Over 20 Free Tutorials for Top Open Source Apps and Linux

by Sam Dean - Jul. 10, 2009Comments (0)

Open source applications and platforms take regular criticism for not having the same level of documentation as proprietary ones, but for many top open source projects, there are lots of free resources. In some cases these are delivered by the community behind particular projects, and sometimes they are from enthusiasts and other third parties. In this post, you'll find an updated collection of our last tutorials roundup, with over 20 good resources for popular open source applications and Linux. A little time spent working with these resources can pay many dividends.

GIMP is viewed by many as the definitive open source graphics application, and there are a number of outstanding, free tutorials for it on the web. For lessons on it, check out Gimp-Tutorials.net which includes video tutorials and much more. The GIMP site also has a good collection of tutorials, and Grokking the GIMP is an excellent free, online book full of lessons.

 

 

Free Firefox tutorials abound on the web. Newbie's tutorial is worth spending some time with if you're new to the browser. Extend Firefox is a very complete site for people who want to develop extensions for the browser, and Foxiewire always has great collections of Firefox extensions and tips. Also, see OStatic's own collection of Firefox extensions and tips.

Want to install a particular Linux distro and get up to speed? HowtoForge is an excellent place to start, with most popular distros covered in depth. If you're new to Linux, start by taking in some Learning Linux Videos. You can also find many more tutorials for Red Hat, Debian, Fedora, OpenSUSE and more at Unix-tutorials.com. And, for Ubuntu specifically, Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference is a popular, free book available online. Also check out this collection of 10 free apps for turning Ubuntu into a video studio.

There are many free OpenOffice tutorials on the web. You can find individual tutorials for the various applications in the suite here. My favorite OpenOffice tutorials, including Flash demos, are at LearnOpenOffice.org. Definitely check these detailed lessons out. Keep in mind that you can extend OpenOffice too, as you can with Firefox. Here are some good choices.

 

Many open source developers and wannabe developers can get a lot out of brushing up on web and database development topics. I'm a big fan of W3Schools' many online tutorials on these topics. Need to brush up on your CSS? Take a gander down the left rail of this page for how much you can learn about a particular topic such as CSS, and how you can plug in real examples and see what your finished pages will look like. The site also has free tutorials on HTML, XHMTL, JavaScript, PHP, AJAX, .NET, Flash and much more. Highly, highly recommended.

MySQL tutorials can really help demystify deploying and securing your database applications. Here's an easy-to-follow example. You can also find good video tutorials for MySQL here. (The videos are free previews of fee-based, full lessons.)

Developers who use Google's tools should check out our post on Google's free video libraries on its applications and projects.  You'll find videos on using Google's AJAX APIs, an introduction to Android development, and more. You can also find good learning resources for Google's Chrome browser here.

 

Getting into open source customer relationship management? SugarCRM is the product many people reach for, and SiteGround's free tutorial will get you going. If you're interested in vTiger--also open source CRM software--Siteground has a tutorial that includes information on installing vTiger on your web site.

For a library of downloadable documentation on many open source projects and applications, ranging from the audio app Audacity to Firefox, try FLOSS Manuals.

Finally, we've written before about a great, free online book on the super powerful open source 3D graphics and animation application Blender. Blender has been used to create impressive, full-length animated movies, and is used for slick drawings like the one at left. The book is highly recommended for its step-by-step, and fun lessons, and has had a recent update: Blender Basics, Third Edition. You can also find 25 outstanding Blender tutorials here.


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