An entire website could be devoted to excellent open source programs, but I like to write about things besides open source software. I will limit my post to seven of my favorites. Whether you agree or disagree, feel free to add your seven.

Network: Samba - “Opening Windows to a Wider World”

Samba uses the TCP/IP protocol that is installed on the host server. When correctly configured, it allows that host to interact with a Microsoft Windows client or server as if it is a Windows file and print server.

System Utility: rsync

rsync uses the “rsync algorithm” which provides a very fast method for bringing remote files into sync. It does this by sending just the differences in the files across the link, without requiring that both sets of files are present at one of the ends of the link beforehand.

Security: OpenSSH - “Keeping your communiques secure”

OpenSSH encrypts all traffic (including passwords) to effectively eliminate eavesdropping, connection hijacking, and other network-level attacks. Additionally, OpenSSH provides a myriad of secure tunneling capabilities, as well as a variety of authentication methods.

Internet: Firefox - “Rediscover the web”

Popup Blocking, Tabbed Browsing, Privacy and Security, Smarter Search, Live Bookmarks, Hassle-Free Downloading, Fits Like a Glove, S, M, L or XL—It’s Your Choice.

Desktop Application: OpenOffice.org

OpenOffice.org the product is a multi-platform office productivity suite. It includes the key desktop applications, such as a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, drawing program, and a graphical database tool.

Programming Language: PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor

PHP is an HTML-embedded scripting language. Much of its syntax is borrowed from C, Java and Perl with a couple of unique PHP-specific features thrown in. The goal of the language is to allow web developers to write dynamically generated pages quickly.

Distribution: Debian (and its offspring: Knoppix, Ubuntu, etc…)

Debian GNU/Linux provides more than a pure OS: it comes with more than 8710 packages, precompiled software bundled up in a nice format for easy installation on your machine.

Which programs do you think deserve to be recognized?