Kompozer: Web Kompozitions

Anyone embarking upon his or her (or her or his, whatever you like) first journey into the jungle that is web coding may find all those HTML tags and CSS attributes and javascript actions as intimidating as lions and tigers and bears. Well, that's understandable. Basic HTML is one thing, but utilizing html, css, and a multitude of other scripting languages to create a page design that looks and does exactly as you imagined it is a truly meticulous task. You have to make sure every tag is closed, all your table columns are in table rows in the proper tables on the proper levels, etc. Hours of coding may subsequently lead to hours of a web author screaming at the screen "Why are you not doing what I want you to? Why do you hate me so much? What is the meaning of life?"

While I can't help you with the occasional existential crisis, I can help you with some of those anticipated frustrations in the realm of web building. KompoZer is an open-source web authoring program that comes with WYSIWYG editing. Fun fact for interested parties: WYSIWYG is an acronym that stands for "What You See Is What You Get." This means that you are able to insert nifty tables or images or links and the like and see how it appears on the page and then edit accordingly. For more experienced web builders, I will note that some tasks are more frustrating on the Preview/WYSIWYG page, and I've often found myself editing the coding directly instead to get exactly what I want. Also, the CSS editor is handy, but it requires some knowledge of CSS attributes first. (For CSS novices, here's a great list of resources to check out!)

In terms of the evolution of open source programming, KompoZer is a rather interesting case study, at least in my opinion. It stemmed from an older web authoring open source program known as Nvu. As with any software, Nvu had plenty of flaws and lots of bugs meriting a great deal of fixing. Since the source was available, developers used it to create a new software that integrated these fixes and made further improvements to the program. The developers also had to use a new name for this shiny new web editor for reasons explained on the official website, as quoted below:

Because « Nvu and the Nvu logo are trademarks of Linspire Inc. »
As Linspire stopped the development of Nvu, there is no legal way to correct any bug in Nvu.

This isn't to say that Nvu has gone kaput. It's still available. If you're looking for consistent improvements to source code, though, I'd go with KompoZer.

For those whose editing needs call for tweaking of .PHP files and the like, KompoZer is unfortunately not ideal. Still, there's a multitude of open source text editors available out there that help you avoid having to tweak complicated codes in Notepad. The one I use is ConTEXT. Though, I should note, Context is not open source. Yet. Plans are in the works to release the source code to the public at some point. Details about this certain point are currently vague, as with most promises involving the word "soon" or "eventually." Context is still freeware, fortunately. Plus, its features are very friendly to different types of languages and scripts, specifically the syntax highlighting feature. (For those who don't know what this is or why it would be useful, then it probably wouldn't be useful for you anyway. For what it's worth.)

Here's a quick list of some actual open source text editors, for anyone interested: jEdit, Notepad ++, along with a rather full list here.

VLC Player: The V Stands for "Versatile"

Okay, so, the V doesn't really stand for "versatile." It may as well, though. VLC Player (whose acronym actually stands for VideoLan Client -- an outdated title) comes with a rather tiny user interface. Don't let that fool you, though. This media player can do many, many things. (And, in case you haven't gotten the hint: it's free and open sourced.)

For rundowns on various features of VLC, you can check out VideoLAN's main site. In my own net browsing experiences, I've seen most VLC recommendations associated with its ability to play a multitude of various video file formats. Not only can you use it for your DVD player on your computer, you can also use it as the video player of pretty much anything.

Windows users may be familiar with launching Windows Media Player only to be told that you are lacking the appropriate "codec" for the file you are trying to play. For those who are not fans of technical territory, all you need to know about a codec is that it is something used to encode a video file, usually for the benefits of compression rates to make smaller files. Actually, that's more than you need to know. (But if NBC's classic PSA campaigns have any truth to them, that's okay.) The point: VLC won't pester you with such messages. It comes with all those nifty codecs. It's just that awesome. And considerate. (And it probably doesn't even hear "Thank you" that often. I know, I know, it's a crime.)

Mac won't find the VLC Player useless, either. Formats usually restricted to Windows platforms, such as .WMV, aren't Quicktime-friendly. But you know whom these file formats are friendly with? If you guessed VLC Player, you're right!

I've been emphasizing VLC's input and viewing capabilities for the most part. In my experiences with the program, I do think that these features are the best part about it. VLC does offer quite a bit in other departments, but I usually use other programs for these jobs. Still, those wishing to stick to one program for simplicity's sake may find VLC's multi-puprose quality worth noting.

VLC Player can also handle converting files into new formats, or even just grabbing the audio off of a video and turning it into an .MP3. Some people also use VLC for screencapping purposes. For those unfamiliar with the term, screencaps are image snapshots or 'captures' from a particular frame or frames of a video.

As with all software, VLC isn't flawless. The conversion and screencapping features I just mentioned haven't always met with the greatest success, especially when compared to other programs with similar functions. My main choice for conversions is the program SUPER, which is freeware but not open source. Two other programs good for conversions, but especially for screencapping, are VirtualDub Mod and Avidemux.

If you're really just into a good multimedia player, though, VLC Player will be perfectly apt for your needs.

GIMP: As Useful As You Want It to Be

This week's topic happens to be one for the most well-known open source image editing programs: The GIMP. Surprisingly, the software's name (an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program, by the way) doesn't garner nearly as much negative attention as GIMP's constant comparison, or contrast rather, to one of the leading commercial image editing programs Adobe Photoshop. A quick overview of these comparisons will give you phrases that range from GIMP's being "just as good as" to "nearly as good as" to "a poor man's" Photoshop.

Obviously, a person's opinion is just that. My opinion would probably sit me in the "just as good as" field and possibly a teetering position on the fence of the rarely seen "even better than Photoshop" field. I personally enjoy the lighter feel and less resource-grabbing GIMP does when running in comparison to my past Photoshop experiences. I cannot, however, speak for the average user. Coming off of Photoshop, I actually had no problem switching to the interface of GIMP. I thought it was pretty easy to grasp. However, some people find previous Photoshop experience not helpful at all. Of course, there's that extra camp that finds the whole versus debate just plain silly.

The general consensus is that GIMP isn't the most user-friendly program. I'd probably agree with that. GIMP itself agrees with that: it has previously stated that it intends to serve experienced users.

Cosmetic features aside, GIMP's functions are rather extensive. I have, again personally, never come across a task that I couldn't do in GIMP that I could do in Photoshop. A great grasp of just exactly what GIMP's capabilities are can be found in both its Introduction and Feature Overview pages. For the novice GIMP-ite, you can even read plenty of tutorials housed on the official GIMP page.

For those up for customization, you can get a wide-range of free plug-ins for the program. The program also comes with a built-in scripting feature known as "Script Fu." Of course, for novice users most concerned with the ease of the program, Script Fu is not something you want to mess with. I tried building my own from scratch, but I ended up using someone else's script as a skeleton to model mine on. (Credit was of course given.) The vast availability and creation of plug-ins and scripts solidifies GIMP as a useful open source program: communities of users use access to the program's source and coding to make constant improvements and tools for other users.

For those wishing to view more vivid examples of what a user can do with GIMP and how to do them, various tutorial videos may be found on YouTube with simple searches. The below, which discusses basic functions, is one of the more popular examples:

Firefox: Add-ons Galore

Anyone who's been prompted to switch to some open-source program has probably had to endure plugs, prompts, and pokes to get Mozilla's Firefox. To avoid contributing to any annoying ad-nauseum that might turn you off from Firefox, I'll just assume for the sake of this post you've got it. Hey, you're probably viewing this post on Firefox right now! Good for you!

As mentioned in earlier posts, the benefits of open source software include the ability of communities of users to improve the programs in various ways. Mozilla's popular web browser Firefox is no exception. To view the list of all of the possible tweaks and tools you can stick on your copy of the software, you can check out the full catalogue at Mozilla's site. A quick scroll down the "Categories" list shows the diverse types of ways you can personalize your web-browsing experience. Some are purely cosmetic and just touch-up your interface, as in the "Appearance" section. Others are true utilities for "Privacy & Security" and "Download Management" -- the latter of which includes an add-on I use and personally recommend.

DownThemAll! does exactly what its name implies: lets you download "all." In this case, "all" refers to images on the current page in your web browser, as well as links/targets the page points to. (DownThemAll! is actually something I read about on a couple different software recommendation lists.)

Another favorite add-on of mine is FireFTP. An FTP program allows users to transfer files (FTP = file transfer protocol) from their computers to a website's directories. FTP programs are essential for webbuilding. This may not be something handy for the average user, but for neophyte webmasters and webmistresses. FireFTP is easy to use with a simple interface. I've used several FTP programs over the years, and FireFTP is my favorite free one out there.

In the same vein of webbuilding aids, I'll also recommend Web Developer. For the fledgling coder, a quick sprint around the internet can quickly become intimidating when he/she stumbles upon all the spectacular layouts out there. Sometimes, you just want to see how the webmaster's done some neat little trick or how they've managed to get pesky HTML tables under control. While viewing the page's source is an option ("View Source" in IE, "View>Page Source" or Ctrl+U in Firefox), anyone new to coding can get lost in the bundles of HTML tags and scripts and what they do. With CSS Viewer, you can see different scripts and tags highlight the areas they control. This gives you a better idea of what does what.

These are just a handful of what the bounty of Firefox add-ons has to offer. Additionally, these are just a few that I've found useful. Your web browsing experience needs are going to differ from mine and everyone else's. Take a look around what the Firefox community has to offer and see if anything catches your eye. The add-ons section comes with handy download statistics and user reviews to help you make a more informed opinion. Also, quick google searches are going to leave you with plenty of lists of handy Firefox add-ons (or plug-ins), such as this one or even that one. Some lists are even specialized for purposes such as eCommerce. I think I've successfully belabored the point.

Happy Adding-on (or add-on-ing, rather)!

Open Office: Suite Freedom

Disclaimer: When searching for a subtitle for the post, I gave in and took the punny route. I have self-control on most matters, but not puns. So very much not with puns. Sorry.

While many companies and businesses enjoy the luxury of budgets that leave room for software like Microsoft Office Suite, individual consumers and users aren't so lucky in the financial department. Words I've often heard associated with Microsoft Office Suites are "bulky" with "unnecessary features." Grievances also frequently include the need to buy new versions when Microsoft feels like making you do it. I do believe that some things are worth paying for; you can sometimes get your money's worth. In this blogger's opinion, Microsoft Office does not fall in the ever-dwindling category of "Money Well-Spent." The average consumer will never need all those fancy schmancy features that are thrown into the software. Paying for something you don't need, especially these days? Not such a good idea. Fortunately, Microsoft Office has a nice open source counterpart: Open Office.

Some quick facts about OpenOffice:

It's free. That wonderful, magical word: free!

It has the capability to not only open documents and files originally created in Microsoft products, it also has the function that allows you the option of saving something in one of those formats. (Be they .doc, .xls, .ppt., etc.)

It has built in PDF converters in each program. (You usually have to get an uberprofessional - and more expensive - form of Microsoft Office to get this function.)

All your old software utility friends are there! Writing program? Yep. Presentation creator? Oh yes. Spreadsheet buddy? You bet!

Did I mention it's free?

Here's a quick list of the Open Office counterparts for Microsoft Office programs:
OpenOffice Writer -- Microsoft Word
OpenOffice Impress -- Microsoft Powerpoint
OpenOffice Base -- Microsoft Access
OpenOffice Calc -- Microsoft Excel

Those who switch to OpenOffice are in for some extra treats. In addition to the PDF conversion capability mentioned earlier, Open Office has some handy bonus programs bundled in. First there's OpenOffice Math (not to be confused with Calc). OpenOffice explains that you can use the program to "create and edit scientific formulas and equations." I can't say I've ever used or needed it, but hey, it's not like I paid for it.

The other is, in my opinion, a true gem of a program: OpenOffice Draw. Draw is an extremely versatile program that allows you true freedom in terms of the layout for whatever document you wish to create. I found it quite handy when I was working at an internship this past summer. I was asked to make a layout for a pitch -- the pitch document was to include a certain amount of graphics placed in varying places on the page. If you've ever had to insert images in a Word document and deal with the issue of playing with the space bar and enter keys to get the picture where you want it yet ultimately settling for "close enough," you will be gleeful to know that Draw's philosophy is to just let you stick whatever you want - be it text box or graphic, wherever you want. (Draw's very considerate like that.)

Now, I'm not saying that this little open source wonder is in perfect condition. Everything is flawed, and nothing's really been as great as sliced bread since, well, sliced bread. Frequent users of symbols and certain shortcut keys in Microsoft programs may encounter some frustrating instances. Additionally, the layouts of the Open Office programs are close to those of their Microsoft counterparts but not identical. Some tasks require that you reorient yourself to these new programs. Still, there's always help out there. (And by "out there," I mean OpenOffice's website.)

If you're interested in an expert opinion on the software, check out PC Magazine's review.

Introduction Part II: Freeware Ain't What It Used to Be

As mentioned in the previous post, freeware has long had an association with being nothing but a slew of evil programs filled with menacing coding that would unleash pop up ads at the worst times, give your computer some nasty spyware that allowed program villains to peek into your most valuable information, or just kill your machine outright. While no one should drop his or her guard when installing a new program, freeware isn't necessarily accompanied by the claps of thunder anymore. The Internet has yet to become a super safe playground, but getting a free program isn't an automatic acceptance of candy from a stranger. Many sites that allow you to download software (some of which host downloads for many different programs) offer a malware-free certification. You can take a look around CNET's Download.com for an example.

Many savvy computer geeks actually prefer some of the freeware offerings out there over the big paid ones, if expert opinions mean anything to you. Some of the more popular ones that you'll hear recommended many times over are OpenOffice, FireFox, and VLC Player. These are all, incidentally, open source software, too. To reiterate the point I made in the last post, a program is considered "open source" if its coding is freely available to all. Not all Freeware programs offer this, but there's plenty of "closed source" Freeware that are highly recommended, as well. Examples include DVD43 and ImgBurn.

For those wishing to jump on the bandwagon, or at least take a good survey of the landscape, SourceForge is a key download site for open source programs. It's a good place to start. One may also wish to roam around SoftPedia for Freeware downloads in general.

**A Quick Post-Script:

Important note about free downloads, though: free downloads are not always Freeware. They are sometimes Shareware, which are the equivalent of trial versions --usually limited in functionality--, for which a user must pay a fee in order to keep. Open source programs, as a general rule, will not present this confusion.

Introduction: An Open Source Briefing

On stumbling upon this blog, a reader might ask: "What's Open Source?"

Well, Hypothetical Reader, your hypothetical question is a very good one. Because I like you so much, I'm going to answer it!

I will steer as far away from ubertechnical terms as my powers allow me. (Yes, I do have powers. It's best if you don't ask too many hypothetical questions about them. Trust me.)

Basically (and I do mean basically), Open Source software is software whose source is freely available to anybody. By source, I mean in very generic terms the coding of the software or program: the guts, or what makes it tick-- if you prefer.

With me so far? Good. (I was about to drown in poorly-conceived metaphors.) Now, you may be musing about a follow-up hypothetical question: What's the point of putting the code online? Another great question, Hypothetical Reader! The point of the software code availability is actually what attracts many users to these innovations. Anyone with some coding skill can make improvements and add-ons to the software. Instead of a set group of programmers and developers like many paid programs have, avenues of input for Open Source programs are limitless. Online communities exist for the sole purpose of discussion and development of various software.

While this may seem interesting to only the geekiest of the geeks, the benefits to your average computer user are actually rather large in quantity. Chances are, if you've been using computer programs for more than a few months, you've become familiar with the term "Troubleshoot" and the various "Help" menus. A quick Google search for help with an Open Source program will offer you valuable results courtesy of online communities and developers. Yes, this is true for many paid programs, as well. However, these online communities consist of the same groups of people devoting free time to fixing bugs in their favorite software. Fancier software from profit-seeking companies don't have bug fixes as quickly available as Open Source developers do. While some are attempting to constantly churn out updates, Open Source communities still thrive in the area of frequency.

Before closing the post, I should offer some clarification on the difference between Freeware and Open Source. I realize I haven't done this area justice thus far, and some (especially you, Hypothetical Reader) may be confused. While I often contrast Open Source software to paid software, paid software is not the only form of "closed source" programs out there. Plenty of free applications available on the Internet are closed source. They're still free, but development is limited to their distributors. Open Source is Freeware, but Freeware is not necessarily Open Source.

I realize that the term "Freeware" has developed quite the bad connotation over the years and has occasionally been synonymous with the terms "Adware" and "Malware." However, there are some very good free programs out there -- even closed source ones. I'll be digging a little deeper into issues such as safety concerns in Open Source software and Freeware in general in the next post. So stay tuned! (Or stay logged on, or something. Proof Internet creations are still relatively new: the cliche repository is very lacking!)