Open-Source Software

I've really favored open-source software (OSS) from the beginning because, well, it's free. For the past few years, I have been increasingly using OSS instead of the traditional proprietary softwares (the ones where you have to actually shell out money to install and use). The level of support and resources for OSS is just amazing. You just Google for any kind of concern or topic and you're almost sure that you'll find it. I've never known anyone using OSS that has actually picked up the phone to call for help.

But a lot of people sometimes do not know that they are using OSS. Take Firefox for example. Users of this Mozilla baby has grown over the years, taking some of the spotlight from Microsoft's Internet Explorer. I can't even imagine how I ever survived the Internet without Firefox. But this year, Google has just officially released Google Chrome out of beta. I've been using it (during and after beta) and I gotta admit, I'm kinda liking it. Although I always have Firefox window running. I'm actually hooked to the add-ons I have on my Firefox.

Right now, it's still Windows (may it be XP or Vista) that is the household name for operating system, but Linux has been creeping into the mainstream recently. Netbooks (really small laptops, think more or less 10-inch LCD screens) with a Linux distribution are sold way cheaper (read: more than Php1000 in savings) than netbooks with MS Windows installed. One small drawback for gamers though, a lot of the more popular MMORPG like Cabal needs Windows to run.

OpenOffice is also a good alternative to Microsoft Office. Although I gotta say I'm still in love with Microsoft Excel. I'm tired of my computer freezing up when I'm dealing with 20MB worksheets with a lot of formulas. I'd rather wait for Excel to recalculate data, than wait for OpenOffice's Calc to save a file.

Here is a list of what OSS I have been using and the programs they have replaced. I dare you to give them a try.

• 7Zip instead of WinZip.


• Notepad++ instead of Windows' built-in Notepad. One major thing I love about Notepad++ is that I can open different in files in multiple tabs... plus it has the "Always on Top" feature. Another plus for those who can write (programming) code like it's their second language, it color codes your tags!


• VLC instead of Windows Media Player. Now you can play your music and videos without an error message telling you to download a certain media codec.


• Foxit Reader instead of Adobe's PDF Reader that seems to take minutes to load.


• Launchy instead of using Windows Start Menu (yeah, I'm still on Windows XP). I'm the type who likes to use the keyboard a lot instead of the mouse, so Launchy is just perfect for me. I don't have to scroll through the list of programs I have installed; I just have to type the first few letters of its name and Launchy will try to guess which program I want to run.


• For internet security, I have Comodo Firewall instead of Windows' built-in firewall.


• I have Avast! instead of a Norton sofware (I don't even remember the name) for virus protection. I've never been infected by a virus since I started using Avast. Well, of course, I always take precautionary measures.

I'd say that as of right now, more than half of the programs I have on my computer is OSS. There are just a few non-OSS programs that I still use: Windows, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office. Come to think of it, those are the only non-OSS programs I use at home.

Of course it's different when you're in the office. As how my office email's signature goes: "You know you're a geek when you start missing your OSS."