Recommended Software
Server Side Software
I provide full installation and complete visual and functional customization of all of these.
WordPress
Blogging software, the downloadable version can also be used as a content management system for your website.
Most of my websites are powered by WordPress
phpBB
Forum/Bulletin Board software
Great for setting up a community or providing tech support/ customer service
OpenCart
Shopping Cart Software
Sell products right from your site with credit card or paypal payment options.
Desktop Software
Firefox
Just as great a browser as always, and just as fast as the rest, but with open standards and a great non profit mission to put open web technology in the hands of creators and consumers alike globally.
Filezilla
A fast FTP client that is both cross platform and open source making it great for uploads on any major Operating System.
Clementine
A lightweight music player for huge libraries with tons of features it also integrates many streaming services. I think of it as the VLC of music players (as it is also written in Qt) but heavier on the bells and whistles while remaining lightweight.
VLC
A Video player that just works really well with just about any video format.
GIMP
For raster(bitmap) graphic design and photo editing
Inkscape
For vector graphic design.
I am a self taught graphic designer so I have not explored the limitations thoroughly but these two have carried me through quite comfortably.
GNU Cash
It isn’t quite as hands free as the mainstays like Quickbooks, but it is simple and you actually learn a bit about accounting and how the books balance.
Libre Office
Includes a suite of software for documents, presentations, and spreadsheets.
It is a modern fork of Open Office
All of these apps work on Linux, Windows, and OSX.
All of these apps are Open Source, Free, and developed by global communities, these communities are your resource for tech support, just do a search and see the wealth of information available, because hey we can actually look at the code and see what they are doing behind the scenes.
Ubuntu
A distribution of Linux that is easy to use. Ubuntu is an operating system, it is what runs your computer from boot-up, to web browsing to any other software. It is an alternative to Windows and Apple OSX.
Many software companies are supporting linux or turning toward web based applications which work on any OS so you need not worry about compatibility with certain software. If you are considering switching to linux, be sure to make sure your software is either compatible with linux or that there is a suitable alternative that is compatible.
Linux is also gaining momentum and support from leading game companies, such as Valve with their Steam platform, EA, and Blizzard for any gamers out there. This is due to the shear power of Linux and its openness allows graphic processing to reach new potential.
Ubuntu is entirely open source, and while OSX certainly provides the best user experience of any OS, what happens when your OSX version is out of date, Suddenly your favourite apps are no longer supported and you cant upgrade anything without buying the operating system’s latest version, or a new laptop all together. Ubuntu is beginning to rival OSX in ease of use.
Many people stick with windows for the lower cost of the computer itself. Well ubuntu runs on most windows compatible computers, and it is Free.
Linux also handles old hardware very well so if you want to try it on an old computer instead of buying a new one, you might find it to work a lot faster running Linux.
You can burn a live CD or USB flash drive and try it out risk free before installing.
Great Websites
Duck Duck Go
When half of google results are advertisements it is time to find an alternative. I was fine with them tracking me and selling my identity to advertisers for the great service. But that service just isn’t that good any more. Also look what they did to Youtube, it is now no better than cable TV as far as commercial time goes.
Duck Duck Go neither tracks you nor bubbles you. Bubbling is when your results are based on past searches, or your local area. They are basically deciding what the best results are based on what they think you will want to see. This leads to happy searchers, but it also leads to bubbled in searchers.
Open Street Map
A wiki style map service. It’s maps are completed with all of the benefits of local knowledge. To really see it’s potential I like to look at the level of detail in Paris. The site lacks a direction/gps service, but you can use Mapquest Open which draws from Open Street Map data which is completely free for anyone to access.
Sustainability Stack Exchange
sustainability.stackexchange.com
A stack exchange site, like stackoverflow.com, dedicated to sustainability Q and A.