OpenCD Project

TheOpenCD.org project is a fantastic site. OpenCD is a collection of Open Source software, many of which I am already using. They have everything from web browsers (Firefox) to image editors (Gimp) Here is their blurb about TheOpenCD:

TheOpenCD is a collection of high quality Free and Open Source Software. The programs run in Windows and cover the most common tasks such as word processing, presentations, e-mail, web browsing, web design, and image manipulation. We include only the highest quality programs, which have been carefully tested for stability and which we consider appropriate for a wide audience.

I want to point out that just because the software is free and open source, does not mean that is cheap and poorly produced. In fact, many of these projects are labors of love. Firefox and OpenOffice, the two most popular Open Source Programs have had such an amazing impact on the community that Microsoft is adopting aspects of FF and OO into IE7 & Office 12.
Open Source is more a philosophy that anything else. The people behind these projects believe that the software code should be left open to the public. Because of this, anyone with coding knowledge can create "extensions" or "plugins." This means that the software will be continually improved upon and made better.
As Christians, we can have Bible Study Toolbars for Firefox, Christian RSS feeds for Thunderbird, and anything else a creative believer thinks would be an asset.
Here are the programs that I am currently using:

• Firefox (the greatest web browser, I've been using it since version .4!)
• Thunderbird (since version .3)
• Audacity (a fantastic MP3 editor)(you will need the LAME extension to convert the files back from Audacity to MP3, but it is no big deal.)
• PDF Creator

I'd be suing OpenOffice and Gimpif I had not already purchased MS Office 2003 and Paintshop Pro, but for people on a budget, these can be a huge budget savor. Give these programs a try. If you don't like them, your not out any money!

God Bless
Jason