Best FOSS for Windows

List of some best free open source software (foss) for windows. These software are licensed under Free Software Licenses . These are really great software & are absolutely free and best alternate to paid software. Feel free to download them all and use them to the fullest.

Follow the link provided and downloaded the software from the page.
1)Browser :-



Mozilla Firefox: It is considered to be the best browser available and is most widely used browser after Microsoft's Internet explorer.



Google Chrome: It has been recognized as the fastest browser and it is the third most widely used browser.

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APTonCD- Update Ubuntu Offline

As we all know that Ubuntu Karmic/Jaunty and other versions come in a limited 700 mb CD, that means to have a computer running properly with Ubuntu requires an Internet connection.Sometimes, we come across hard-drive failures etc. , so this creates a problem of downloading all the updates and applications again.Moreover, internet is not available everywhere. So, to solve this, we have an application that will do just fine. APTonCD is a tool with a graphical interface which allows us to create one or more CDs or DVDs with all of the packages we’ve downloaded via ‘apt-get’ , ’synaptic package manager’ , ‘ubuntu software center’ and ‘add/remove’, creating a removable repository that we can use on other computers also . APTonCD also allows to automatically create media with all of the .deb packages located in one specific repository, so that we can install them into other computers ‘without the need for an Internet connection’.It also serves as a backup to our installed applications, programs and updates.Update Ubuntu offline with APTonCD which is an awesome application to do all backup of updates and softwares installed in Ubuntu.For more details visit : http://tinyurl.com/yldejhk

Ubuntu Tweak - Best Ubuntu Manager

Ubuntu Tweak-a very good ubuntu manager with a nice UI for managing all ubuntu settings http://bit.ly/8NmMmj linux ubuntu opensource.
It will save you a lot of time as this application centralizes most of them and gives you a UI to control and configure your system settings yourself.Ubuntu Tweak makes it easy to change hidden system and desktop settings.Unfortunately, it is only for GNOME desktop environment . This is still under heavy development and very good utility for ubuntu users. Tweak is more or less like Ubun-student but a bit more stable and reliable with lesser bugs.But this application is also going heavy development , so watch for updates and latest releases regularly. It was basically build for the new Ubuntu users to help them getting a better ubuntu experience. We recon this a must have for your Ubuntu Desktop and we are sure it will improve your Ubuntu desktop significantly.
Read more here

Ubuntu Studio 9.10 - Karmic koala

Ubuntu Studio 9.10 : The Multimedia ToolKit Complete Installation Guide ubuntu studio http://tinyurl.com/ydama7r .


It is built for audio, video and graphic enthusiasts or professionals. But as it is free and open-source, everyone is free to use. It is an officially recognized derivative of the Ubuntu Linux distribution, which is explicitly modified for general multimedia production. The original version, based on Ubuntu 7.04, was released on May 10, 2007. The main aim was to assemble suites of applications aimed at creative people. Suites including the best open-source applications like Graphic design and modeling applications i.e. GIMP and Inkscape . Blender, Kino, and Stopmotion etc are included for video creation; and Audacity, BEAST, Fluidsynth etc. for audio.

WUBI : Install Ubuntu in 2 clicks inside Windows

WUBI : Windows based ubuntu installer : To install dual boot with Ubuntu in just 1 click . Its easy ,its safe and its really good. For details visit : http://www.linoob.com/2009/12/wubi-windows-based-ubuntu-installer/

Wubi also creates a swap file in the Windows file system (c:ubuntudisksswap.disk), in addition to the memory of the host machine. This file is seen by Ubuntu as additional RAM. A related project named Lubi (Linux based Ubuntu installer) is also present which lets you install Ubuntu in Linux host machine. After installation , you will be able to dual boot b/w your own previous Linux and Ubuntu.

SuSE Studio : Make a Perfect Desktop

SUSE STUDIO: The Gateway to your Own Distro
  • SUSE Studio is a simple and fast appliance builder.
  • It provides an easy to use, web-based user interface and will run in your browser without other needed software.
  • One great feature is the SUSE Studio Testdrive. You can boot, configure and test your appliance in a browser window without download.




What is a software appliance?
  • A software appliance is a pre-configured combination of
  • an application (e.g. a database)
  • it's configuration
  • and an operating system (e.g. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server)
  • The parts are integrated into a single image and deployable on industry standard hardware.
  • If it is intended for deployment on a server, it is a software appliance.
  • If it is intended for deployment on a hypervisor or in a cloud computing environment, it is a special type of software appliance called a virtual appliance.
You can read more details at http://www.novell.com/linux/appliance/


What are the benefits of appliances?
  • Appliances...
  • are easy to run.
  • are small.
  • own a well defined software selection and configuration.
  • fit perfectly to the often clearly defined system environment.


Who should use SUSE Studio?
  • Everyone who is interested in creating a well tailored openSUSE or SUSE Linux Enterprise appliance.
You will need basic knowledge in the use of repositories and software packages and some knowledge in Linux configuration.


How much does it cost?
Of course you must take care of the legal stuff that will come along with the applications and the Linux system.


How can I get access to SUSE Studio?
Note: We are currently in the beta phase and we are testing SUSE Studio with a limited number of users.
We are ready to send out more and more invitations week by week.
Send us your email via the SUSE Studio login page and we will put you on our invitation list.


How can I cancel my account?
  • You may cancel your use of the Services by providing notice to Novell at "studio-feedback@ suse.de".


Is it difficult to create appliances?
  • No, it is easy. The development team focused strongly onto the "easy of use".
After your first sign in you will not own an appliance. The system offers the template selector where you can choose to create an appliance based on different templates.
In the appliance editor simply use the tabs to navigate
Software: Add/Remove packages and repositories (you will have access to the openSUSE build service) or upload your own rpms.
Configure: Configure locale settings, startup options, database use, storage management and other things like the look and feel via logo and wallpaper
Overlay files: Add "overlay files" to fine tune the application and system configuration
  • Build: Start the build run to create
  • a Disk Image
  • a LiveCD/DVD
  • a VMware Image
  • or a Xen Image
Testdrive: If the build is finished, launch and interact with your creation in a virtual machine in your browser window, make changes and commit those changes to the appliance. To do this, use the Modified files tab in the testdrive.
Then implement your changes via a new build run and download the resulting image via the Build tab.

 


What do I get with SUSE Studio?
 
  • You will be able to create appliances within the license agreement terms and to store them in your SUSE Studio Home.
  • Your Home will have a certain amount of disk space depending on the number of SUSE Studio users.
  • Inactive images will be deleted after a while, but this is no problem, it's easy to restore them again with the appliance configuration file.
  • The appliances are based on one of the following base systems
  • JeOS, openSUSE 11.1, SUSE Linux Enterprise
  • The templates offer different combinations of
  • Server, Desktop, KDE, Gnome, Minimal X, 32 or 64 bit architecture
  • The openSUSE build service repositories are shared with SUSE Studio and you can upload private rpms to your private repository


You will be able to create
  • Live CDs/DVDs, e.g. to demonstrate projects like Marble, Mono, etc. or Installation medias for special hardware, e.g. EeePC
  • Disk Images like Live USB sticks, e.g. running openSUSE 11.1 with KDE or Gnome without touching the hard disk of the machine
  • Server-appliances based on Xen Image or VMware Image, e.g. LAMP, Joomla, SUGARCRM, Wordpress, etc.

 

Look at the examples in the download section:


Which hardware and software do I need to work with SUSE Studio?
  • Currently SUSE Studio only supports
  • Firefox 2 and 3 browser on Linux, OS/X and Windows.
Safari 3 on OS/X.
  • Other browsers can show problems.

 

If you ar egeeting an error message like one above, then your cosen config must have some problem or it is incompatible or may be a software conlict. Take a look a go accordingly.

Can I lose my data in SUSE Studio?
  • Every change in your appliance configuration will be stored at once. SUSE Studio is using "instant apply", the web interface does not need special "OK" actions.
The appliance configuration file is a XML-file and will not need much space. So it will not be deleted.
Only your images will be removed after some days to save space on the servers. The system will restore them automatically if you need them.


How secure is my private work in SUSE Studio?
  • Your work is stored in your private SUSE Studio Home.Your appliances (including your configurations and uploaded rpms and overlay files) are not shared with other users of SUSE Studio.
  • Of course every SUSE Studio administrator will have access to your appliance and your uploaded files.

You are able to add new repositories and this repositories are shared with other users.

  • If you don't want to share software, use the rpm upload, this will create a private repository.
  • Your privacy is important to Novell. The Novell’s Privacy Statement: http://www.novell.com/company/policies/privacy/describes the information practices for Novell web sites, including what type of information is gathered and tracked, how the information is used, and with whom the information is shared.  




Where can I read the SUSE Studio licence agreement text?
  • A copy of the license agreement text is placed here: SUSE Studio terms of use : http://en.opensuse.org/SUSE_Studio_terms_of_use
Can I report inappropriate appliances?
  • If you detect an appliance with inappropriate content send an email to "studio-feedback [at] suse.de" .


Where can I talk to experienced SUSE Studio users?
  • Go to the SUSE Studio Forum or enter the SUSE Studio Chat. You will find the links in the SUSE Studio footer.


What is the relationship between SUSE Studio and the openSUSE project?
  • SUSE Studio enhances the openSUSE infrastructure with building appliances based on the latest stable openSUSE release.
  • SUSE Studio is integrated with the openSUSE Build Service to create appliance out of Build Service projects and packages.
 
LINUX users | Next steps after the download


Instructions for Windows(TM) users...


How to extract compressed files with Linux?
  • Normally the GUI (Gnome or KDE) will provide an easy extraction via a right-click onto the file in the file manager.
In the console you can use gunzip




LiveCD/DVD-
Extension of downloaded file: .iso
How to use with a LINUX system
It is a compressed filesystem, no extraction is necessary
Burn the .iso file with a burning application (e.g. Gnome- or KDE-tool) to a media
You will receive a bootable CD or DVD with a SUSE Live-System
Check your BIOS if your machine will not boot via CD
SUSE Studio does not support the creation of ISOs for SLE10.

 Disk Image (USB or Harddisk)-

Extension of downloaded file: .oem.tar.gz

After extraction you will see one new file: .raw
How to with in a LINUX system
The GUI way:
Search for kiwi-tools-imagewriter at http://software.opensuse.org/search and use the one-click-install button.
You can also download the rpm via the search result list.
You can then run imagewriter as root and write your chosen image to your chosen USB device.
The dd way:
Copy the .raw image with dd to the disk or usb stick (place link here)
Be careful when using 'dd'. You can lose your data!
Based on some experience with defect USB sticks we recommend to check the MD5SUM
Check the BIOS of your system if it does not boot via USB



 VMware Image-
Extension of downloaded file: .vmx.tar.gz
After extraction you will see a new subdirectory with 2 files: .vmdk and .vmx
How to with in a LINUX system
You will need the VMware Player to start this image. Download it here
If this tool is installed, the .vmx should be associated with it and start with one click.




 Xen image-
Extension of downloaded file: .xen.tar.gz
After extraction you will see a new subdirectory with 2 files: .raw and .xenconfig

How to with in a LINUX system
You will need a Xen server system. This is a machine running the Xen domain 0 kernel. In other words the machine must be booted with a xen kernel. To check this run the command:

xm list



The result should be at least one line starting with Domain-0
On this Xen server the following command needs to be called to activate the guest system:


xm create -c file-with-suffix.xenconfig



Please note not all Xen kernel versions and guest/Domain-0 combinations work well. So far we recommend to use SLE11 Xen servers along with SLE11 Xen guests






 Windows(TM) users | Next steps after the download-


Recommendations for Windows(TM) users:
The SUSE Studio appliance builder will produce products based on SUSE Linux.
If you want to download, extract and test image files with a Windows system we recommend to use the formats
LiveCD/DVD
VMware Image


Of course you can also create a bootable USB stick and hard disk with Windows, but you will need advanced knowledge to handle the dd-copy tool.


How to extract compressed .tar.gz files with Windows
By default Windows is not able to extract .tar.gz files. Perhaps you can use 7-zip. It is available in many languages and it is under the GNU LGPL license.
The extraction of the .tar.gz file will work in two steps:
First: from .tar.gz to .gz
Second: from .gz to .raw or new subdirectory with files



 LiveCD/DVD-
Extension of downloaded file: .iso
How to use with a Windows system
It is a compressed filesystem, no extraction is necessary
Burn the .iso file with a burning application to a media. In most cases the .iso extension is associated with the correct application via double-click
You will receive a bootable CD or DVD with a SUSE Live-System
Check your BIOS if your machine will not boot via CD




 VMware Image-
Extension of downloaded file: .vmx.tar.gz
After extraction you will see a new subdirectory with 2 files: .vmdk and .vmx
How to use with a Windows system
You will need the free VMware Player to start this image.
If this tool is installed, the .vmx-file should be associated with it and your appliance will start with a double-click.




 Disk Image (USB or Harddisk)-
Extension of downloaded file: .oem.tar.gz
After the extraction process you will see one new file: .raw
How to use with a Windows system
You will need and additional tool in your Windows system to copy the raw image file in a special way to an USB stick or a hard disk.
The dd for windows can do this
Be aware: In difference to the other ways (LiveCD/DVD and VMware image) you can damage your system if you make a mistake.
For more Details :


Enjoy Making your own Distro.

KVM : Virtualisation Out of the Box

I have been looking forward for a replacement of Vitualbox OSE . This thing started our quest for finding a Visualization application to fulfill the needs with an easy-to-use procedure. I found KVM in Add/remove while i was looking for something alike YaVM - Yet another Virtual Machine (An application developed for openSUSE in 2006 to serve as basic virtual machine that comes with the os preinstalled). Xen , the geeky Virtual machine by SUSE linux enterprise is a virtualisation powerhouse. While Xen offers quite complex procedure requiring you to boot a patched Xen kernel to create and run a Virtual machine - KVM is a loadable module which runs with the OS's default kernel module. The only thing it requires is that your processor should have the architecture to support virtualisation .

For this type:

kvm

in the terminal and see the result:

QEMU PC emulator version 0.9.1 (kvm-84), Copyright (c) 2003-2008 Fabrice Bellard
usage: qemu [options] [disk_image]

If you see the above message, then you should be smiling as you are green to go for virtualisation with your hardware.

But if your CPU does not, in fact support Hardware virutalization, you will get output such as the following:

$ kvm
Could not initialize KVM, will disable KVM support
Ubuntu does not support running KVM without hardware acceleration. Sorry.

So lets start our work with Virtualisation weapons at hand. First, head on over to the KVM HOME PAGE :

http://www.linux-kvm.org/page/Main_Page

Best feature of KVM is that it is part of the OS and is not dependent upon a 3rd party vendor . Also, it’s very easy to maintain as you update your system, and load new kernel revisions, as the module will not break like VirtualBox and VMware solutions would. Also, it’s far less problematic to manage than Xen, which is entirely unsuitable for a desktop system IMO :P . KVM really is more of a direct competitor to Xen than to a workstation solution like VirtualBox or VMware workstation, and has some very powerful features, I will never tap into here on my home system. By design however, it’s far less intrusive on a standard Linux desktop than Xen.

Now we have our kernel module working properly and rest everything in place so must get back to bussiness :D. I will use Lubuntu for the testing purpose coz its my personnel favourite and it very light too.

Follow these steps to set up your virtual Machine :-

Step I : Launch :- Goto Applications>System tools and start KVM . Then choose the virtualisaton method to full virtualisation if your processor supports that feature.






Step II :Installation Method :- Now choose the media from which the OS is to be installed to the machine . Also chose the OS type and its Variant .





Step III : Installation Media : Select he ISO image location (whether from External drive or already present image from HDD) .




Step IV :Allocating Space:- Choose the disk space you wnt to allocate to the machine's Virtual Hard drive. Allocate space wisely for stability issues .Then select to allocate the whole virtual hard disk to the machine .



Note: If you dont allocate the whole virtual hdd to the machine , then the machine will allocate space for itself while it is running and if the space in that partition goes out , the the data in the virtual machine is likely to get corrupted. You can allocate additional space like network drives etc to your virtual drive.

Step V : Memory &  CPU allocation :- Allocate RAM for your machine which it wil be able to utilize to max. You have to allocate RAM for peak run and startup diffrently. Do it generously for proper running of he host and virtual machine . Eg: i have 2 gb RAM and i allocated 750 mb to the machine to max and for start-up , i gave it 512 mb. You can change the se settings in the hardware section og the gui while running the machine.




Step VI : Finishing Job :- Check your preferences and Click finish & let the magic happen. The installation os a virtual OS is totally same as installing a regular OS. So, now we are done with it .





Obviously , KVM is much more capable than we discussed just now. We were just able to do the basics, rest you can try on your own after installing the application.



Happy Virtualistion !!!

WHY LINUX ?




Microsoft has reached an enormous success with its Windows product during the last decade and practically monopolized the market for home computer operating systems. But, does it mean Windows is still the best OS around, especially for power users?

No, it’s not. At least not always. And on this page you are going to see why.

Summary

If we draw a comparison between the two operating systems considering licensing, selling, and upgrading models, and if we add the supreme configurability (resulting from the system’s philosophy), and a low pricing then it will appear the GNU/Linux is decidedly more user friendly in terms of software then any other system existing on the market at present (perhaps apart from niche systems like GNU/Hurd and Haiku). Microsoft Windows systems are still dug in on the other pole with their restricted licensing allowing users to — at the most — conditionally run the systems (not even in every case) and their applications.

By friendliness we mean something more general that the ease-of-use and availability of applications! It is about not constraining the users but granting them full freedom to exert their rights to use software in their own way. It is about a freedom of choice — the possibility to use any window manager, any file system, and any package system the user wants to choose, about the possibility to work in a console or GUI environment, locally or remotely. It’s all about the security schema, well designed and overt, instead of “security by obscurity” model which has been compromised over and over. Do the users need such freedom? Certainly 90% PC users will do well without it. For the remaining 10%, including me, the GNU/Linux systems have appeared to be the only solution.

Read 10 reasons to choose Linux

  • Security — why are the default security settings of Windows XP so bad?
  • Desktop usability — what is wrong with Windows’ usability and how it is corrected in GNU/Linux desktops?
  • Installing software — ok, you thought it can’t be easier than double-clicking thesetup.exe file? Think again!
  • Upgrading — ever thought that upgrading your system and all its appliactions could be as executing one single command? No? Well, GNU/Linux is exactly this way.
  • System crashes — every desktop crashes, but how to get over it?
  • Performance — is Linux really that much faster than Windows? Well… it is.
  • The power of console — learn how to improve your productivity by using the terminal
  • Remote access in GNU/Linux — how to connect remotely to your Linux box
  • Philosophy and licencing of Linux — how does it differ from the proprietary software?
  • Cost and TCO of Linux — what is cheaper — Linux or Windows?

If this does not convince you, please visit the website Get GNU/Linux for further reading about the Windows licencing, monopoly and the cool features of GNU/Linux operating system. They do it even better than us :)

openSUSE project :

The openSUSE project is a worldwide community program sponsored by Novell with the goal to serve the most usable and userfriendly desktop Linux system. openSUSE (earlier known as Suse or SuSE) has been a top Linux distribution for quite a while (first appeared in 1992 as S.u.S.E). Formerly a business-only solution, now concentrates on home user's desktops and workstations.


It is famous for its great configuration tools like YAST — a complete control center for system administration. openSUSE is said to be one of the simplest distributions to install and configure. It offers great support (also for notebooks) and documentation. Lately, it's it's gaining more popularity among desktop users thanks to it's open-source move.

Desktop

openSUSE is a well-integrated distribution. The supported applications produce a coherent system. It supports both KDE and Gnome, treating both desktops equally (although the commercial Novell products default to GNOME).

Xgl support

openSUSE 10.1 was the first standalone system to support Xgl Technology eveloped at Novell. It allows to achieve different eye-candy effects on the desktop in real-time without taking much processor power (well-supported video card is required though).

Configuration tools

The famous YAST installer and configuration tool is the one application that can be used to configure almost any aspect of the system, including such things as software installation, services configuration, sharing files or configuring the external devices. YAST is considered one of the leaders of all-in-one integrated control panels for GNU/Linux (another one is Mandriva's Control Center). There is also convenient X-Window configuration tool — SaX2. It gives ability to choose graphic card, set resolution, color depth etc. Everything in few mouse clicks.

To have a look at the suse desktop environnment ,plz move to end of this page.

Ubuntu : The Rising

The Ubuntu mission is as follows:

The Ubuntu community is built on the ideas enshrined in the Ubuntu Philosophy: that software should be available free of charge, that software tools should be usable by people in their local language and despite any disabilities, and that people should have the freedom to customize and alter their software in whatever way they see fit.

Ubuntu is special in a few ways. It has regular, predictable releases, every 6 months with Long Time Support (LTS) releases every 1.5 years. It is fast and easy to install thanks to the LiveCD installer. It's useful just after installation since it installs all the commonly used desktop applications altogether. Specialized software can be easily added using the predefined repositories. And finally is has a fine community and support (mailing list, IRC channel and web forums).

Ubuntu is based on Debian GNU/Linux and uses a lot of its tools and packages.

"Ubuntu" is an ancient African word meaning "humanity to others".

User experience

User interface of Ubuntu (GNOME desktop) is very coherent and aesthetic. Apart from standard GNOME applications, a few external open-source killer-applications are included by default, like OpenOffice.org, Firefox and GIMP. The system detects popular mobile devices automatically (e.g. USB stick, digital cameras and memory cards). Its great hardware detection capabilities are especially visible on laptops where technologies like WiFi, software suspend or ACPI used to cause problems on GNU/Linux systems. Not anymore.

Included software

Ubuntu divides all software into 6 categories.

  • Main — includes supported free software (all software included on install CDs plus some additional packages, usually one application for a task).
  • Restricted — included supported non-free software (mainly drivers and fonts).
  • Universe — unsupported free-software (community-driven repository with thousands of free software apps).
  • Multiverse — unsupported non-free software (community-driven repository with things like restricted audio and video codecs or free (as in beer) but proprietary applications like Adobe Reader, etc.).
  • Commercial — commercial software (right now included Opera Browser and Real Player).
  • Backports — repository for software included in newer versions of the OS, targeted at users who need to stick to the older version of Ubuntu but still want a few recent programs.

Main and Restricted repositories are activated by default. Other need to be turned on manually, either by editing /etc/apt/sources.list or choosing the right checkboxes in Synaptic Package Manager.

Ubuntu flavors

Ubuntu is not GNOME-only. Other desktop environments are available as well. There are specialized versions of Ubuntu featuring KDE, XFCE, Fluxbox, IceWM and e17. All of those can be installed and used in regular Ubuntu, as well.

Ubuntu is available in 4 major versions:

  • Default Ubuntu — featuring GNOME and lots of GNOME applications like Evolution, Synaptic Package Manager, Beagle Search, Rhythmbox, Sound Juicer, etc. — this is the original flavor and the most polished and stable one.
  • Edubuntu — a GNOME desktop for kids and children, with games and educational applications.
  • Kubuntu — a flavor of Ubuntu featuring KDE as the default desktop, with KDE applications like Kontact, Adept Package Manager, Amarok, K3B, etc.
  • Xubuntu — the youngest version of Ubuntu with XFCE as the default desktop — this is a lightweight version for older hardware computer users.

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