I am not a talented artist, but I enjoy using graphics for greeting cards, posters, and occasionally hoodies or t-shirts. When I need an image of a creature such as a cow, horse, or eagle, I turn to Openclipart.org. This unique platform is dedicated to providing a vast collection of free-to-use vector graphics. Launched in … Read more
Inkscape is one of my favorite open-source graphic design tools. It has an intuitive interface that is relatively easy to master. As I learned to use Inkscape, I became familiar with vector graphics. I appreciated their usefulness in various projects, such as posters, t-shirts, hoodies, and any items that feature graphics. Vector graphics consist of … Read more
Recently, a friend gave me a recent model of a Hewlett-Packard Pavilion laptop. He said, “It turns on but goes off almost immediately. Maybe you could use it?” I gladly accepted the gift and took it home, and it performed as he described. I got CMOS battery errors from the BIOS and decided to take … Read more
Many people don’t realize the abundance of free and open-source resources available online. Here are some of my favorite open-source tools across different categories, designed to enhance your daily life, work, and digital experience. Browsers Firefox stands out as a privacy-conscious and open-source browser. Chromium is another open-source browser that was developed at Google. Web … Read more
My initial reaction to Linux was that I did not fully understand its range of tools. At that time, I was the technology director for a small K-12 public school district with limited resources but a growing number of classrooms, learning labs, and administrative offices. I came from a social science background, and although I … Read more
Welcome to the exciting world of digital art! Whether you are an experienced artist or a curious beginner, Krita is a name you should know. Developed by the KDE community, Krita is free and open-source digital painting software that has gained immense popularity in art. It has powerful features and is easy to use, with a user-friendly … Read more
Linux, LibreOffice, GnuCash, and Audacity are all open-source projects, meaning the folks who write the code and/or the documentation are usually not paid for it. It’s quite impressive when you think of it. In a day when nearly everything is monetized, open source is still free. I used open-source software for years before contributing anything, … Read more
I’ve been interested in photography since I co-opted my father’s Kodak 620 camera as a young boy. I used it to take pictures of the flora and fauna of our neighborhood. My love of photography led me to an Instamatic camera in high school and eventually to digital cameras as they entered the marketplace in … Read more
Emmanuel Engelhart and Renaud Gaudin wanted everyone to have access to Wikipedia, and in 2007, the dream became a reality with the creation of Kiwix. The project aimed at making knowledge accessible offline and the idea was born out of the need to provide Wikipedia and other educational content to people without reliable internet access. … Read more
A conversation with a friend today led me to remember Etherpad. In an age of digital collaboration, finding the right tool to facilitate effective teamwork is crucial. Etherpad is a real-time, open-source collaborative text editor designed to streamline teamwork and boost efficiency. I’m a long-time user of Google Drive, and I consider it an excellent … Read more
