10 open source Windows apps

Version 1.0
worth checking out February 11, 2010

By Jack Wallen
How many applications are out there in the wild that you've never heard of or tried? Even as a consultant, I come
across them on a daily basis. With all those applications, it's easy for some real gems get overlooked -- including
a lot of excellent open source tools.
I understand that most people associate open source with Linux. But there are quite a few solid applications for
the Windows operating system, developed and maintained by the open source community. Oh sure, there's
OpenOffice and Firefox; but it doesn't end there. I'm going to introduce you to 10 open source applications for
Windows. You may never have heard of some of them or knew the port existed, but they're definitely worth a look.

1 VLC
VLC is one of the most flexible multimedia players available. It supports a vast number of audio and video
formats, including H.264, Ogg, DivX, MKV, TS, MPEG-2, mp3, MPEG-4, and aac, and it supports streaming and
TV capture cards. VLC isn't limited to viewing multimedia files, either. It can convert and transcode formats, too.

2 Gnumeric
Gnumeric is the spreadsheet portion of the GNOME Office suite (as well as a stand-alone tool). It has been
around for quite some time and is an outstanding entry in the spreadsheet world. Gnumeric currently has 520
spreadsheet functions (154 of which are unique) and is faster than any spreadsheet application you have ever
tried. Gnumeric can read many spreadsheet formats, but if you're looking for a clone of Excel, look elsewhere.

3 Abiword
Abiword is also a part of the GNOME office suite (as well as a stand-alone tool), and it can serve all your word
processing needs. With Abiword, you can create and collaborate. It's lightweight, fast, reliable, and (like all tools
on this list) free! Abiword can read and write both Microsoft Office and OpenOffice document formats.

4 Audacity
Audacity is an incredible piece of software for recording and editing sounds. You can use it to record live audio,
convert analog recordings to digital, cut/copy/splice, change speed and pitch, and import/export numerous
formats. Audacity can also remove noise and add effects. If you're looking for an open source recording studio,
don't overlook Audacity.

5 Inkscape
Inkscape is a powerful vector graphics editor similar to Illustrator, Corel Draw, and Xara X. It closely adheres to
W3C standard SVG file format, so you can be sure that any SVG file created with (or edited by) Inkscape will
work with any other standards-compliant tool. One nice aspect of Inkscape is the availability of numerous
tutorials, which you will find on the Inkscape site and on other sites.

6 X Chat 2
X Chat 2 is one of the best IRC clients available. Although many users are foregoing IRC in favor of standard IM
tools, IRC is still a valuable resource for consultants and IT admins. I still frequent Ubuntu Classroom chats to
learn as much as I can from the developers of Ubuntu. There are plenty of excellent chat rooms out there; why
not use the best chat app available?

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10 open source Windows apps worth checking out

7 Freemind
Freemind is "mind mapping" software that's ideal for keeping more dimensional notes on projects, classes,
thoughts, etc. The best thing about mind-mapping tools is they are not as limiting as standard "task"
tools or to-do lists. Note: Freemind is written in Java, so you will need Java installed.

8 TurboCASH
TurboCASH is a personal finance manager and entry-level accounting package for Windows. It has been around
for a number of years, so it has a solid foundation as well as a large following. TurboCASH is used by more than
100,000 companies in more than 80 countries.

9 Amaya Web Browser

Amaya Web Browser is that alternative browser you're looking for to stand as either a testing ground for WC3
compliance or if you just want to be different. But Amaya is not just a browser. It's also a Web editor. Believe it or
not, the Amaya browser has been around since 1996 and is directly hosted by the W3C.

10 ClamWin
ClamWin is an antivirus tool for Windows based on the venerable ClamAV for the Linux operating system.
ClamWin offers all the standard features you're used to in an antivirus tool, as well as Outlook and Explorer
integration. The only difference between ClamWin and the competition (besides the price) is that it does not use a
real-time scanner. Other than scheduled scans, you have to manually scan a file for a virus. Because of this,
ClamWin is not for the lazy.

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Version history
Version: 1.0
Published: February 11, 2010

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Copyright © 2010 CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. TechRepublic is a registered trademark of CNET Networks, Inc
For more downloads and a free TechRepublic membership, please visit http://techrepublic.com.com/2001-6240-0.html