That’s when I really got fired up about open source. If a volunteer community can develop – and continuously improve – complicated software like this, what else could they do?

Quite simply, everything!

OpenOffice is an open source suite of programs that out performs Microsoft Office. http://openoffice.org

The GIMP is a program that does everything PhotoShop can do. http://gimp.org

Audacity is an audio recording and editing program that took me one hour to begin using productively. (Of course, I’m an electrical engineer, so wave forms are part of my professional training and experience.) http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

There are so many more open source programs that I can’t list them all here. However, if you’re a project manager who’s sick and tired of MS Project or Primavera, take a look at Open Workbench. http://www.openworkbench.org/

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of these products, except as a user.

All of these open source programs work on Mac OSX, too. By switching to a more stable operating system, with so many tools already built in, I’m also able to continue using the programs that I already know.

Now go and discover new lands for yourself.

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