dive into software
	For most software packages that people normally use, there is a free and open source package that does virtually the same, sometimes much more. The difference is not so much in how you use the programme, but under what conditions you use it. Free means that you can do with it whatever you like (except denying others the same freedom). You are, for example, free to give a copy to someone else. No more illegal copying. In practice, most such software can be downloaded without charge from the Internet. Open source implies that the source code -- the code that programmers write in -- is open for inspection. Anyone can look at it and anyone can make changes to it. Even if you don't read that kind of code yourself, the fact that other people can read it is important for you too. Because it makes it impossible to hide something in the code; there can be no sneaky features that report back to someone what you are doing on your computer. Because the source code is available freely, it cannot be controlled by a single entity, say a company or a government. Rather, its development depends on the community of programmers and users. It therefore reflects their interests in having a useful program, rather than the commercial or control interests often associated with proprietary and closed software. Free and open source software is not only good software in itself, but part of a larger project for a society where information is accessible to all and flows freely. With our selection, we tried to strike the right balance in giving you tools for a broad range of needs and activities, with special emphasis on secure and reliable network access, peer-to-peer clients, collaborative web applications and stand alone applications for office work, image and audio editing. For Individual Users Applications Software enabling you to create content Clients Software to access media files Platforms Altnerative Operating Systems For Communities Applications for Self-publishing Powerful tools to publish your material online Platforms for Collaboration Tools to build virtual communities Further Resource: Title: Introduction to Open Source Software Development Author: Steffen Evers <tron@cs.tu-berlin.de> URL: http://user.cs.tu-berlin.de/~tron/opensource/ Date: July 2000