing open source software

• Freshmeat.net [http://freshmeat.net/], announcements about new software releases
• SourceForge.net [http://sourceforge.net/], a repository of thousands of open source projects
• UNESCO Free Software Portal [http://www.unesco.org/webworld/portal_freesoft/]
• UK Mirror Service [http://www.mirrorservice.org/]
• The OpenDisc [http://theopendisc.com], a careful selection of open source software for running under Windows
• osalt.com [http://www.osalt.com], a site providing easy access to high quality open source alternatives to well-known commercial products