January 2, 2009 by mguhlin

2008 Top 10 Coolest OpenSource Apps

CRN.com has their top 10 list of coolest Open Source Products, among them (their descriptions are quoted below) are these 3 that I think ARE the best:

Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop Edition, nicknamed “Intrepid Ibex,” provides so much functionality and ease of use, at zero cost of acquisition, that it is really impossible to ignore. For anyone or any business not tied to Microsoft legacy desktop applications, Ubuntu 8.10 may realistically be considered a smarter choice in many scenarios.
Laconica: If microblogging site Twitter became the social networking smash of 2008, 2009 could be a great year for the open-source microblogging platform called Laconica. The best-known site using that code, Identi.ca, allows communication through browsers, e-mail and SMS messaging — giving a powerful, free alternative to those seeking to build their own social networking or microblogging platforms.
OpenOffice 3.0: The popular — and free — open source productivity suite hit its milestone 3.0 version in 2008, making it more clear than ever that its functionality and compatibility with Microsoft Office (including OpenOffice Impress, which is PowerPoint compatible) make it a force to be reckoned with. With an acquisition cost of between $150 and $200 less than Microsoft Office 2007, it could have a big year in a down economy in 2009.

and here are other products NOT on their list but that I think are essential…they will probably be familiar to you:

Firefox 3.x Browser: great all around Internet browser.
WordPress 2.7: the latest version of this blogging software is versatile, easy, and simplifies transport and exchange of data.
Moodle: Continues to be the most awesome course management system out there, even if I keep hoping for a more robust wiki (a la PMWiki.org) and blog engine.
Joomla: Content management system for the rest of us…helps maintain web sites and more.
PmWiki.org: my favorite wiki software, even if it isn’t GUI or run off MySQL

What else would you add to this list?

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