Free operating systems based on the Linux operating system kernel invented and published by Linus Torvalds are now a serious alternative to Windows, not least due to the wide range of open source software on offer.
We reveal the six most ingenious free applications under Linux, which need not fear comparison with commercial and therefore mostly expensive software under Windows.
GIMP
GIMP (“GNU Image Manipulation Program”) is a professional pixel-based graphics program that provides functions for image editing and digital painting of raster graphics. The program is free software and can be used completely free of charge. Most major Linux distributions already include GIMP in their basic installation, but subsequent installation is also comparatively simple and quick.
Users who want to use this powerful alternative to Adobe Photoshop and Affinity Photo can find the program both as a download on the official website and in the respective software package management of their distribution.
GIMP is particularly popular on Linux, where it has established itself as the standard for digital image editing, and is also suitable for beginners.
Inkscape
Another powerful graphics tool is Inkscape. Inkscape is a free, platform-independent software for editing and creating two-dimensional vector graphics. The program is suitable for creating single-page documents such as:
- Logos
- Diagrams
- Vector artwork
- Maps and city plans
- Posters and flyers
- Lettering
- Comics
Inkscape uses the SVG (“Scalable Vector Graphics”) file format standardized by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The developers want to position their free open source graphics program as a direct competitor to paid applications such as Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw.
The developers demonstrate what the latest version 1.2 of Inkscape can do in a YouTube video.
Inkscape can also be downloaded from the developer’s official website as well as installed via the software package management of all relevant Linux distributions.
OpenShot
The free video editor OpenShot for non-linear video editing and video editing under Linux receives many new functions and improvements with the update to the latest version 3.1. A total of over 1,000 changes have been incorporated into the release, which is now compatible with Blender 3.3 LTS. OpenShot is a very powerful tool for video editing and is aimed at both beginners and professionals.
In particular, the developers have worked on the real-time editing functions and the integrated timeline, making the free software even more flexible and versatile. OpenShot 3.1 uses a cache background thread, which prepares upcoming frames before they are needed.
The official YouTube channel of the ambitious open source project also provides numerous easy-to-understand instructions. OpenShot 3.1 can be downloaded via the website or the software package management of the respective distribution.
Kodi — formerly XBMC — is a free and cross-platform media player software that functions as a media center and can be greatly expanded thanks to its numerous plugins.
Kodi can read metadata from local media files and save them in its own media database. The metadata is then displayed in a visually appealing way in its own library and can be played directly from this or distributed to other devices in the household via a local network.
The open source media centre Kodi 20 (“Nexus”) follows on from the previous version Kodi 19 (“Matrix”) and offers numerous new features.
Kodi 20 (“Nexus”) – Selection of new features:
- AV1 hardware decoder for Android
- AV1 hardware decoder for Linux via VAAPI
- ACES/Hable tone mapping for GLES added
- More BiCubic shaders for GLES
- Update to FFmpeg 4.4
- Pipewire support
In addition, optical discs are now automatically mounted under Linux using [udisks]. Unix-like platforms such as Android, Linux, and macOS receive support for WS-Discovery (“SMB Discovery”).
Thanks to the wide range of plugins, internet video portals such as YouTube and the media libraries of ARD and ZDF can also be integrated and accessed via Kodi. The integration of video-on-demand services can also be realized with the extensions.
The current version 20.2 of Kodi is available for download on the official website and can also be installed quickly and easily via many of the established distributions.
OnlyOffice
The free office suite OnlyOffice from Latvia has just been released for Linux in the latest version 7.5.1 and focuses in particular on texts, spreadsheets, and presentations.
The powerful program collection aims to be an alternative to well-known open source office suites such as LibreOffice and OpenOffice and the paid-for Microsoft Office offering.
OnlyOffice 7.5.1 is an extremely modern office suite for creating texts, spreadsheets, and presentations, while a database creation application has been deliberately omitted. The free software scores points primarily with its completely open source code and multi-platform support for systems, which also natively supports the free operating systems based on Linux.
The Finnish developers also want to have further improved interoperability with Microsoft Office and its XML-based file formats DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX for Word, Excel and PowerPoint and significantly increased compatibility. OnlyOffice generally has no problems with documents from Microsoft’s Office suite and can open and edit them accordingly.
OnlyOffice is completely free for private users and can be downloaded directly from the developer’s website. The official YouTube channel provides extremely valuable instructions, tips and document templates, especially for beginners.
Ardour
The professional digital audio workstation Ardour, an open source software for editing and mixing audio files and recordings on the computer, has been released in the latest version 8.2 and costs from $1 as open source.
The extremely powerful audio tool can also be used completely free of charge, but then you have to compile it yourself.
Ardour 8.2, a powerful and very comprehensive digital audio workstation (DAW) for Linux, which was once again created under the direction of chief developer Paul David, can be downloaded as usual free of charge as source code and then compiled for your own system and installed accordingly.
Less experienced users or those who wish to receive any updates directly from the software developer will receive the finished software and all updates for the purchased version for a donation of one US dollar.
In terms of its user interface and operating concept, Ardour is modelled on the paid professional software Pro Tools, which is frequently used in recording studios. In terms of scope and performance, Ardour can keep up with all professional solutions on the market and in some cases even surpass them.
Further information can be found on the official website of the developers.
This article was translated from German to English and originally appeared on pcwelt.de.
