Open source software (OSS) is that which is available under a licence that allows the public to use, change and redistribute the software freely. The definition of open source software is virtually indistinguishable from that of free software. However, both free and open source software should be distinguished from freeware, which is simply software available to the public at zero cost for an unlimited period, and shareware, which is software available at zero cost for a limited period, after which a licence must be purchased.

OSS can be incredibly useful. For a start, it is completely free. Also, a lot of OSS is available for many operating systems. Often, users of operating systems other than Microsoft Windows must pay a premium for software which was originally written for a Windows platform. Another benefit of OSS is that bugs and problems are often fixed extremely quickly, as any user can edit the code and submit their patches or improvements to whomever is managing central distribution of the software.

Many computer users are choosing to switch to open source software rather than patronise large software companies who have a seeming monopoly on the industry. Linux is an operating system kernel which is used by various operating systems, including Red Hat Linux and Knoppix.

For example, GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program), a raster graphics editor, offers a reasonably powerful alternative to Adobe Photoshop, and likewise, Inkscape, an open source vector graphics program, can be used as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator. Neither of these programs is as powerful or fully-featured as its commercial counterpart, but both offer the key features and tools that users would expect from their graphics software, and all for free. Other notable open source graphics packages are Synfig, which is a vector graphics and animation program, and Blender, which is a 3D animation program.

OpenOffice.org offers a viable alternative to Microsoft Office, with a word processor, spreadsheets program, presentation program, graphics package, database manager and mathematical formula program. Open Office has received many accolades for being easy to use, open source standards compliant, and can be run on a huge variety of different operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris.

One of the best-known OSS projects is the Mozilla project. The Mozilla Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation which manages the Mozilla project. Mozilla products include the award-winning web browser, Firefox, and the email client Thunderbird. SeaMonkey is Mozilla's internet suite, which, unlike Firefox and Thunderbird, is a community-driven project.

Miranda IM is an open source multi-protocol instant messaging client for a Windows platform. Adium for Mac OS X is also a multi-protocol open source IM client. aMSN is an open source MSN client for Mac and Linux users (it does not support other IM protocols).

By Iain Ford

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