Over the last decade, many tech companies established themselves as thriving software providers – what we call closed software or proprietary software vendors. Businesses that wanted high quality digital solutions had to rely on such software. Users, including businesses, had no other option but to depend on proprietary software despite the high price. The average user however, had to choose between having expensive closed software and using none at all.
This was the case till the advent of open source technologies. The world received free software, and many businesses flourished by providing open source development services. Open source applications’ source codes are available to the public so users can edit them to fit their needs.
There are many out there, but the list below will include the most widely used open source applications in the world.
1. General Image Manipulation Program (GIMP)
An image editor originally designed for Linux systems, GIMP can now be used in Windows and Mac systems. The application appears like a more feature-rich MS Paint, and is the average user’s alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Its main features include the raster editor, draw pad support, multiple file extension support etc. Because it’s open source, GIMP also has a library of plugins that will add more features to the already useful image editor.
2. Portable Apps
An open source software that can use portable versions of other applications, allowing users to take their favorite applications anywhere with a flash drive. Running those programs using Portable Apps will allow users to play movies, edit images, and even browse the web. However, you will need a flash drive dedicated to running Portable Apps in order to use the application.
3. Audacity
An audio editor application that allows users to do a lot of things to an audio track including: changing pitch, cropping, pasting, changing speed/tempo, digitize older media etc.
It can produce high quality audio, and can work with different audio file types. However, the app uses its own intermediate file type and requires you to import your media files to deliver a project file with all the edits.
4. Handbrake
A safe and reliable open source video converter, Handbrake converts video files from one format to another without compromising quality, unlike most of its counterparts. It supports most media file formats, and is one of the best converter tools to handle mobile video formats. The plugins for Android, iPad, and iPhone devices make it one of the best free video converters in the digital world.
5. VLC Player
VLC has got to be one of the most widely used, if not the best, free open source media players in the world. The application can play all media files including DVDs and CDs, and even stream them. Because it’s open source, VLC got many tweaks and upgrades over the years. At present, there is simply not a lot of media file formats that VLC can’t play. Many users have also made add-ons for VLC that add features like subtitle generator/finder, lyric finder etc.
If you are not tech savvy enough to modify an open source application of your preference to fit your needs, as an open source development company, we may be able to help.
