The previous two posts were created using Open Source software almost exclusively.  I have always loved the idea of Open Source, not only because most of it is free as in “no cost” but free as in “anyone can contribute or make changes”.  There are plenty of websites that can give a better description of Open Source so go see for yourself.

There are even entire Open Source operating systems.  A while ago I installed OpenSuse 10.3 (a version of Linux) on an old computer so I could see what it was all about.  I’ve been pretty impressed.  I have slowly found and installed all kinds of useful free software including GIMP (a pretty advanced image editor), and Open Office 3.0 (an entire office suite comparable to Microsoft Office.)  I edited the images in the two previous posts with GIMP and typed most of the Nov. 6th post in Open Office Writer and then brought it all to school on my flash drive.  I’m still experimenting but I have found many great programs and all of them have fit my “budget” just fine…  And there are plenty of Open Source programs for Windows and Mac users as well.  Find some Open Source software at SourceForge.