Best Open Source Project?

From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source
-------------------------------
Open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's sources. Some consider it as a philosophy, and others consider it as a pragmatic methodology. Before open source became widely adopted, developers and producers used a variety of phrases to describe the concept; the term open source gained popularity with the rise of the Internet and its enabling of diverse production models, communication paths, and interactive communities. Subsequently, open source software became the most prominent face of open source.

The open source model can allow for the concurrent use of different agendas and approaches in production, in contrast with more centralized models of development such as those typically used in commercial software companies.
-------------------------------

What is the absolute best that the open source model has to offer? The term is usually applied to software specifically, but I'd like to use it here to refer to any community developed project whose collaborative efforts are freely available to all to use and/or modify in any not-for-profit manner; This could include content, health, politics, religion, media, etc..

Tags: culture, foss, open source, oss, software, tech


 
Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7   Next >
1.  
 
329  votes
2.  

Wikipedia

Top Five Percent
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia Wikipedia is an international Web-based cooperative free-content encyclopedia. It exists a... [show more]

Comments Discuss

 
299  votes
3.  

Linux (GNU/Linux)

Top Five Percent
Linux (also known as GNU/Linux) is a Unix-like computer operating system. It is one of the most prominent examples of open source ... [show more]

Comments 2 Comments

 
174  votes
4.  

Apache Server

Top Five Percent
Even if you think you've never used Apache, you have. Apache serves 70% of all websites on the internet. http://www.apache.org/

Comments 1 Comment

 
152  votes
5.  

Ubuntu Linux

Top Five Percent
http://www.ubuntu.com/ Linux for human beings! The Ubuntu community is built on the ideas enshrined in the Ubuntu Philosophy: tha... [show more]

Comments Discuss

 
133  votes
6.  

OpenOffice

Top Five Percent
A free, open source replacement for MS office, and it mostly works well with MS documents. Download at http://www.openoffice.org/

Comments 1 Comment

 
112  votes
7.  

PHP

Top Five Percent
http://www.php.net PHP: Widely-used general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for Web development and can be embedded into HTML.

Comments 1 Comment

 
108  votes
8.  
 
105  votes
9.  

MySQL

Top Five Percent
MySQL is the fast, simple-to-use database engine driving the vast majority of open source-powered websites, for which its excelle... [show more]

Comments 1 Comment

 
95  votes
10.  

BitTorrent

Top Five Percent
http://www.bittorrent.com/ BitTorrent is a peer-assisted, digital content delivery platform that provides the fastest, most effici... [show more]

Comments 7 Comments

 
93  votes
11.  

Python

http://www.python.org/ Python is a dynamic object-oriented programming language that can be used for many kinds of software devel... [show more]

Comments Discuss

 
75  votes
12.  

Eclipse

http://www.eclipse.org/ Eclipse is an open source IDE project that can be used for all sorts of development. I have been using ... [show more]

Comments 2 Comments

 
74  votes
13.  
 
77  votes
14.  

Blender 3D

Blender is the open source software for 3D modeling, animation, rendering, post-production, interactive creation and playback. Ava... [show more]

Comments Discuss

 
64  votes
15.  

Drupal

More than just a CMS, perhaps the finest constructed middleware application server platform in all of Open Source-dom.

Comments Discuss

 
58  votes
16.  

Debian

http://www.debian.org/ The universal operating system. This distribution is the rock on which Ubuntu, Knoppix, DSL, and many... [show more]

Comments Discuss

 
59  votes
17.  
 
65  votes
18.  

Ruby on Rails

http://www.rubyonrails.org Ruby on Rails is an open-source web framework that's optimized for programmer happiness and sustaina... [show more]

Comments Discuss

 
56  votes
19.  

Thunderbird

An awesome free mail client, and a great alternative to Outlook. Calendar and other extensions are available. http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird/

Comments Discuss

 
62  votes
20.  

Creative Commons

http://creativecommons.org/ Creative Commons defines the spectrum of possibilities between full copyright " all rights reserved "... [show more]

Comments 3 Comments

 
56  votes
21.  

FreeBASIC

FreeBASIC - as the name suggests - is a completely free, open-source, 32-bit BASIC compiler, with the syntax the most compatible p... [show more]

Comments 9 Comments

 
40  votes
22.  

Wordpress

A fantastically dynamic blogging software.

Comments 1 Comment

 
57  votes
23.  

Java

Yes, Java is going open source! Sun started a revolution with Java technology 10 years ago. With a free runtime, an open specif... [show more]

Comments Discuss

 
56  votes
24.  

GCC - GNU Compiler Collection, http://gcc.gnu.org

Open source would not have gotten far without free and open source compilers. GCC has front-ends for C, C++, Fortran, and more, b... [show more]

Comments 1 Comment

 
49  votes
25.  

Amarok

Rediscover your music! Consistently voted best music player on Linux. Coming to Windows next year. Try it out. http://amarok.kd... [show more]

Comments Discuss

 
43  votes
26.  

PostgreSQL

The World's most advanced open-source database. Highly scalable, SQL compliant, open source object-relational database management system.

Comments Discuss

 
48  votes
27.  

Joomla

Joomla! is one of the most powerful Open Source Content Management Systems on the planet. It is used all over the world for everyt... [show more]

Comments 2 Comments

 
38  votes
28.  

Subversion

Subversion (SVN) is an open source application for revision control. It is designed specifically to be a modern replacement for CV... [show more]

Comments Discuss

 
48  votes
29.  
 
36  votes
30.  

FreeBSD

FreeBSD is an advanced operating system for x86 compatible, amd64 compatible, ARM, IA-64, PC-98 and UltraSPARC architectures. It i... [show more]

Comments Discuss

 
33  votes
  Add a new answer!  
 
Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7   Next >

Topic History

ImgImgImgImgImgImgImgImgImgImgImgImgImgImgImgImgImgImgImgImg
See Older Activity
sharat_70 commented on the answer "NetBeans": "Love that NetBeans is leading the c...(2 months ago)

Comments     Leave a comment Leave a comment

Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
SweetlilCherry SweetlilCherry: 7,494 points   3 years ago

  Grupies think this comment is irrelevant  |  + Show comment anyway

Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
holotone holotone: 45,709 points   2 years ago

Digg 'em if ya got 'em!
http://digg.com/gene...f_Open_Source

Reply to this comment  Reply     Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
ThinkerMaddy ThinkerMaddy: 18 points   2 years ago

Wikipedia, Firefox and Ubuntu are extremely close contenders. It's like having to choose best of the best. Wikipedia for me, since it covers an almost universal domain of knowledge, not just computers.

Reply to this comment  Reply     Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
delpino delpino: 41 points   2 years ago

  Grupies think this comment is irrelevant  |  + Show comment anyway

Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
ramkumarkb ramkumarkb: 54 points   2 years ago

  Grupies think this comment is irrelevant  |  + Show comment anyway

Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
holotone holotone: 45,709 points   2 years ago

The list is a work in progress, and is becoming more useful and accurate as people continue to add and vote on their favorites; If something doesn't look right, help us improve the list by contributing new answers, votes, and comments...!

Reply to this comment  Reply     Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
arrash arrash: 40 points   2 years ago

Ubuntu, Debian, Wikipedia, and Firefox.

Those three are tied in my mind for their outstanding innovation, contribution to the state of the global community as a whole, and the fostering of access, knowledge, and excellence.

I use Ubuntu and Debian exclusively.

Reply to this comment  Reply     Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
TheAdventMaster TheAdventMaster: 17 points   2 years ago

^_^;; FreeBASIC is very helpful. It's made so much progress and has sped up my programming efforts very much so.

Reply to this comment  Reply     Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
hajush hajush: 541 points   2 years ago

Great topic, thanks. It's great to revisit this one, and to see so many additional projects listed, some of which look pretty cool.

Reply to this comment  Reply     Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
k40s k40s: 12 points   2 years ago

Really the first would be LINUX because if we count the votes of linux, ubuntu linux and debian they have more votes than firefox

Realmente debiera ser primero linux porque sumando los votos de linux, ubuntu linux y debian suman mas que firefox

Reply to this comment  Reply     Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
rootneg2 rootneg2: 4,898 points   2 years ago

I'm surprised that the GPL still hasn't made it to the front page yet; come on people!

@hajush: I wholeheartedly agree; it's fun to come back to and check up on. I've found out about a bunch of cool projects that i wouldn't have otherwise

@k40s
Well.... Technically Linux is solely the kernel itself, a project in it's own right. When people usually talk about GNU/Linux as an OS, however, it's no longer a single project. I consider the answer for Debian as a project which utilizes the Linux kernel (or the HURD, the BSD kernel, etc.), and then Linux as a project in it's own right which is *just* the kernel development team.

Reply to this comment  Reply     Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
holotone holotone: 45,709 points   2 years ago

G-P-L!

Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
holotone holotone: 45,709 points   2 years ago

For those who missed the news:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gpl3#Version_3

Link to this comment Link
Reply to this comment  Add a Reply    
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
Traroth Traroth: 2,893 points   2 years ago

This topic is really a cool digest of interesting projects. A cool place where find projects I didn't know yet. Continue to add more of them!

Reply to this comment  Reply     Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
Verifex Verifex: 50 points   1 year ago

I love this list, I'm going to add some more to it as I find em. I can't believe Paint.NET wasn't on there, it's a pretty impressive alternative to GIMP. Ever since I went to Paint.NET I never looked back at GIMP again.. hehe

Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
Traroth Traroth: 2,893 points   1 year ago

Feel free to add it...

Link to this comment Link
Reply to this comment  Add a Reply    
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
jc jc: 16 points   1 year ago

I can't believe that so many of these answers are not even open source

Reply to this comment  Reply     Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
davidthedrake Developer: 6,459 points   1 year ago

Yea, but there are a LOT that are.

Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
jc jc: 16 points   1 year ago

@davidthedrake

right you are, dave, but a giving an answer like "del.icio.us" to the question "Best Open Source Project?" is like answering the question "Best Restaurant in Town?" with "Home Depot"

Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
davidthedrake Developer: 6,459 points   1 year ago

*shrug* Mark the answer as irrelevant then. With enough votes, it'll get hidden from view.

The tools are there, just gotta use them. ;)

Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
rootneg2 rootneg2: 4,898 points   1 year ago

Well, the description states that it doesn't have to be specifically GPL'd software, but simply any project that uses the "open source model" i.e. collaborative, open information sharing. I would say that del.icio.us or grupthink fit this description.

Link to this comment Link
Reply to this comment  Add a Reply    
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
keywordsforall.com keywordsforall.com: 47 points   1 year ago

  Grupies think this comment is irrelevant  |  + Show comment anyway

Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
aquadonia aquadonia: 243 points   1 year ago

Thanks for starting this topic! I hadn't known about a lot of these. :o)

Reply to this comment  Reply     Link to this comment Link
Avatar Image
      Thumbs down Thumbs up   
chicodj chicodj: 11 points   9 months ago

This topic is great and very helpful.

Reply to this comment  Reply     Link to this comment Link

Topic Details

This topic was started by holotone holotone: 45,709 points on June 6th, 2006. 784 grupies have voted on one or more of the 198 answers.

Tags: culture, foss, open source, oss, software, tech

Get Notified

Get email notifications and feed updates on your home page by turning on the options below. You can also subscribe to topics automatically.

Please login or register to see notification options.