With universities soon to start back, I’ve been focussing on student software a lot these past couple of weeks. First I suggested some freeware and open source software that all students will find useful. Next I looked at how Open Source software can benefit computing students and why they should try Linux. Today I’m going to suggest some Open Source software which will be particularly beneficial to computing students.
The Text Editor
You weren’t planning on writing code in Notepad were you? When a full featured IDE is too much for the task at hand, these text editors will give you all the features you need without too much bulk. Each of them lets you have multiple files open at once, has syntax highlighting and search and replace functions, and a whole lot more.
Kate (Linux)
gEdit (Linux)
Notepad++ (Windows)
The IDE
Asside from being expensive, Microsoft Visual Studio is closed source, and only runs under Windows. Whether you want something a little lighter, something tailored to your language or just something free, there’s an open source option available. Here are some great choices for a range of platforms.
Eclipse (Cross-Platform)
KDevelop (Linux)
Anjuta (Linux)
Dev-C++ (Windows)
The UML Editor
I’ve looked before at the importance of planning. UML modelling tools make it easy to put together a visual representation of a solution, and to modify it as you work.
Gaphor (Multi Platform)
ArgoUML (Multi Platform)
Umbrello (Linux)
StarUML (Windows
The Mind Mapper
Some times you need do some planning without the constraints of something formal like UML. When you just need to get ideas onto paper (or screen as the case may be), mind mapping can be ideal. These applications help you make maps quickly and easily, and unlike writing them in a notepad, they’re easy to edit later on.
Freemind (Multi Plaform)
Whilst not open source, this online tool can also be useful:
Bubbl.us (Online)
The Source Manager
Whether you’re working alone or as part of a group, losing all of your work is never fun. Source code repositories make it easy to store your code in a seperate location, access it from multiple computers, and revert to older versions when something goes wrong. Several of the IDEs I listed above have support for repositories either natively or through plugins, plus I have listed some stand alone tools below.
CVS
Tortoise CVS (Windows)
Cervisia (Linux)
Subversion
Tortoise SVN (Windows)
KDE SVN (Linux)
Git
The LiveCD
This might seem like an odd choice if you’re not normally a Linux user, however it can be a lifesaver if you experience computer problems. A Live CD can be great for rescuing data before a reinstall if Windows messes up, testing problematic hardware and of course trying out Linux without installing it to your harddrive.
Whilst these distributions might not be the most suitable for long term use, they come with great tools for emergencies.
gParted (Partitioning)
Knoppix (General Purpose)
Backtrack (Security/Pen Testing)
Over To You…
I hope you find some of the items on this list useful. If you have any other great pieces of Open Source software computing students might find beneficial, please share it in a comment below.
If you enjoyed this post, I’d encourage you to check out http://blog.padowi.se, which features an expansive overview of software which could be useful to any developer, an in particular to students.
Open Office contains all the functionality of Microsoft Office and then some: document and spreadsheet editors, drawing, database functionality and even powerpoint-style presentation creation. It is also fully compatible with Microsoft Office documents so there are no problems opening .ppt files or saving your documents as a .doc to hand in. You can also export work as PDF – ensuring it will look exactly the same no matter who opens it.
If you aren’t using Firefox already, why not? Now in its third reincarnation Firefox is faster and more secure than ever. Although Internet Explorer may now support tabbed browsing, nothing offers the level of customisability now available with Firefox. Aside from theming the browser to get it looking just how you want, you can easily download and install extensions which add even more functionality, such as add blockers and social networking plugins.
If you’re looking for something a little lighter in weight or easier to use than Firefox, Opera is also a great choice. It has several great features already built in such as speed dial: images of your favourite bookmarks to select from when you start up your browser, as well as email and newsfeed readers. However, it is also easy to skin the browser for a new look or add widgets, mini applications to sit on your desktop.
Whilst webmail makes it easy to check your email from any computer, it can still be useful to be able to download and view all your mail from one central location. Thunderbird makes it easy to get hold of your mail from several accounts and sort it automatically.
At some point, most people are going to need to edit an image, or produce some sort of graphic. The Gimp is an application with far more power than the simple Paint program that comes with your OS, without the price tag of Photoshop. Whilst it is a flexible and advanced tool, bear in mind that the Gimp is not meant to be Photoshop, it is just an alternative. It has it’s own user interface and way of doing things which can take some time to learn, although it isn’t hard for a novice to find the key features.
The Gimp can be a little bit bulky and confusing if you just want to organise and alter your photos – that’s where Picasa comes in. Picasa was released by Google and allows you to sort your photos on your hard disk, as well as making it easy to share them on the web. You can also crop and resize them, alter the colours and contrast and play with a few simple effects. The application is incredibly easy to use but also offers a good range of options, and you can perform an action to a set of photos in just a couple of clicks.
Whilst the Microsoft MSN client is free to download, it only has support for one chat protocol. Pidgin however, supports over a dozen different protocols, and you can be logged in on different accounts simultaneously. As well as the ability to use Yahoo!, AIM and MSN, Pidgin has support for useful services like Google Talk and IRC. Pidgin is lacking webcam and voice chat right now, however as it is constantly being developed that should be available in future.
Skype’s primary purpose is to allow you to make free calls across the internet to other people using the service. That is far from it’s only use though. It can also be used to make low cost phone calls to landlines and mobiles, send SMS messages, instant message other users, and make free video calls. Because Skype is designed for audio messaging, the sound quality can be higher than other services, and with many international users, it can be a great way to practice language skills. It is also easy to find users who meet certain criteria and want to talk in order to make new friends.
A lot of courses are going to need you to submit coursework on a CD at some point. If you need something with more features than the default Windows burner but without the high cost of buying Nero, Infrarecorder is a good, lightweight choice. It integrates with Windows Explorer and burns a range of different media, including dual layer DVDs and multisession disks. It also allows you to record disk image files such as .isos.
If you are running Windows, connecting to the internet without some sort of anti-virus software is putting your data at risk. AVG is a free virus and spyware scanner which allows you to run a regular, unintrusive scan of your computer. The program is regularly updated (just make sure you allow it to download updates) to stay on top of the latest threats. For the paranoid, there are also low-cost premium versions available with even more protection.
If you’ve even so much as considered using Peer to Peer software (such as bittorrent) you’ll want to get hold of PeerGuardian right away. The application allows you to cease communications with certain IPs and maintains lists of those you might wish to block, such as government addresses, those releated with spyware and those who might compromise your privacy using P2P. Bear in mind that whilst PeerGuardian does make it safer to use bittorrent for copyright infringement, many people use the protocol for legal downloads and this application will help to protect their privacy.
Comodo offers a range of free products to help your security. Their firewall is fairly unintrusive and is easy to use and update, and easily one of the best available for free. Another interesting utility is Comodo Backup, which allows you to make automatic backups of your data on your PC, accross a network or to CD/DVD. Comodo also offers a range of premium security products however I’ve found their free software to be more than sufficient.