Words like ‘Windows XP’ and ‘MS office’ (i.e. MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, et al) are household words among Indians today. Even a junior school student is aware of the Windows effect on the PC even before he has clicked the ‘start’ button. But has anyone heard of the recently growing strong ‘Openness’ on the internet?
Yes, the openness I refer to is none other than but the growing usage and support for free-to-download open source software. The growing openness on the Net, which is still to be explored by many Indians, proves to be better than the dominant Windows effect!
Names like Mozilla Firefox 1.5 at http://www.mozilla.com/firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5 http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird and OpenOffice Version 2 at http://www.openoffice.org, though found in the murmurs of the techno Indian grapevine, is already the IT fashion of the West and one that an Indian PC user must try so as to remain on the cutting edge.
This article on how technology changes life serves as a reflection on the growing force of openness found freely on the internet today.
Mozilla Firefox 1.5 (Openness to browse websites for free)
This free-to-download web browser with a multi-tabbed browsing ability to open different websites in a single window is an excellent “open answer” to the all known and famous Internet Explorer.
The award-winning web browser not only blocks viruses and the often disturbing “pop ups” but has an integrated search bar which one could use to google with the ++ advantage. The intelligent browser automatically downloads updates and prompts a user for an install, only after they have been downloaded. With a single click “erase all history” feature, a DHTML support for programmers, a live and continuously updating bookmark for different websites and a customizable browser feature with different themes, this is the latest one to browse the Internet.
Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5 (Openness to send and receive email for free)
This one’s award winning too — it’s an open email application that creates a thunder when it comes to inbuilt features it possesses. The email client has an impressive junk mail filter, a decent anti-phishing protection and like its brother in Firefox, an automatic security update feature which prompts the user only when the updates are ready to install. Themes make Thunderbird customizable with different looks and feels.
OpenOffice 2.0 (Openness to express in an office suite for free!)
With a mission statement to create a free-to-download office suite to cover all major applications types that one requires for a typical office and one that supports all the commonly found operating systems (including the Tiger, i.e. Mac OS X on Apple Macs) in the world today, Openoffice.org (a SUN Microsystems movement) has made an indelible mark in the history of popular MS office suites’ rule.
The “OpenOffice”, with its latest released version 2, comes out with 6 free-to-download applications in 1 suite. These include: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base and Math.
Writer: (Write, write and write more)
Writer, as the name simply suggests, is a powerful word processor (something on the likes of MS word but with the ++ advantage). The software provides a wizard for many tasks like creating letters and faxes and a host of ‘Autos’ starting with Auto complete to complete partial texts, Auto correction dictionary to correct bad spellings, Auto formatting to looking at text formats, and supporting an emailing capability.
The versatile word processor not only enables one to save documents as HTML, PDF and the OpenDocument (XML) format but also enables one to open MS Word documents, edit them and resave them for users who still prefer to use MS products.
Calc: (Versatile Spreadsheet to capture your calculations)
The versatile free-to-download spreadsheet makes working on spreadsheets easier than ever before! Turn raw data into meaning full information with ‘DataPilot’, use wizards to guide you through an important formula, press the sum button to do simple summation tasks and make the “scenario manager” take some important “what if” decisions.
One could not only open old MS spreadsheets but also edit them and resave them not only in the MS Excel format but also as a PDF document for free.
Impress: (Impressive presentations for free)
With 2D and 3D clip art, Impress is a versatile tool to create PowerPoint presentations. With support for different views, facility for parking of most common tools used in preparing presentations and slide shows, Impress is truly impressive. One could save documents in the “OpenDocument” XML format (which many people may know makes the presentations software independent).
Of course, one could still open MS PowerPoint presentations, edit them and resave them in the same .PPT format and even in the .SWF flash presentation form.
Draw: (Create innovative drawings for free)
As the name suggests the software makes drawing a fun exercise. With impressive clip art and parking features, direct import of picture files and ability to create flash versions, Draw revolutionizes drawing in many ways.
Base: (The Open database)
Compatible with other databases like the MS Access, MySQL (and even dBASE!), Base, using the HSQL engine and XML file formats and popular support for ODBC and JDBC drivers, is the Open and simple answer to a simple download database.
Math: (Writing your difficult equations with Greek symbols)
Mostly supporting Calc and Impress, Math, the mathematical package, serves as a powerful equation editor. One could create simple to complex equations for presentations with simply using a selection toolbox.
It is the “Growing Openness on the NET!” and it all comes to the PC users for free. With a web browser like Firefox, email client like Thunderbird and the OpenOffice 6 in 1 suite, no one could deny that the openness on the Net has become a powerful movement today.
The movement which provides software that work not only on propriety operating systems like Windows XP but also on free ones like Linux, is a force to reckon with today. Let the force be with us, the Indians PC users.
(The writer is Technology Researcher, Carnegie Mellon University, USA)
Yes, the openness I refer to is none other than but the growing usage and support for free-to-download open source software. The growing openness on the Net, which is still to be explored by many Indians, proves to be better than the dominant Windows effect!
Names like Mozilla Firefox 1.5 at http://www.mozilla.com/firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5 http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird and OpenOffice Version 2 at http://www.openoffice.org, though found in the murmurs of the techno Indian grapevine, is already the IT fashion of the West and one that an Indian PC user must try so as to remain on the cutting edge.
This article on how technology changes life serves as a reflection on the growing force of openness found freely on the internet today.
Mozilla Firefox 1.5 (Openness to browse websites for free)
This free-to-download web browser with a multi-tabbed browsing ability to open different websites in a single window is an excellent “open answer” to the all known and famous Internet Explorer.
The award-winning web browser not only blocks viruses and the often disturbing “pop ups” but has an integrated search bar which one could use to google with the ++ advantage. The intelligent browser automatically downloads updates and prompts a user for an install, only after they have been downloaded. With a single click “erase all history” feature, a DHTML support for programmers, a live and continuously updating bookmark for different websites and a customizable browser feature with different themes, this is the latest one to browse the Internet.
Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5 (Openness to send and receive email for free)
This one’s award winning too — it’s an open email application that creates a thunder when it comes to inbuilt features it possesses. The email client has an impressive junk mail filter, a decent anti-phishing protection and like its brother in Firefox, an automatic security update feature which prompts the user only when the updates are ready to install. Themes make Thunderbird customizable with different looks and feels.
OpenOffice 2.0 (Openness to express in an office suite for free!)
With a mission statement to create a free-to-download office suite to cover all major applications types that one requires for a typical office and one that supports all the commonly found operating systems (including the Tiger, i.e. Mac OS X on Apple Macs) in the world today, Openoffice.org (a SUN Microsystems movement) has made an indelible mark in the history of popular MS office suites’ rule.
The “OpenOffice”, with its latest released version 2, comes out with 6 free-to-download applications in 1 suite. These include: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base and Math.
Writer: (Write, write and write more)
Writer, as the name simply suggests, is a powerful word processor (something on the likes of MS word but with the ++ advantage). The software provides a wizard for many tasks like creating letters and faxes and a host of ‘Autos’ starting with Auto complete to complete partial texts, Auto correction dictionary to correct bad spellings, Auto formatting to looking at text formats, and supporting an emailing capability.
The versatile word processor not only enables one to save documents as HTML, PDF and the OpenDocument (XML) format but also enables one to open MS Word documents, edit them and resave them for users who still prefer to use MS products.
Calc: (Versatile Spreadsheet to capture your calculations)
The versatile free-to-download spreadsheet makes working on spreadsheets easier than ever before! Turn raw data into meaning full information with ‘DataPilot’, use wizards to guide you through an important formula, press the sum button to do simple summation tasks and make the “scenario manager” take some important “what if” decisions.
One could not only open old MS spreadsheets but also edit them and resave them not only in the MS Excel format but also as a PDF document for free.
Impress: (Impressive presentations for free)
With 2D and 3D clip art, Impress is a versatile tool to create PowerPoint presentations. With support for different views, facility for parking of most common tools used in preparing presentations and slide shows, Impress is truly impressive. One could save documents in the “OpenDocument” XML format (which many people may know makes the presentations software independent).
Of course, one could still open MS PowerPoint presentations, edit them and resave them in the same .PPT format and even in the .SWF flash presentation form.
Draw: (Create innovative drawings for free)
As the name suggests the software makes drawing a fun exercise. With impressive clip art and parking features, direct import of picture files and ability to create flash versions, Draw revolutionizes drawing in many ways.
Base: (The Open database)
Compatible with other databases like the MS Access, MySQL (and even dBASE!), Base, using the HSQL engine and XML file formats and popular support for ODBC and JDBC drivers, is the Open and simple answer to a simple download database.
Math: (Writing your difficult equations with Greek symbols)
Mostly supporting Calc and Impress, Math, the mathematical package, serves as a powerful equation editor. One could create simple to complex equations for presentations with simply using a selection toolbox.
It is the “Growing Openness on the NET!” and it all comes to the PC users for free. With a web browser like Firefox, email client like Thunderbird and the OpenOffice 6 in 1 suite, no one could deny that the openness on the Net has become a powerful movement today.
The movement which provides software that work not only on propriety operating systems like Windows XP but also on free ones like Linux, is a force to reckon with today. Let the force be with us, the Indians PC users.
(The writer is Technology Researcher, Carnegie Mellon University, USA)