List Of Open-source Programs (LOOP) for Microsoft Windows Operating Systems
What is the LOOP list?
This is a list of high-quality, open-source applications that run on Windows. Feel free to edit and add any programs to this list that meet the criteria below. To learn more, read the FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions.
Purpose:
To demonstrate the quality of open-source applications and thereby advocate the open source software development model.
Instructions:
Tell all your non-Linux friends and family about the LOOP list. On this list they will find high-quality replacements for the software that they have purchased/pirated. Once they become familiar with these new applications, introduce them to your favorite Linux distribution (mine is Ubuntu). Then help them convert to Linux, using the applications that they became familiar with on Windows.
Rules for adding programs to the LOOP list:
Must be open-source.
Must run natively on Microsoft Windows operating systems.
Only include the best application for each specific purpose. In rare cases, two applications may be listed.
Include the names of the top three commercial applications that provide similar functionality, if known.
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Email Client =
![[WWW]](looplist_files/u-www.png)
Thunderbird Compare to: Microsoft Outlook
Universal Instant Messaging Client =
Gaim Compare to: Trillian
Universal Instant Messaging Client =
Miranda IM Compare to: Trillian
Web browser =
FireFox Compare to: Microsoft Internet Explorer
Voice Over IP =
OpenWengo Compare to: Skype
Learning Games =
Childsplay Compare to: Unknown
Planetarium =
Stellarium Compare to: Unknown
Space Simulator =
Celestia Compare to: Unknown
Flight Simulator =
FlightGear Compare to: Fly!
Typing Tutor =
Tux Typing Compare to: Unknown
Drawing Program =
Tux Paint Compare to: KidPix
Framework/Platform =
Mono Compare to: Microsoft .NET Framework, Java
Integrated Development Environment =
Eclipse Compare to: Microsoft Visual Studio
Integrated Development Environment for C# and VB.NET =
SharpDevelop Compare to: Microsoft Visual Studio, Borland IDE
Windows Installer =
Nullsoft Scriptable Install System, Inno Setup Compare to: InstallShield, Microsoft Installer
Editor =
GNU Emacs Compare to: Unknown
Editor =
Vim Compare to: Unknown
Editor =
Scintilla Compare to: Unknown
3D Space Simulator =
Vega Strike, Epiar Compare to: Eve-Online
3D Tank Battle (Real-time) =
BZFlag Compare to: Unknown
3D Tank Battle (Turn-based) =
Scorched 3D Compare to: Unknown
3D Pirate Action/Adventure =
Crown and Cutlass Compare to: Pirates!
Arcade space shooter =
Kobo Deluxe Compare to: Unknown
Billiards (Pool) =
FooBillard Compare to: Unknown
First-person Shooter =
Cube, Nexiuz Compare to: Quake, Doom, Unreal
Lemmings-clone =
Pingus Compare to: Lemmings
Missle-Command clone =
Penguin Command Compare to: Unknown
MMORPG =
PlaneShift Compare to: Everquest
Pang clone =
PiX Pang Compare to: Super Pang
Racing =
PlanetPenguin Racer (f.k.a. TuxRacer) Compare to: Unknown
Risk clone =
JavaRisk Compare to: Unknown
Tron clone =
Armagetron Advanced Compare to: Unknown
Turn-based Strategy (Fantasy) =
Battle for Wesnoth Compare to: Age of Wonders, Heroes of Might and Magic, Warlords
Turn-based Strategy (World Building) =
LinCity-NG OpenTTD Compare to: SimCity, Transport Tycoon Deluxe
Turn-based Strategy (Sci-Fi) =
UFO: Alien Invasion Compare to: X-Com
Database (Desktop) =
OpenOffice (Base) Compare to: Microsoft Office (Access)
Mind Mapping =
FreeMind Compare to: Mindjet MindManager, Inspiration
PDF creator =
PDF Creator Compare to: Adobe Acrobat
Presentation =
OpenOffice (Impress) Compare to: Microsoft Office (Powerpoint)
Report Creator =
JasperReports Compare to: Crystal Reports
Spreadsheet =
OpenOffice (Calc) Compare to: Microsoft Office (Excel)
Word Processor =
OpenOffice (Writer) Compare to: Microsoft Office (Word)
Scientific Word Processor =
Lyx (Latex gui frontend) Compare to: Scientific Word
Notepad Replacement =
Notepad2 Compare to: Notepad
Gantt chart =
GanttProject Compare to: Microsoft Project
Project management =
OpenWorkbench Compare to: Microsoft Project
Animal Shelter Manager =
Animal Shelter Manager Compare to: Unknown
IA-32 (x86) PC emulator =
Bochs Compare to: Unknown
Linux environment =
Cygwin Compare to: Unknown
Recipe Manager =
Gourmet Recipe Manager Compare to: Unknown
Screen Saver =
Really Slick Screensavers Compare to: Unkown
Translation tool =
OmegaT Compare to: Unkown
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3D Animation =
Blender, Wings 3D Compare to: Alias Maya
3D Graphics =
POV-Ray Compare to: Unknown
3D Game Development Kit =
Crystal Space, Ogre3d Compare to: Unknown
Audio Editing =
Audacity Compare to: Adobe Audition
Audio Player =
Coolplayer, Zinf Compare to: WinAMP, Windows Media Player
MP3 Ripper =
CDex Compare to: Unknown
Volume normalizer =
MP3Gain Compare to: Unknown
Diagram Editor =
Dia Compare to: Microsoft Visio
Image Editing =
Gimp Compare to: Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop
Vector Drawing =
Inkscape Compare to: Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw
Vector Drawing =
Sodipodi Compare to: Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw
Media Player =
VLC media player Compare to: Windows Media Player, PowerLink PowerDVD, Intervideo WinDVD
Web Design =
Nvu Compare to: Microsoft Frontpage, Macromedia Dreamweaver
Video Capture =
VirtualDub Compare to: Unknown
Video Editing =
Jashaka Compare to: Adobe After Effects, Pinnacle Studio, Apple Final Cut
802.1x client =
SecureW2 Compare to: Unknown
Anti-Spyware =
Winpooch Compare to: Unknown
Anti-Virus =
ClamWin Compare to: Unknown
Network protocol analyzer =
Ethereal Compare to: Sniffer
Password safe =
KeePass Password Safe, Password Safe Compare to: Unknown
VPN client =
OpenVPN client GUI for Windows Compare to: Cisco VPN client, Nortel VPN client
File compression =
7-Zip Compare to: WinZip
FTP Client =
Filezilla FTP client Compare to: SmartFTP, BulletProof FTP
Statistics on Disk usage =
WinDirStat Compare to: Unknown
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Database server =
Firebird, MySQL, PostgreSQL Compare to: Microsoft SQL server, Oracle database
FTP server =
Filezilla FTP server Compare to: Unknown
Email server =
hMailServer Compare to: Microsoft Exchange server, Novell GroupWise server
Instant messaging server =
Jive Messenger Compare to: Novell GroupWise Messenger
Intrusion Detection System (IDS) =
Snort Compare to: Unknown
VPN server =
OpenVPN Compare to: Cisco VPN
Application server =
JBoss Compare to: BEA Weblogic, IBM Websphere
Rich Internet Application Server =
OpenLaszlo Compare to: Macromedia Flex
Statistics Generator =
AWStats Compare to: Unknown
Web server =
Apache Compare to: Microsoft Internet Information Services (ISS)
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you only include open-source applications? Why not include applications that are free, but not open-source?
The goal of the LOOP list is to demonstrate the quality of open-source software and the benefits of the open-source developement model. There are many high-quality free applications, but they do not have the same advantages of the open-source development model.
You keep talking about the advantages of the open-source software development model. What are they?
These applications are awesome! I can't believe that they are free! How can I help to support these applications?
That is a terrific question. If these programs provide value to you, it makes sense to give something back to the community. The best way to do this may be different for each application, so read more at the project's website. In general, here are ways that you can give back to the open-source community:
Install and use the program, then share your experiences (good or bad) with the project mailing list.
Subscribe to the project mailing list and answer questions that users are asking.
Share any ideas you have about the software, such as features that you would like to see implemented or any changes that you think would improve the project.
Create documentation about the project, such as how to install, configure, and use the application.
If you are a programmer, look at the code and report any bugs you find and share any improvements that you make.
Some projects provide a way to contribute money to the project.
The great thing about contributing to an open-source project is that you will be helping everyone who uses the software. If users give back to the project, there will be a constant improvement in the quality of the application.
Some of these applications only run on Windows, and not Linux. Why do you include these?
The goal of the LOOP list is to demonstrate the advantages of open-source applications. One of those advantages is the ability to port the application to other operating systems. This means that anyone with the time, skill, and desire can port these applications to Linux or any other operating system. It is also likely that these applications will run in Linux using Wine (
http://www.winehq.com/).
Why don't you include applications that only run on Linux? These Linux applications are open-source, so they could be ported to Windows, right?
That is true, but an overwhelming majority of people use Windows operating systems. If these people knew they could keep their applications, they would be more likely to switch to a Linux distribution (i.e. Ubuntu Linux).
I disagree with the applications that were chosen for a particular category. How can I make my case for another application?
You can debate the pros and cons of each application on the looplistDebate page.
Why did you create a new list? There are other lists out there with similar information.
This list serves a specific purpose, which is listed on the front page. Other lists on the web have good information, but they were not what I was looking for.
Here are some lists similar to the LOOP list:
The OSSwin project: Open-Source for Windows
Opensource list - Open Source Software in a Windows Environment
Software: Open Source & Free for Windows
The table of equivalents / replacements / analogs of Windows software in Linux
Open Source Software CD — List of Software
WinLibre - Free Software for Windows
GnuWin32 - Ports of GNU or Open Source tools
Open source on Mac
The LOOP list was created by Tristan Rhodes <tristan NOSPAM AT witenko DOT com>.