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Now that you are starting to become comfortable with the workings of Linux, you will probably be looking for some Linux-friendly software. Because Linux is based on open source development, the following applications are all available free of charge.

Perhaps the most familiar Linux application is the Internet browser Firefox. It is readily available through free download, both directly from the site (mozilla.org) and through Google affiliate web publishers. Net Applications' "Market Share" analysis reports Firefox as the second most common Internet browser in current use (at 17.76% as of April 2008), after Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Its standard features include live bookmarking, tabbed browsing, and an integrated download manager, as well as integration of the user's desired search engine right into the browser. In addition, at least two thousand third-party add-ons have been customised for Firefox.

OpenOffice is the office workhorse of the Linux family. It is in direct competition with Microsoft Office Suite and includes virtually all of the same applications, from word processing to database management to a surprisingly sophisticated graphics editor for one included as part of a bundle; but in sharp contrast to MS Office it is available through free download (OpenOffice.org). OpenOffice is also capable of opening most MS Office files, including a few older versions that MS Office itself cannot open. Parts of OpenOffice require Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to run, but as of May 2007 most OpenOffice Java applications have been made into freeware, and Sun has additionally committed to maintaining a freeware environment for all Java applications used in OpenOffice. Of particular interest to technophiles is that Sun Microsystems has released the source code of OpenOffice.

The most popular Linux e-mail application is Thunderbird, an e-mail client developed by Mozilla (mozilla.org) which allows the user to tag and otherwise customise messages and folders. It is also focused toward simple setup of newsgroups and RSS feeds. The Enigmail security extension additionally allows PGP signing, encryption, and decryption.

One of the best available Linux graphics editors is GIMP (gimp.org), used for image manipulation and simple animation. Although it provides a very large number of tools, such as customisable brushes and supported gradients, as well as approximately 150 image effects and filtres, it was never designed to be a Photoshop clone. Its greatest asset is its file format flexibility.

The audiovisual player Totem is often bundled with Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, and can handle all mainstream video formats. Among the most popular separate downloads is Kaffeine (http://kaffeine.kde.org), which can support multiple player engines and keep track of multiple play lists, and is capable of playing CDs, DVDs, and just about anything available on the Internet.

Because Linux is open source, this list is necessarily a dynamic one. The number of Linux freeware applications, especially in multimedia, continues to grow. For now, those listed are among the best out there: but who can say what will become available tomorrow?

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