Guide To Free Software

Software is best when it has a free and open-source software license. This is because the code is freely available to audit by anyone knowledgeable, as well as create their own fork (software) if they want to modify the original program.

Here are some reasons why free and open source software is better for users than proprietary software:

• More software: This form of licensing allows developers to contribute to, use, and create copies of each other's code which often leads to more software and more choice on which software the user wants to use.
• Monetarily free: Most times this software is monetarily free. But developers still have the right to sell distributions of their software even if the code is freely available.
• No ads: 99% of the time this software doesn't contain ads because ads don't usually fit in the ethics and funding models of the organizations and individuals creating free and open source software.
• No spyware: The open nature of this software means there is no where to hide spyware.

This is some of the free and open source software we use and recommend.

• Element is an instant messaging client implementing the Matrix (protocol).
• WebCord is a Discord client with many client-side privacy features.

• Brave is a web browser with many built-in features such as ad-block, enhanced privacy, device sync, and more.
• FreeTube is a privacy-oriented YouTube browser that allows you to download audio and videos as well as keep locally-saved playlists and subscriptions without depending on YouTube's mercy for your account.

• Audacity is a digital audio editor and recording application.

• GIMP is a raster graphics editor used for image manipulation and image editing, free-form drawing, transcoding between different image file formats, and more specialized tasks.
• Inkscape is a vector graphics editor for Linux, Windows and macOS. It offers a rich set of features and is widely used for both artistic and technical illustrations such as cartoons, clip art, logos, typography, diagramming and flowcharting.

• Shotcut is a cross-platform video, audio, and image editing program.
• MPC-HC is a compact, lightweight, and customizable media player for Microsoft Windows.
• MPV is a customizable media player with a minimal UI and lots of features.
• Handbrake is a transcoder for digital video files.

• Linux Mint is a user-friendly linux distribution based on Ubuntu.
• GrapheneOS is an android-based, privacy-hardened operating system for Pixel phones that is easy to install.
• Arch Linux is a linux distribution with a focus on simplicity for developers. This also makes it more simple for non-developer power users.

• Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is a survival horror roguelike.
• Mindustry is a factorio-like tower defense for desktop and mobile.
• OpenTTD is a transport tycoon recreation.
• Unciv is a 2D recreation of Civilization V for desktop and Android.