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Open Source

lastmod 2026-04-06created 2014-01-1139 edits

Detailed list of open-source projects

Open source refers to software whose source code anyone can view while the rights of the software or hardware creator are protected, or collectively to anything that conforms to an open-source license. As for the origin of the term, the History of the OSI material explains that it was a new term coined on February 3, 1998, at a strategy meeting about how to release the source code of the Netscape browser.

Why do open source

There are many cases of opposition to using open source. But what people really want to know is probably, "How can you make money selling open source?" Existing software companies make money from licenses that tier knowledge, so otherwise their business would collapse.

Open source is not a business model

The 451 Group (an IT survey company) studied open-source companies and offered the clearest explanation yet of the "open-source business model".

  • Open source is not a business model. It is a business strategy.
  • Open source by itself is neither a market nor a vertical market (a single market that is marketable on its own).
  • Open source is a software development and distribution model based on a licensing strategy.

Then what is a business model?

A business model is how an organization finds, creates, and delivers value. In other words, it is the process of giving value.

  • The best reason to build open source is to change the world, not fame or padding your résumé
  • There is no guarantee that a good idea becomes a popular project
  • Popularity formula for open-source projects = popularity + promotion + user benefit + luck
  • Keep social media accounts active, make them searchable, and write in a widely used language such as English

Writing effective documentation

  • Write the README and docs clearly and naturally, as if explaining to a friend
  • Convey complex information gradually with emphasized text, lists, and structured organization
  • Provide concrete evidence such as real benchmarks and code examples
  • Where possible, provide specific getting-started guides tailored to beginners and advanced users

Promotion strategy

  • Repeated promotion is more effective than one big push → launch → feedback → improve → repeat
  • Post regularly but avoid spam
  • Write posts that include code examples and images
  • Submit PRs to other projects to maximize promotion
  • Don't try to solve every problem yourself; encourage users to submit PRs
  • Set aside a fixed amount of time for resolving issues (e.g., 15 minutes a day)
  • When there is negative feedback, try to start a conversation by asking questions
  • Don't fear competing projects → competition can actually free you from responsibility

Best Free Music and Audio Software

  • http://tjfree.com/best-free-music-and-audio-software
  • Audacity - Powerful audio recording tool and editing tool.
  • Tenacity - A fork of Audacity with telemetry removed
  • LMMS - Digital audio work station. Create synthetic music and rhythms.
  • Ardour - Digital audio work station. Record. Edit. Multiple tracks.
  • Mixxx - Digital DJing software for mixing music.
  • Spek - Audio file spectrogram viewer, for spotting quality issues.
  • Papagayo - Papagayo is a lip-syncing program designed to help you line up phonemes (mouth shapes) with the actual recorded sound of actors speaking.

Best 2D Animation Programs (Open Source / Free)

Top 5 Graphic Design Programs (Open Source / Free)

Reference: http://tjfree.com/software/

  • Inkscape - Similar to Adobe Illistrator, a vector image editor/creator.
  • Gimp - Similar to Adobe Photoshop, a bitmap image editor/creator.
  • Scribus - Similar to Adobe InDesign or QuarkXpress, desktop publishing.
  • Font Forge - Font editor and creator.
  • Dia - Diagram and flow chart creation tool.

Best Cryptography and Data Privacy Software (Open Source / Free)

  • http://tjfree.com/software/
  • KeePassX - Password manager and secure database.
  • True Crypt - File and disk encryption software.
  • 7Zip - File archiving and compression tools, capable of encryption.
  • CrypTool -Tool for learning, practicing, creating, and analyzing cryptography.
  • Eraser - Can permanently delete files from your computer.

Best 3D Design and Animation Software (Open Source / Free)

List of open software

List of major open-source SW for servers (OS/DBMS/WEB/WAS) (as of March 2013).
http://www.oss.kr/oss_intro07
Open_software_server.pdf
List of major open-source SW for desktops (as of March 2013).
http://www.oss.kr/oss_intro08
Open_software_desktop.pdf
List of major open-source SW for business (as of March 2013).
http://www.oss.kr/oss_intro10
Open_software_business.pdf
List of major open-source SW in the embedded field (as of March 2013).
http://www.oss.kr/oss_intro11
Open_software_embedded.pdf
List of major open-source SW in the cloud field (as of March 2013).
http://www.oss.kr/oss_intro12
Open_software_cloud.pdf
List of major open-source SW in the quality verification field (as of March 2013).
http://www.oss.kr/oss_intro13
Open_software_verification_of_quality.pdf

200+ open-source projects organized by category

  • [Recommended] Open Source Alternatives
  • Business chat : Mattermost, Zulip, RocketChat, Element
  • Project management : OpenProject
  • CRM : Odoo, ERPNext
  • Video conferencing : Jitsi
  • Notes : Joplin, Athens
  • Kanban : Kanboard, Focalboard, Wekan, Restyaboard
  • No-Code DB : NocoDB, BaseRow
  • Calendar : FullCalendar
  • Scheduling : Calendso
  • Workflow automation : n8n, Beehive, Flogo
  • Analytics tools : Fathom, Plausible Analytics, Rudderstack, Matomo, Posthog, Countly
  • Internal company tools : Tooljet, Appsmith, Budibase
  • Session replay : rrweb, Open Replay
  • CMS : Wordpress, Ghost, WriteFreely, Strapi, Winter, LavaLite, Umbraco
  • Newsletter : listmonk, Mailtrain
  • Collaborative design platform : Penpot
  • API documentation : Docusaurus
  • Authentication & access management : Keycloak, SuperTokens, PrivacyIDEA
  • Online forms : OhMyForm
  • Team wiki : Outline
  • Search API : TypeSense, MeiliSearch
  • Data processing : Logstash
  • Monitoring : Sentry
  • CAD : Blender, FreeCAD
  • Email marketing : Mautic
  • Cloud communication : Plivo, Fonos
  • File hosting : NextCloud, ownCloud
  • Product feedback : Fider
  • Forums : Discourse, Flarum, Vanilla
  • BaaS : Supabase, Appwrite, Nhost
  • Business Intelligence : Metabase, Superset
  • Observability : Grafana, Prometheus
  • Voice chat : Mumble
  • Password managers : Padloc, Passbolt, Buttercup

How open-source projects were turned into businesses

See Business#How open-source projects were turned into businesses for details.

How to monetize open source

Evaluates the pros and cons of monetization methods and lists open-source projects run with each method

  • Unconditional funding
    • Individual donations
    • Corporate sponsors
    • Grants and stipends
  • Paid Access
    • Paid early access
    • Paid community access
    • Website ads
    • Paid binaries
  • Paid Content
    • Paid online courses
    • Paid naming rights
    • Paid merchandise or books
    • Paid tools & extensions
    • Paid newsletters
  • Paid Licenses
    • Paid for commercial use / dual licensing
    • Paid premium version / open core
    • Brand licensing
    • White-label sales
  • Paid Services
    • Paid hosting / open SaaS
    • Paid bundling / widget frosting (hardware bundling)
    • Paid content services
    • Paid data storage
  • Paid Use
    • Paid use
    • Kickback from Hoster (receiving rebates from hosters)
    • Paid unlocks
    • Selling telemetry
    • Blockchain-based distribution
  • Paid Work
    • Paid support
    • Paid bug fixes / bounties
    • Paid feature development
    • Paid version development / crowdfunding
    • Paid consulting
    • Paid training & certification
    • Employment
  • Special Monetization Approaches
    • Raising venture capital
    • Selling the project

7 downsides of open source culture

Open source enthusiasm energizes developer creativity, learning, and community, but it is not Shangri-La (an ideal place/paradise).

  • Open source doesn't work in the cloud.
  • Open source has a diversity problem.
  • Building and maintaining a community takes time
  • Open source mentoring is surprisingly rare.
  • Even stubborn people need a paycheck.
  • There really is no free lunch. (TANSTAAFL)
  • Some projects shouldn't be open source.

See also

Favorite site

Review

Libraries

  • [Recommended] Open source, experimental, and tiny tools roundup ~ (A collection of 500+ small tools for games/interactive websites; 32 tiny game engines, 11 indie/open-source game engines, 16 fantasy consoles, 16 Unity extensions, 16 map & level editors, pixel art / ASCII ed...)
  • [Recommended] Open Source Stash - A collection of open-source alternatives to major tools for designers/developers/analysts
  • All Projects - OSSRank
    • A tool that compares commit frequency/number of contributors across open-source projects
    • Shows commits and number of contributors for 30 days/90 days/1 year/3 years/all time
    • A site that tracks and ranks about 2000 open-source projects

References

  1. Why_Choose_Open_Source.pdf ↩

  2. Free_software.pdf ↩

  3. 2015_spotlight_Rookie_open_source_11_lines.pdf ↩

  4. 10_kinds_of_popular_open_source_projects_Google.pdf ↩

  5. 12_line_open_source_technologies_to_create_smarter_data.pdf ↩

  6. Facebook_popular_open-source_technology_5_species.pdf ↩

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