#6: CDBurner XP Pro [Disc burning]
This isn’t really open-source, but it’s a great freeware program…CDBurner XP Pro, which contrary to its name also burns DVDs. It’s great for a free DVD burner, as none really exist.
The only system requirements that I can find are that your system has a DVD or CD burner, and possibly that it runs Windows XP–I can’t find anything on OS requirements, and I don’t run 98 or 2000 Pro anymore, but it does include “XP” in its name…so be forewarned. Does NOT work with Linux or Mac!
#5: Wine [Software Compatibility]
Wine, you say? What a fabulous idea! Let’s get my computer drunk, to make it think it’s running Windows! Then I can get MS-Office running on Linux/OS X!
Wine is a normal application run under a non-Windows, x86 OS, that acts as a compatibility layer between the OS and the Windows application. Wine (which stands for Wine Is Not an Emulator), is well-maintained, and is available for Linux, Darwin & OS X, Solaris, and FreeBSD.
To run a Windows executable, you would go to your applications list / folder, browse to your executable, and double click. It’s that simple! It installs programs by aliasing folders (ie the My Documents folder would be Home in Linux). What’s nice is that it even organizes your programs just like a start menu!
PS: For all you gamers, it handles most games really well (ie Half-Life 2 and CS:Source). If you’d rather pay for software, try Cedega, which is made for games, and runs them with unparalleled speed.
#4: Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 [Virtualization]
As my first post as a contributor here, I’d like to point attention to the fact that MS’s Virtual PC 2007 (both desktop and server editions) is now available as freeware–good news for those running 98SE like I am, in Vista. It works in Vista, but isn’t as stable as it is in XP–still good enough though for 99% of those out there. Have fun!
#2: OpenOffice [MS Office Alternative] / #3: AbiWord [MS Word Alternative]
OpenOffice: Why shell out ~$150 for Microsoft Office 2007 when you could get the same features in a similar, compatible, if not, better product? Sun Microsystems, along with a large public community, have developed a freeware, open-source office and productivity suite known as OpenOffice (sometimes refered to as OpenOffice.org). It is avaliable for Windows, Linux, Solaris (SPARC and x86), Mac OS X, Linux PPC, and FreeBSD.
It contains:
Writer – a word processor you can use for anything from writing a quick letter to producing an entire book. (view screenshot)
Calc – a powerful spreadsheet with all the tools you need to calculate, analyse, and present your data in numerical reports or sizzling graphics. (view screenshot)
Impress – the fastest, most powerful way to create effective multimedia presentations. (view screenshot)
Draw – lets you produce everything from simple diagrams to dynamic 3D illustrations. (view screenshot)
Base – lets you manipulate databases seamlessly. Create and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports, all from within OpenOffice.org (view screenshot)
Math – lets you create mathematical equations with a graphic user interface or by directly typing your formulas into the equation editor. (view screenshot)
Note: All of the above software is compatiable with MS Office file formats.
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AbiWord: What if you don’t want a whole bunch of software? What if all you want to do is type up a story, or write a report, or something that doesn’t require the power of a whole office suite? I bring you…AbiWord! AbiWord is a lightweight word processor that is compatiable with MSWord files and loads much faster than OpenOffice Writer (or any other OpenOffice app as a matter of fact.) From the site, you can download the app, plugins (conviently in executable files), and the source code. You can also view screenshots, get support, and other helpful things.
System Requirements:
Microsoft Windows:
* 486dx or better processor
* At least 16MB RAM
* Windows 95b or later
* Windows NT4 with update below
* Windows 95a has been known to work as well, but you need the update described at http://www.abisource.com/twiki/bin/view/Abiword
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WinFaqWindowsCOMCTL32DLL
GNU/Linux, BSD, Solaris (2.6, 7,8,9,10), AIX, HP/UX (10.20, 11.0), OSF/1, Tru64:
* GTK+ 2.2 or newer (2.2.4 recommended)
* At least 16MB RAM (embedded systems probably won’t require more than 
* Any processor that supports any of these operating systems (which is effectively, any processor)
* Optionally GNOME 2.2 (2.4 recommended)
Mac OS X:
* Mac OS X 10.2 or later
QNX:
Note: currently the latest version available for QNX is 2.0
* QNX Neutrino 6.2
* Pentium class processor or better
* At least 16MB RAM
BeOS:
* The BeOS port of AbiWord 2.0 and later is not actively maintained and presumed to be slightly broken, but 1.0 was known to work on the following
* A BeOS supported machine, Intel or PowerPC based.
* At least 32MB RAM
#1: Pidgin [Instant Messaging]
What is Pidgin, you ask? Pidgin (pronounced “Pigeon”, like the bird) is a full featured, open-source instant messenger. Instead of focusing on one service (ie AIM), it supports a whopping 15 services! So if you’re the type of person who multi-tasks a lot, and hates having 2 or more chat clients open, this could be the answer to all of your prayers!
Basic Info:
- Runs on Windows, Fedora Core, CentOS / RHEL, OS X [uses Adium] and other Unix- like OSes
- Supports AIM, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, Google Talk, Groupwise, ICQ, IRC, MSN, QQ, SILC, SIMPLE, Sametime, XMPP, Yahoo!, and Zephyr
- A text-based (console) version, named Finch is also avaliable for those with minimalistic OSes, or who just like using the Command Prompt / Console / Terminal.
- It’s updated frequently
- It’s FREE! (No “Pro” or “Enterprise” versions)
