Recently I used to be invited to current on free and open assets which are out there on the net. This presentation was a part of an area effort to maintain our group working—sponsored by the Foster Center at St. Bonaventure University close to my residence. Some of the assets I shared weren’t open supply and merely value $0, however lots of the instruments have been additionally open supply.
It was attention-grabbing to see what number of of us acknowledged the instruments I discussed. Many persons are unaware that the instruments they use on daily basis are open supply, and so they can share them with others.
Open supply browsers
Using the online requires a very good browser, and Firefox is open source, which among the of us I used to be presenting to have been unaware of. In addition to being open supply, Firefox is strongly acutely aware of privateness, which is a rising concern for a lot of customers. Interestingly, although, even Microsoft’s new browser is predicated on the open supply Chromium mission.
Open supply net privateness
Another strategy to defend your privateness and enhance your net expertise, basically, is to make use of uBlock Origin to dam commercials. According to their web site:
uBlock Origin is a free and open supply, cross-platform browser extension for content material filtering—primarily geared toward neutralizing privateness invasion in an environment friendly, user-friendly methodology.
The code is GPL v. 3.0.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) additionally maintains Privacy Badger, an online browser extension licensed beneath the GPL v.3.0. According to their Github repository, it is:
A browser extension that robotically learns to dam invisible trackers. Instead of maintaining lists of what to dam, Privacy Badger robotically discovers trackers based mostly on their habits.
In addition to privateness, my presentation shared the significance of safe passwords. My viewers discovered about Bitwarden. Many of us had no thought the way to generate safe passwords, differentiate from one web site to a different, and retailer them securely. I demonstrated how the software program labored to create passwords and use Bitwarden to retailer these passwords within the cloud. I defined how customers may entry these credentials as browser plugins, desktop and laptop computer purposes, and on Android or iOS cell units.
Open supply messaging
I spoke of the ubiquity of textual content messaging but additionally its inherent insecurity. The viewers was not conscious of Signal. I’ve been utilizing Signal for a few years and frequently encourage others to think about it as a safe messaging platform. It is simple to install Signal on Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS, and it provides glorious help documentation with detailed set up directions for every working system. Signal makes use of your current cell quantity, offered it could actually ship and obtain SMS and cellphone calls. The first time you arrange Signal in your cell phone, the appliance can search your tackle books for any of your contacts utilizing Signal.
Open supply workplace instruments
No presentation on open supply instruments is full with out mentioning my favourite content material creation instrument, which is LibreOffice. Despite its recognition, many are unaware that it exists and the liberty that comes with its use. I take advantage of it on daily basis to jot down articles. I take advantage of it as an alternative of Excel, and generally I used it for shows. You can obtain it and set up it for Linux, macOS, and Windows. One of the beauties of LibreOffice is that you just actually personal your paperwork. You do not want an costly program to entry them.
Open supply weblog builder
WordPress is my favourite running a blog engine, and there are myriad methods you should utilize it, whether or not sharing your personal opinions on world occasions, a low-cost writing platform on your students, or an online presence on your business.
Open supply media repository
While creating content material, you will want photos that you could simply and legally share for example your work. OpenClipart is my go-to. There are 1000’s of photos out there in varied in style codecs for inclusion in your LibreOffice paperwork and weblog posts. In addition, you will discover photos that you could share with the correct attribution by visiting Creative Commons. Creative Commons provides licensing that makes sharing simpler. Creative Commons is an extension of copyright that makes sharing simpler. Be certain to familiarize your self with the nuances of the licenses.
Open supply video conferencing
The pandemic has modified the paradigm for conferences and meetups. Jitsi, Big Blue Button, and a number of other others have revolutionized how we work together and study as reported here by Chris Hermansen.
Open supply academic assets
Open academic assets have liberated studying. With OER Commons, you will discover content material to satisfy your wants, from pre-kindergarten to graduate {and professional} levels, and it’s brazenly licensed as a way to use it and share it with others. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Open Courseware is almost all of MIT’s undergraduate and graduate content material supplied beneath a Creative Commons non-commercial share-alike license. OpenStax, an open textbook initiative at Rice University, provides peer-reviewed textbooks which are brazenly licensed and out there at no cost.
Open supply podcast instruments
Podcasts have develop into an effective way to make amends for the most recent open source news for me. Have you considered beginning your personal podcast? There are a few nice open supply instruments that I’m conversant in that present methods to make {that a} actuality. Audacity is my favourite recording utility. I’ve used it to flip my classroom instruction, file interviews, and experiment with sound results. It is a 16-track audio editor that you should utilize in a wide range of methods. If you will have one thing to say or a talent to show, it’s best to use Open Broadcaster Software.
Linux
Finally, introduce your folks to Linux, which a lot of them nonetheless do not find out about, and allow them to expertise all of the available free software program.
In addition to the speak recorded and shared on YouTube, I compiled an inventory of hyperlinks to the assets and shared them on GitHub.
