Open Source Alternatives for the K-12 Windows User
I’m focusing on Linux in the Classroom in an effort to provide helpful links for teachers and educators about using Linux and other open source technology. There are many reasons to use alternative software because of cost, freedom, and variety. For those amongst us who are not as familiar with open source technology or many of the free options to Windows it is often hard to try new things when you’re not sure what is out there an available.
I would like to provide decent sized list of open source alternatives to some popular software for teachers to allow other teachers that may want to make the jump to know what their options are. As someone who is really only getting started with using Ubuntu, this is the kind of resource that I would have found to be very useful. I think this would also be good for those over worked teachers who have had enough with their current computers.
As ideas come to me via email, comments, or twitter (http://twitter.com/davelamorte) I’ll put them up here with any appropriate comments or caveats. I’ll get us started with some of the obvious alternatives:
- Cool Edit - Audacity Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux
- Kid Pix - Tux Paint Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux
- Microsoft Office - OpenOffice.org Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux
- KompoZer: A HTML editor that replaced NUV. So far the only thing I had trouble with was making the frames page (easy enough with a text editor though) *
- GIMP: A wonderfully powerful image editor. *
- FileZilla: A FTP client. *
- Audacity: For my audio editing needs. *
- XAMPP: Local web server to test the pages. *
- Apache Web Server: IIS alternative *
- PHP5: Type of webpage like ASP *
- NotePad2: One of the best text editor replacements I have found. *
- FireFox: The greatest browser on the planet! *
- Podcast Generator: A robust podcast management and distribution set of scripts that can be customized to fit your needs. *
- Webpad: An on line HTML/TEXT editor. *
- PhotoScape: A Picture editor with an unusual interface and lots of built-in effects. *
- TrakAxPC: Windows Movie Maker on steroids. Best free Audio/Video mixer I’ve seen *
* Updates from Dennis Kirkland (May 6, 2009)
