Is there such a thing as a free lunch? Well, that’s what the open source movement would have you believe. It offers programs for any task at no cost beyond getting hold of the installation files (effectively free with broadband), and even complete replacements for Windows or Mac OS X.

The open source movement promotes software without the restrictions placed by proprietary vendors, such as product activation that have become part of normal computing. In fact, sharing software is actively encouraged. We decided to see whether it is all too good to be true, what is available and whether it is still the preserve of techies.

Freedom of use
Long before Windows was created, the open source movement was founded by Richard Stallman with a project called GNU. He decided there should be four essential freedoms for anyone using software: The freedom to run the program for any purpose; to study how it works; share it with anyone; and to make modifications. A special video about the GNU project narrated by actor Stephen Fry can also be viewed.

The other significant event in the history of open source was when a Finnish student called Linus Torvalds decided to write his own kernel. The kernel is the most basic part of all operating systems, including Windows and Mac OS X.

The combination of Torvalds’ kernel with the software already available from the GNU Project, resulted in Linux; a complete operating system that anyone could use and modify. There are now all kinds of variations (called distributions) that have been created by companies or for specific purposes.

Why use it?
The most compelling reason for using open source is that it doesn’t cost any money to use (most of the time as we will see later). The Open Office suite can replace Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Access, saving a significant amount of money. Another good reason for using open source is educational. If you want to learn how software works there is nothing to stop you from studying the actual code of the software.

Sometimes open source programs are considered better than the commercial ones. The Firefox web browser has earned a lot of respect for performing better than Internet Explorer while offering greater security. Other software includes an impressive email program called Thunderbird, Turbocash for managing finances and The Gimp image editor.