50 Proprietary Software Programs | 50 Open Source Alternatives

Posted at February 9, 2008

How many times are you using a software program and you find that you are frustrated with the way it works or doesn’t work? Many times there are hitches, glitches, and just plain old road blocks to the user experience? I bumped into Jimmy Atkinson’s post and I really liked the thinking outside the box to the many alternatives that there are. I’m fed up with Windows. I’m fed up with IE.

Not every proprietary program can drive a person crazy, right? Some, like Norton Ghost, are superb tools for anyone to use. But, the fact that these tools are proprietary can drive open source fanatics up a wall. It’s not the price of the software that makes the real difference (although it’s a reason to migrate from one software to another for many people); it’s the idea that proprietary software comes with boundaries that keeps the user experience confined to…well, being the user. That’s enough to drive any developer crazy.

The Top 50 Proprietary Programs that Drive You Crazy — and Their Open Source Alternatives

The following fifty proprietary programs are listed in no particular order within broad categories along with their open source alternatives. In some cases you could probably write your own book on frustrations with the proprietary programs shown here. In other cases, you’ll discover that the open source alternative isn’t quite up to snuff yet. And, in other cases still, you’ll learn that some proprietary programs are real gems, but that the open source advocate can replace those gems with equally shiny objects from the open source repertoire.

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