Stick it to the Man (in the Adobe hut that is…)
Man that was a killer pun….
I am presenting on Open Source alternatives to the ubiquitous Adobe Suite of design applications. There are a number of image editing apps out there that intend to replicate Photoshop, but the one that far and away is the best is called the GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Project): http://www.gimp.org/.
The Illustrator alternative that offers the best functionality is called Inkscape: http://www.inkscape.org/.
The alternative to InDesign is called Scribus: http://www.scribus.net.
Finally, something that will actually be useful to all of you (using a Mac at least) is NeoOffice a very well polished open source alternative to Microsoft Office: http://www.neooffice.org/
Here are a couple of programs that I use on a daily basis that are all Open Source:
Adium: An IM program that covers all the major IM kinds. I like it because of its customization options and the fact that it is not made by AOL (which I personally despise). Best of all its Open Source and Free!
Text Wrangler: A free text editor that is really useful for editing HTML and CSS. It color codes the code you write so its easier do read HTML and CSS and even more techie types of coding.
Quicksilver: This is that launcher program that I was using during the demonstration in class today. I think its probably the most amazing program ever. If only because it saves you from always going to the Applications folder and then hunting for the right program. I find it impossible to use computers without quicksilver now though so keep in mind that it spoils you! This very elegantly designed program has an equally spare and elegant website. Just click on the quicksilver button and click the dowload button in the tab that pulls out and you are set.
Getting images in your comments
Gravatar - Globally Recognized Avatars - is a way to get your image in the comments and be able to tie a face to the name. If you want to get one, just go to Gravatar.com and sign up with the same email you’re using in this blog. The image you upload there will appear in our blog. as simple as that. Enjoy.
