Getting Started with Open Source Software

The alternative to the ZedFilesCD is building your own system. Links to individual applications are on the downloads page. Desktop Applications are coded in blue, CMS Applications in green. If you are interested in portability, PortableApps.com is a great source for individual applications or an entire portable suite.

The Apache Fiends' Xampp Project includes the MySQL data base, FileZillaFTP server, and all of the support libraries necessary to run PHP, PERL etc. With the MySQL database, web-based content management systems can be run on an individual computer, shared on a LAN or website. One of the major benefits of using the Xampp server package on your own computer is the ability to evaluate potential web based applications and experiment with them before loading them onto a web site. The opensourcecms.com site is excellent for finding other content management systems.

When one is ready to start taking the step to Linux OS and Linux based applications, Linux Online! is a good site. There are an amazing number of people who have made it a vocation to help people become familiar with Linux and Open Source Software.