Open source tips. CRM, ERP, CMS and open source tutorials.

This program provides rapid Mp3 (ID3v1, ID3v2) and Ogg/Speex/Flac Vorbis tags editing and file renaming functions. Mass Tag editing is done using special variables and Regular Expressions.

MP3 Book Helper is a multi-purpose MP3 ID3 tag editor that gets the artist and album information from the freedb database over internet.Play your mp3 files in Winamp while editing Tags.

MP3 Book Helper can create WinAmp-compatible playlists (M3U files), Information (NFO) files, Parity archive (PAR) data recovery files, Simple File Verify (SFV) and Sound Verification (.SV) checksum files.

MP3 Book Helper maintains duplicates database is a list of all the files you have and MP3 Audio Only checksums (SV) for this files. This will help you to find Identical files on your hard drive even with different tags.

MP3 Book Helper can export and import ID3 tags to and from XML and comma delimited text files, verify CRC/MD5 checksums and more.

MP3 Book Helper

Tags: open source, MP3, Book helper, software, download, open source utils

This HTML text editor brings to the web much of the power of desktop editors like MS Word. It’s lightweight and doesn’t require any kind of installation on the client computer.

FCKeditor features

* Internet Explorer 5.5+ and Gecko browser (Mozilla / Firefox / Netscape)compatibility
* XHTML 1.0 support
* Cut, Paste and Past as Plain Text, Undo and Redo
* Paste from Word cleanup with auto detection
* Image insertion, with upload and server browsing support
* Table creation and editing (add, delete rows, etc) - one of the best systems in the market.
* Skins and Plugins upport.
* Spell checker
* Multi-language support
* Automatic browser detection and customization
* Integration with ASP, ASP.NET, Java, ColdFusion, Perl, PHP and Javascript.

You can download this product from here.

The online demo.

Tags: FCKeditor, open source, open source utils, HTML text editor, desktop editors

We all know about last three Summer of Code programmers made by Google, and now it announced the Google Highly Open Participation Contest geared for youths.

Participants will become involved in following open source projects: Apache, Drupal, GNOME, Joomla!, MoinMoin, Mono, Moodle, Python, Plone and SilverStripe.

The contest is for pre-university students, such as high-school or a secondary school and under contestants under the age of 18 will need to have their parent or guardian’s consent to participate.

At the end of this contest, participants will receive a t-shirt and certificate for completing at least one task and $100 for every three tasks completed, up to a maximum of $500 per participant. Not that bad!

There will also be 10 Grand Prize winners, who will receive a trip to the Googleplex in Mountain View, California, as an award ceremony, for themselves and one parent or guardian.

Entries were opened on 27 of November and contestants can join up until 22nd January. The competition ends on 4th February and winners will be announced on February, 11.
Good luck!

Tags: Google, Open Source contest, open source news, Googleplex, contest

These are 5 useful Free Open Source Office - Business tools to replace MS Word, MS Excel, Access. create PDF files, etc.:

Open Source Office Tools

1. PDFCreator

PDFCreator is a free tool to create PDF files from nearly any Windows application.

2. AbiWord

AbiWord 2.4.6 is an award winning, small, fast, featured and cross platform word processor.

3. OFBiz

The Apache Open For Business Project is an open source enterprise automation software project licensed under the Apache License Version 2.0. By open source enterprise automation we mean: Open Source ERP, Open Source CRM, Open Source E-Business / E-Commerce, Open Source SCM, Open Source MRP, Open Source CMMS/EAM, and so on.

4. MySql

MySQL is the world’s most popular open source database software, with over 100 million copies of its software downloaded or distributed throughout its history. With superior speed, reliability, and ease of use, MySQL has become the preferred choice of corporate IT Managers because it eliminates the major problems associated with downtime, maintenance, administration and support.

MySQL is a key part of LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP / Perl / Python), the fast growing open source enterprise software stack. More and more companies are using LAMP as an alternative to expensive proprietary software stacks because of its lower cost and freedom from lock-in.

5. PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is a powerful, open source relational database system. It has more than 15 years of active development and a proven architecture that has earned it a strong reputation for reliability, data integrity, and correctness. It runs on all major operating systems, including Linux, UNIX (AIX, BSD, HP-UX, SGI IRIX, Mac OS X, Solaris, Tru64), and Windows.

Tags: open source, free, tools, software, open source utils

Open source is a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in.

The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is a non-profit corporation formed to educate about and advocate for the benefits of open source and to build bridges among different constituencies in the open-source community.

One of the most important activities is as a standards body, maintaining the Open Source Definition for the good of the community. The Open Source Initiative Approved License trademark and program creates a nexus of trust around which developers, users, corporations and governments can organize open-source cooperation.

OSI logo

To summarize, the Definition model of distribution terms require that:

* Free Redistribution
No restrictions are placed on parties from selling of giving away the software.
* Source Code Availability
The software must include source code and must also allow for binary distributions when there is a well-publicized means of obtaining the source code.
* Derived Works
Modifications and derived works must be allowed, and must be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software.
* Integrity of the Authors Source Code
The distribution of modified source code must be allowed although restrictions to ensure the possibility to distinguish the original source code from the derived works are tolerated. For example, the possibility of using different software names.
* No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
The license must not discriminate against any person or group of persons.
* No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program from being used in a business, or from being used for genetic research.
* Distribution of License
The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed without the need for execution of an additional license by those parties.
* License Must Not Be Specific to a Product
The rights given by the license must not be different for the original distribution and any other one even when it takes place in a totally different context.
* License Must Not Contaminate Other Software
The license must not place restrictions on other software that is distributed along with the licensed software. For example, the license must not insist that all other programs distributed on the same medium must be open-source software.

Source

Tags: open source, definition, OSI, software, programs, license, open source utils, terms definition

OpenLaszlo is an open source platform for creating zero-install web applications with the user interface capabilities of desktop client software.

OpenLaszlo programs are written in XML and JavaScript and transparently compiled to Flash and, with OpenLaszlo 4, DHTML. The OpenLaszlo APIs provide animation, layout, data binding, server communication, and declarative UI. An OpenLaszlo application can be as short as a single source file, or factored into multiple files that define reusable classes and libraries.

OpenLaszlo
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It is “write once, run everywhere.” An OpenLaszlo application developed on one machine will run on all leading Web browsers on all leading desktop operating systems.

Open Laszlo Architecture

With OpenLaszlo 4, the OpenLaszlo architecture has been remodularized into a true multi-runtime platform. OpenLaszlo uses standard ECMAScript Release 3 with some ECMAScript Release 4 extensions as its scripting language. The compiler translates this script to an intermediate language that is then processed by multiple back-ends to translate into an appropriate format for the destination runtime.

The OpenLaszlo runtime library has been refactored into two parts: multiple kernels containing runtime-specific code, and a cross-runtime library.The cross-runtime (portable) part of the library is written in ‘extended ECMA 3′ (i.e., ECMA 3 with the extensions we added from ECMA 4). The kernels are written in the native dialect of the destination runtime (e.g., ActionScript or Javascript), which really turns out to be ECMA 3 plus the destination runtime API.

The core OpenLaszlo runtime library (also called the core LFC, for “Laszlo Foundation Class”) delivers a common baseline of functionality across all supported runtimes. This gives developers a rich environment in which to build full-featured web applications. In addition, OpenLaszlo 4 includes runtime-specific extensions so that the particular benefits of targeting a runtime are not lost to OpenLaszlo application developers. For example, extensions allow access to Flash’s streaming media capabilities.

Open Laszlo Architecture

Tags: OpenLaszlo, open source, code, runtime, download, review, open source utils

Alice is an open source IDE and programming language used to manipulate models in an 3D environment. You can even create games with it. It is aimed at students with no programming experience, with means simple animations can be created with ease.

Alice uses a drag and drop interface with the same general idea as Scratch. You start by creating the world by adding objects (which come with Alice) into the world. You then create programs by adding ‘methods’, such as moving an object, resizing an object or playing a sound, which are triggered by events, such as the start of the program, a key press or when a variable changes. There are also functions that return values, such as random number, the width of an object or the distance between objects. There are also while loops, conditional if/else and variables.

One of the downsides of Alice is the models and environment. Since Alice is a free project, it doesn’t get the same quality of models as games and other projects with funding for design. However, this will all change with version 3, as you can read below.

Alice announced last year that EA games had agreed to back the next version, and supply it with models and animations from The Sims, one of the best selling games of all time. Since the models from The Sims are of such high quality, it is likely Alice will become extremely popular. It has been 19 months since development of the new version has started, and a presentation from a conference this year said that it can be expected some time in 2008. In the new version of Alice, user can choose to either use the drag and drop interface seen in the current Alice, or use real java code.

Download

Tags: Alice, review, open source, IDE, open source utils, program

Azureus implements the BitTorrent protocol using Java language and comes bundled with many invaluable features for both beginners and advanced users.

Azureus features:

* Multiple torrent downloads
* Upload and download speed limiting, both globally and per torrent
* UPnP sets the forward on your router
* Can use a proxy, for both tracker and peer communications
* Only uses one port for all the torrents
* Advanced seeding rules
* Fast resu
* Adjustable disk cacheme
* Can set a default download dir and move completed files
* Can import torrents automatically from a set dir
* Highly customizable interface
* IRC plugin included for quick help
* Embedded tracker, host your own torrents, automate your shares
* Distributed Hash Table: host on it a completely decentralized torrent and/or benefit from it when the tracker is offline.

Azureus

Azureus

Useful plugins:
* Auto-adjustment of your upload and download speeds according to your network charge with Autospeed
* Remote control Azureus through the Swing Web Interface or the HTML Web Interface
* Add numerous info on torrents (Extra seeding columns, Country Locator)
* Auto-download torrents with RSS Feed Scanner
* Receive a mail when a download finishes with Status Mailer
* Schedule upload and download speed limits with Speed Scheduler

Azureus

Azureus

Azureus

Tags: open source, Azureus, review, interface, free download, open source utils

Dev-PHP is a well-featured integrated development environment (IDE).
You can use it to create scripts and applications using the PHP scripting language and the PHP-GTK library (both included in the “PHP Package”).
Dev-PHP is free software under the GNU General Public License, which means you can freely modify or use the source code under the terms of the license.

Dev-PHP
Download

Dev-PHP is a well-featured IDE for PHP. Fast and powerful, it is easy to use and has a lot of cool features : class browser, scripts preview, integration with PHP parsers, PHP-GTK library, and Xdebug of course. Dev-PHP-usb slips even into your pocket.

Dev-PHP

Dev-PHP

Tags: open source utils, review, Dev-PHP, download, php, free download

Mp3 Tag Tools is GNU GPL free software, intuitive ID3v1.1 and ID3v2.x mp3 tag editing utility, with several features such as Mass ID3 tagging, Write ID3 tags from Filenames and Rename Files from ID3 tags using Custom Formats, Copy/Synchronize ID3 tags, Cleaning Filenames and Correcting their case, Create ID3 tags using Directory Formats, Create Directories and organize mp3s from ID3 tag info, Export ID3 tag data, Lyrics and Picture tagging, accurately read all MPEG info and append bitrate and mode to filenames. All these tag operations can be carried out with or without directory recursion.

Mp3 Tag Tools characteristics:

* ID3v1.1 & ID3v2.x support
* Rename Filenames From ID3 tags using Custom Filename or Directory Format
* Tag mp3s even while playing them
* Mass ID3 tagging
* Custom Filename Format specification like “() - -