OStatic's Best Read Open Source Resource Guides and Collections

by Sam Dean - Dec. 28, 2011Comments (0)

Since OStatic's inception, we've produced regularly updated roundups on everything from free books on open source topics, to top FOSS applications for working with video and digital music, to collections of resources for learning Linux. Many of these roundups are good ways to dive into open source applications for the first time, and join communities that you may not have known about. Marking the end of 2011, here is an updated collection of the most popular roundups we've done, which include hundreds of our favorite open source applications and guides for using them.

Getting Much More Out of GIMP. GIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program, is a long-standing and hugely respected open source graphics program, and many readers probably already use it. Here are several good resources for learning it and advancing to power user status, including a free online book. You can also find many more good open source graphics resources here.

Over 45 Essential Open Source Resources. This post rounds up many collections of tutorials, reviews, and project walkthroughs we've posted. There are good resources for Firefox, Ubuntu, Thunderbird, and many more popular tools.

All the Free Linux Documentation You'll Ever Need. This post gathers up free ways that beginning to intermediate Linux users can pick up skills. You'll find free books, manuals, sites to visit and much more.

One-Stop Shopping for Open Source Manuals. FLOSS Manuals remains one of our favorite sources for free, high-quality documentation on open source projects. It's an ongoing and ambitious effort to build online guides for open source software that we initially covered in this post.

Virtualization Makes Running Linux a Snap. Many people love Linux but aren't able to commit to using it full time. Some folks use certain peripherals that Linux can't yet accommodate, while others need applications for which suitable open source options don't yet exist. Fortunately, virtualization makes it possible to put your favorite Linux distribution right on your Mac or Windows PC. Check your options in this post.

Over 15 Top, Free Tools For Web Development Projects. If you're a web developer, do you use Firebug, Piwik, Eucalyptus, and Open Designs? This post rounds up more than 15 of these open source tools for web projects.

8 Free, Open Source Tools for a Better Digital Music Experience. There are many cool, free open source tools and applications for improving your digital music arsenal. Do you want to sync iPods and iPhones to any computer anywhere? How about playing Doom on your own customized OS for iPods or most other music players? Do you need customized music library management for multiple platforms, including Linux? Would you like to mix and record original music online with other musicians?

8 Free, Open Source Tools for Video Playback and Encoding. It wasn't that long ago that it was impossible to find good, free open source tools for working with and viewing video. Now that video runs rampant on the web, there are many open source tools for developers, site owners, and those who want to enjoy video online. Here are eight good choices, ranging from VLC Media Player to Simple Theora Encoder.