Open source software I use
This is a list of open source software I use on a regular basis.
This browser is fast and supports tabbed browsing. I use it on my Mac, Linux and PCs.
I just switched to this mail tool from Mozilla. I use this and used Mozilla because they support storing the mail in a simple text file. Just about every other mail program stores the mail in a proprietary format. I have lost mail everytime I went from proprietary format to proprietary format. No more.
new: Jun 2007 -
I now use Gmail for almost all of my mail. I can access it from anywhere and I have my main mail address record from dgrobinson.com pointed at google
This site is being made with the use of Apache, MySQL, and PHP. See “Installing WordPress on your own Windows computer” for a good reference on how this works.
Celtx is a great program that does script writing for film and theater. It is a full equivalent to Final Draft and Screenwriter 2000. It also supports collaboration between writers by allowing them to upload and down load script versions. I supports a kind of storyboarding and the use of other media, e.g., sound recordings and drawings.
GIMP is the Gnu Image Manipulation Program. I used it to create the masthead on my page. I am not a graphics designer, so I find this program to be quite daunting. There are lots of neat things you can do with it, though. I created the masthead for his page by trial and lots of error. I took a picture of something my kids did at a birthday party. I put out plates of paint and a long roll of paper. They stepped in the paint and then walked on the paper. I have the paper hanging on the wall of my family room. I figured out, through lots of trial and error, how to put white text on the print. I used one of the script driven logo makers that comes with GIMP to put the big text in the middle.
GVIM is the visual mode for vim, the greatest editor ever made.
The claimants who propose that Linux desktop distributions are ready for general use have never had to tell anyone how to set up xorg.conf. But this distribution is pretty good. Except for X11 setup. That still requires the blood of a bat and the entrails of a goat.
To be continued….