Open Source Alternative News

FrostWire added to osalt.com

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:10:07 GMT

FrostWire is an alternative peer-to-peer file sharing service on the Gnutella network that is modeled after LimeWire and in fact, derived its code from LimeWire Pro. You'll find it a bit different in appearance but if you've worked with one, the other will be very familiar.

One of the advantages of FrostWire is that you won't get an onslaught of ads every time you open it to search for a file. This is good news for those who prefer to keep their machines clean of adware and spyware. The interface is pleasantly blue with rounded corners on the tabs but other than that, FrostWire is remarkably similar to LimeWire. You will still be sharing files on the Gnutella and Bittorent network but you'll be able to pay more attention to your downloads and less to unwanted ads.

As a pleasant extra feature, FrostWire has a built in community chat. The clean, straightforward interface is very user friendly and installation is fast and simple. However, pay attention to every screen if you would rather not install the ASK toolbar; you must uncheck two boxes instead of one if you prefer not to have this feature.

In short, FrostWire is quality peer-to-peer file sharing, Java based so it's compatible with any system. Those that have used other Bittorrent supported services will find FrostWire familiar and easy to use with fast downloads and a few enjoyable extras.

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Qt Creator added to osalt.com

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:57:46 GMT

When you want to build applications with state of the art GUI interfaces you may want to look at Nokia's Qt Creator. It is focused on the idea of providing Qt users the features they need to get up and running, whether they are new at Qt or experienced developers. This IDE (integrated development environment) provides several unique features that make Qt creation easier and more enjoyable and supports multiple platforms.

Coding can be one of the biggest time consumers in developing applications and Qt's C++ code editor makes it easier and faster. It has static code checking and provides style hints as you type, code folding and advanced editing. You'll get context sensitive help and parenthesis matching and selection modes, two very helpful features that will let you finish the job faster.

Qt Creator provides navigation tools that will help you manage your source code, too. Have you ever forgotten the name of a file you needed? No problem here, you can open files even if you don't know where they are located or what the exact name is. You can also follow symbols across several different files and locations, search for files and classes and switch between header and source file or declarations and definitions. You'll also get an integrated GUI layout and forms designer, visual debugger and project and build management tools.

You can get Qt Creator bundled with the latest version Qt libraries as well as additional tools.

Support is provided through the customer portal, email, a knowledge base, software updates and an online forum consisting of experts and creators.

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Mumble added to osalt.com

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:12:37 GMT

Mumble is voice chat software that can be used by any type of group but is tailored for gamers who enjoy chatting while gaming. It has an ingame overlay for DirectX9 and OpenGL based games and shows clearly who is speaking even when using full screen applications. This is a feature that most chatting software lacks and is what gamers have been asking for.

Gamers have had concerns about delays with other chat software. This presents a major problem when a gamer is asking advice and needs a quick response. Mumble has a much shorter delay and better implementation of Speex than most other software. In fact, it is based on the new Speex codec that has significantly lower memory needs and much better sound quality. Since it doesn't demand so much memory, gaming is smoother and the chatting process doesn't interfere with the game play.

Mumble comes with plug-in support to positional audio in games and also has a plug-in for Battlefield 2, one of the most recently popular games. The installer has Mumble as the client and the server Murmur. Murmer is the server that insures secure communication and full extensibility. It also has voice preprocessing and low latency that removes noise and improves voice clarity. The Murmur server delivers quality that is superior to many chat applications currently in use.

Mumble supports a number of popular game title including Battlefield 2, Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty 2 and 4, and Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory.

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MuseScore added to osalt.com

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:05:59 GMT

MuseScore is an open source cross platform music notation program that has a lot of very good features. Simple to operate, notes are entered on a virtual note sheet with your mouse, MIDI or keyboard. There are an unlimited number of staves and up to four voices per staff, making it very versatile. It also features a note editing input that is much like step-time note entry that found on premium commercial music editing software. Its wizards make it easy to set up and files are opened by a simple double click of the mouse.

MuseScore includes an integrated sequencer and FluidSynth software synthesizer and even drum notation, something that many commercial programs don't have. There are plugins included to use or you can even create your own.

MuseScore is popular among educators as it is easy to learn and has all the bells and whistles that their students enjoy. It will mark out-of-range notes using yellow for amateurs and red for professional musicians. It offers automatic note head positioning, unlimited time and key changes, slur editing and unlimited lyrics. MuseScore also has a mixer function, part extraction and grace notes.

When you want to share your music with others, you can import and export MusicXML, standard MIDI files and Band-in-a-Box files. It can also export to LilyPond. Once you're done with your creation, you can print engraved sheet music as SVG, PDF or PNG documents. If you want professional looking sheet music to share with friends, a choir or your band MuseScore does a very fine job.

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Games on osalt.com

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:08:03 GMT

Today we launch a new category - Games - here on Open Source Alternative. This has long been requested by our users - and we and now finally able to go live.

We hope that this new addition to osalt.com will allow us to reach out and help even more people by showing them the alternative to paid software. And thus allowing some of these people to provide feedback to the developer community in order to add new features to and improve their software project.

Already today you will be able to find alternatives for some of the most popular games on the market: Guitar Hero and SingStar.

And we will be adding more games to the list of alternatives - so keep an eye on osalt.

Enjoy the new category.

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Serna Free added to osalt.com

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:01:12 GMT

Serna Free is an open source, powerful XML editor. It is geared toward those with no experience and uses WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) for ease of use. Its appearance is a lot like a word processor so it is very easy to learn.

When most people look for an XML editor they want ease of use. They don't want to spend a lot of time learning the ins and outs of all the options and tools. Serna Free is simple to operate and very user friendly.

Its user interface is localized into languages that include French, German, Chinese, Italian and many more. Features include drag and drop editing, multilingual spell checking and context-sensitive element help. It also supports several document types such as Docbook, XHTML, NITF and others.

Serna Free is designed for home needs, education and other non-commercial users. Unlike HTML, XML isn't used just to build web pages. It can support unlimited tags and therefore has nearly limitless applications. Content that is reused is shown as part of the document, unnoticeable from the regular content. This is very convenient as well as labor saving. Serna Free makes it easy to exchange data between web applications; it is particularly helpful for commercial sites that need to simplify operations such as ordering and communicating with shippers at a different site.

Serna Free also has ContentMap, a feature that lets you view a tree structure of a document on the left pane. It updates automatically as you create your document and the current ContentMap element is highlighted so that you always know exactly where you are.

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Zim added to osalt.com

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:53:23 GMT

Zim-Wiki is a very useful open source application that allows you to organize your notes and thoughts. Simple to use and easy to learn, it supports inline images so that you can insert images from the web or scanned-in pictures and other illustrations. It features a handy drag and drop style to affix images into your notes rather than a lengthy import function.

When you begin creating notes they are organized in sets of hierarchical documents. This type of structure allows you to easily find the notes; you can add a comment to the note and also create tags for your document.

One of Zim-Wiki's best advantages is a search feature that allows you to find any note, even if it isn't in any kind of a structure. You can keep different sets of notes in notebooks for even better organization. There's no need to open lists or configure bullets from a toolbar; just use an asterisk and the space bar to produce a bullet point. To stop using bullets, just hit return twice; much easier than drop down menus.

You can make a link click-able when you begin them with http:// and make your notes click-able links by typing a colon in front of the name of your page. Now you can be taken straight to it when you click the link that the procedure generates. Documents and other files can be attached to your notes, too.

Zim-Wiki has word count, spell check and other convenient extras such as keyboard shortcuts plus the ability to export your notes to HTML.

Note: Windows users should go here for Windows version: http://code.google.com/p/zimdesktopwiki-windows/

Click here for more.

Concrete5 added to osalt.com

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:33:33 GMT

You might want to consider Concrete 5 if you need a simple CMS (Content Management System) that can be used by both web developers and designers. This open source CMS has a few speed bumps but its advantages seem to outweigh them.

Installing Concrete 5 is quick and easy and takes only a couple minutes once you enter a few items of basic information. You will, however, need PHP and MySQL. After installation you'll see that you have a choice of just two templates, called themes. These are Plain Yogurt and Green Salad. The templates have several pre-built pages like "About" and "Contact" that definitely save time. You are also provided with about 20 "Blocks" which are sections of HTML, videos, surveys and the like. Blocks can be easily dropped into a page to add content and features. Concrete 5 allows different blocks to be developed but you'll need to be or have access to a PHP developer.

The editor is where Concrete 5 really shines, a WYSIWYG system that allows you to change anything just by clicking on it. Whether it's a static page or a dynamic page containing content requested by readers, the editor makes corrections or additions fast and easy. People with only basic computer skills will find it simple to add new content, edit pages or create new ones.

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XMind added to osalt.com

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:50:37 GMT

Mind mapping is the new approach to preparing big projects or organizing functions among a group or just helping you get things done in a timely manner. XMind is an open source program that helps generate ideas, visualize concepts and classify ideas. You can use your maps privately or share them online and get input from your colleagues or co-workers.

XMind is easy to use and it has a tabbed interface that lets you open several maps at a time. A sidebar tells you all the details about the map that you select. There are several useful templates or you can create your own concept map. XMind supports notes, images, hyperlinks and files so you can express your concepts clearly and completely. Merely double click to edit topics or create them anywhere on your map. You can organize your topics with moving markers, drag and drop or by adding attachments. Need to research a topic? You can Google it without leaving your work window and even drag images into your map.

XMind is compatible with MindManager and FreeMind, too, so you aren't limited in your communications. You can even use it to make a presentation, filtering all the information with markers and labels. Your audience will be able to focus on a central point or be able to understand and visualize an entire idea. You can even use the audio notes to record voices as separate attachments. XMind has the ability to separate smaller aspects as multi-maps and then merge into a single map when needed. All maps can be exported to many formats including Word, PPT and PDF/RTF. In short, XMind is an easy to use tool with a lot of extras to help you share ideas and brainstorm in the most efficient way possible.

Click here for more.

LMMS added to osalt.com

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:34:33 GMT

Linux Multimedia Studio (LMMS) is a free DAW (digital audio workstation) created for Linux & Windows. Although it has a rather steep learning curve, there are many tutorials and it includes several sample songs that you can learn from. Users learn the functions pretty quickly once they go through a few of the examples.

LMMS allows the user to create and produce music by synthesizing sounds, arranging samples and playing on a MIDI keyboard. Features include trackers, sequencers, synthesizers and a beat/bassline editor. It also has a song editor to help organize materials into larger forms and a piano-roll window to aid in writing MIDI parts.

This DAW also lets you add effects to pre-existing audio so that you can record something and import it as a sample. You can add filters, distortion or any other effects you like and then make the whole file one track. By creating samples in the same composition program you can save a lot of time that you would normally waste by copying it between multiple programs.

The piano roll previously mentioned allows easy editing by clicking on the right pitch at the right time and clicking to insert the note. The note value can easily be changed by resizing it with the mouse.

One drawback of LMMS is that it has no "undo" function anywhere in the program. That can be quite frustrating but as you learn the program better you probably won't miss it.

LMMS come equipped with four different synthesizers. There is one that allows manipulation of samples by adding filters and a BitInvader plugin that is a wavetable synthesizer, allowing you to create a waveform for your sound. There is a guitar synthesizer and one with three oscillators. Most of LMMS's controls are understandable but you can get guidance by right clicking and selecting the "help" option.

Click here for more.