Free Open Source Desktop Productivity Apps - Small Business Computing

Free Open Source Desktop Productivity Apps

Oct 5, 2010
1 minute read


PCWorld: Free Open Source Desktop Productivity Apps

These free open source apps range from word processors and desktop publishing programs to task tracking and mind mapping.


“Most everyone who’s had some experience with free open source software has learned about the OpenOffice.org suite of productivity programs: a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, database, and drawing tool that provide a good deal of the functionality of their commercial counterparts. For users who need powerful productivity tools but don’t require a high degree of compatibility with Microsoft-formatted files, OpenOffice.org is almost a no-brainer.

But apart from OpenOffice.org, what else is there? I dug into my own program folders and searched the far corners of the Web to come up with a cache of free and open source productivity applications for a range of desktop productivity tasks: word processing, page layout, graphics editing, illustration, task management, and more. Some of these tools are worthy substitutes for expensive commercial counterparts. All of them are available for Windows, and nearly all are available for Linux and Mac OS X as well.”

Small Business Computing Staff

Small Business Computing addresses the technology needs of small businesses, which are defined as businesses with fewer than 500 employees and/or less than $7 million in annual sales.

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