Free Intellectual Property
I'm extremely partial to free software and by extension, to all freely available intellectual property. Purists emphasize the differences between open source and free but I'm content to leave it fuzzy. In all honesty access to source code has only had academic value to me since I've never had occasion to alter someone else's application. My definition does, however, exclude nagware, pleadware and guerilla-marketing masquerading as software. If you wrote it, it's your right to sell it and you should if that is your preference. But please don't dilute the high standard set by others by being free but annoying.
What I favor is altruism in the form of free IP. I am honored with the privledge of using it and increasingly find it superior to commercial alternatives. The price is certainly right but my affinity extends beyond just being a cheapskate. I am a sucker for all things counter-intuitive and free IP seems to turn "what's in it for me?" on its head. Intellectual capital is among the most private and valuable assets one possesses and I am humbled by people and institutions willingly bestowing the byproducts of their labor with no guarantee of return beyond knowing the work is valued. I hope someday to have the time and the insight to make a significant contribution to the already substantial body of available free intellectual property.
Of course, one can give away IP and still harbor aspirations for wealth and fame (as I assume many do). Nevertheless I find something sincere and refreshing at the heart of the free IP movement that can't simply be dismissed as deferred ambition: the powerful image of individual contributers competing with- and besting- Goliaths of commerce.
While there is an abundance of free IP available for download, the following are specific links to several tried and proven software titles I myself use frequently- stable, full-featured, free alternatives to many of today's home and business softwares. Not all are equal in terms of licensing, access to source code or unlimited commercial use, but I suspect that for many casual software consumers those distinctions are not terribly significant. This brief list includes a very mature, complete operating system (Debian), web browser (Firefox), email client (Thurderbird), office suite (OpenOffice), database system (MySQL), graphics program (Inkscape), photo editor (IrfanView), MP3 player (Amarok), as well as tools for remote access (No Machine , WinSCP), ecommerce (Zen Cart), content management (Drupal), wiki/hosting (Wikidot), Java development (Java.sun.com and eclipse), web development (HTML-Kit), network monitoring (Wireshark) and content filtering (K9 Web Protection).
Beyond the above are numerous tools specifically for developers and network engineers, freely available computer science coursework, detailed tutorials and an abundance of open content in other areas of IP such as design, art work, photography and music. The links on the left identify a few of my favorites in these categories.
