OStatic

Recently, Lisa covered the click2try site, which is a good way to try open source software in a virtual environment without any downloading or installation required. The site provides several categories of software to choose from, ranging from business to education to productivity apps. There are also three Linux operating systems available: Ubuntu, openSUSE, and CentOS.

Today, Click2Try has announced its Virtual Launch program, which takes some of the application launching functionality from click2try and allows any web site or blog owner to incorporate it on his or her site. If you want site visitors to try one of the open source applications that click2try includes, this is one of the fastest ways to let them do so.

It's easy for people who are skeptical of open source software to come up with a dozen reasons -- some perfectly valid -- to not give it a chance. Chief among them are uncertainty about which applications to try and an unwillingness to alter their computers in any way. Click2Try is a great way to try open source software in a virtual environment without the hassle of downloads and installation.

Launched earlier this year, Click2Try offers an assortment of open source apps and entire Linux distributions on a private virtual machine for a single session, no registration required. To save sessions and return later, you'll need to become a registered user and provide an email address.

There are several categories of software to choose from, including education, sysadmin, and productivity apps. There are also three Linux operating systems available: Ubuntu, openSUSE, and CentOS. Unfortunately, they all use the GNOME desktop so if you want to give KDE a whirl, you're out of luck. Starting an app in a virtual environment is a simple two-click affair that has you up and running in no time.?