TheOpenCD 2.0 Released

HenrikOxUK pastes "We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of TheOpenCD v2.0. The disc contains old favorites like Mozilla, OpenOffice, AbiWord, Gimp in updated versions, but also has some noteable additions like Firefox, Thunderbird, Blender and Gaim. The CD browser technology is also new this time, and is based on Gecko (see screenshots). This approach should make it simpler to make derivatives, including localized versions, some of which will be out shortly. We have timed the release to be out just before the holidays so you can fill the stockings of friends and family with Free and useful software. Read more or get a copy from one of our FTP mirrors or on Bittorrent."

What is OpenCD?

Well, the site is hopelessly slashdotted, so what is OpenCD? Is it just a collection of open source programs on a CD or what? What is the reasoning behind it, and what is it meant to do?

Thanks for the info.

Re:What is OpenCD?

TheOpenCD is a small collection of only the highest quality OSS for Windows, easily available on a CD. The programs are carefully selected to ensure stability, ease of use and a clean install and un-install from your computer. The CD is intended as a first introduction to the world of OSS, but it is our hope that you will later go on to explore other projects, and at some stage you may even want to try a whole new operating system, such as Linux (sometimes called GNU/Linux).

Re:What is OpenCD?

Thanks for the info! Sounds like a worthwhile project for gently easing people toward the Open Source world. I've already managed to convince my entire family to switch to Firefox, so I know how hard it can be to break people of old software habits.

One

Re:What is OpenCD?

Why include both Mozilla and Firefox?

Mozilla is a full service suite, browser, mail client, HTML editor. FF is a lean mean browsing machine. Smaller footprint.

Re:What is OpenCD?

In general, all of them. I think a few apps only work on 2000/XP.

Re:What is OpenCD?

Well, the site is hopelessly slashdotted, so what is OpenCD?

From memory, it is a CD of Open Source programs (like the ones mentioned in the blurb) for Windows. It's a bit like gnuwin [gnuwin.epfl.ch], which probably isn't /.'ed yet.

Re:What is OpenCD?

TheOpenCD is a collection of free software that runs on Windows and is handy for spreading free software "love" to people who would never think to run Linux. It's an attempt to show people that free doesn't have to equate to low quality or lack of feature

Re:What is OpenCD?

Yes, it is "just" a CD of open source apps, but:

- All packaged for windows
- Nicely presented and professional looking
- User friendly a point and click autorun menu which launches the various installers and has a nice description and screenshots of what th

Re:What is OpenCD?

TheOpenCD 2.0 released

We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of TheOpenCD v2.0. The disc contains old favorites like Mozilla, OpenOffice, AbiWord, Gimp in updated versions, but also has some noteable additions like Firefox, Thunderbird, Ble

While this is great for open source advocates...

While this is great for open source advocates... there still resides a contingent of resistant people that see open source as nothing more that 'a fad' or 'over-hyped'. A cd is great for trying to package all of these apps together but what open source r

Re:While this is great for open source advocates..

1. If i'm an average joe, my first question is 'why should i use open-source?" not where do i get it from?

Never try and talk anyone into anything. Instead, show them. Give them some software.

Once they convince themselves, mention that it is open source and that there's more where that came from. You will find that they begin to look for OSS instead of asking what it is...and they might even ask what makes something OSS vs. freeware or addware.

Re:While this is great for open source advocates..

"what open source really needs is a marketing plan"

I hear this often, but why? Nobody is making money off open source, many are doing it as a hobby. Do I need a marketing plan to go build paper airplanes? Or even to share my paper airplane designs?

OpenSource is great (IMHO) because you can use if you want, and ignore it if you don't want it.

Leave it to those that are trying to make money (RedHat, IBM, Sun, Novell, etc) to do the marketing.

Re:While this is great for open source advocates..

If i'm an average joe, my first question is 'why should i use open-source?" not where do i get it from?

That's the point of the OpenCD. The conversation is sopposed to go like this:

Average Joe

Why should i use open-source?

OS Advocate

Here, I'll show you.

Release notes

RELEASE NOTES - TheOpenCD v2.0

TheOpenCD project is pleased to announce the release of version 2.0 of our Windows-FOSS distribution. We have timed the release to be out just before the holidays so you can fill the stockings of friends and family with Free and useful software. Major additions in this version include Firefox, Thunderbird, Blender and Gaim. The CD browser technology is also new this time, and is based on Gecko. This approach should make it simpler to make derivatives, including localized versions, some of which will be out shortly.

The following programs are included:

* Productivity
o OpenOffice 1.1.3
o AbiWord 2.2.1
o PDFCreator 0.8
* Design
o GIMP 2.0.5
o Blender 2.35a
o Dia 0.94
o TuxPaint 0.9.14
* Internet/Networking
o FireFox 1.0
o Thunderbird 1.0
o Mozilla suite 1.7.3
o Gaim 1.1.0
o Filezilla 2.2.9
o TightVNC 1.3dev6
o WinHTTrack 3.32-2
* Multimedia
o Audacity 1.2.3
o Celestia 1.3.2
o CDex 1.51
* Utilities
o 7-zip 3.13
o Notepad2 1.0.12
o SciTE 1.62
* Games
o Sokoban 1.187
o Battle for Wesnoth 0.87
o Lbreakout 2.4.1

About TheOpenCD:

TheOpenCD is a small collection of only the highest quality OSS for Windows, easily available on a CD. The programs are carefully selected to ensure stability, ease of use and a clean install and un-install from your computer. The CD is intended as a first introduction to the world of OSS, but it is our hope that you will later go on to explore other projects, and at some stage you may even want to try a whole new operating system, such as Linux (sometimes called GNU/Linux).

Mirrors, with release 1.4 and 2.0

Version 1.4:

linky [ftp.uoi.gr]
linky [usu.edu]
and version 2.0 [rwth-aachen.de]

BitTorrent File

http://hirisemultimedia.com/TOCD2.iso.bz2.torrent http://www.theopencd.net/torrent/TOCD2.iso.bz2.tor rent

In related news...

KNOPPIX 3.7 has just been released [knopper.net]

Crank up your torrents [uni-kl.de]!

For those who don't already know, (quoting the site), "KNOPPIX is a bootable CD with a collection of GNU/Linux software, automatic hardware detection, and support for many graphics cards, sound cards, SCSI and USB devices and other peripherals. KNOPPIX can be used as a Linux demo, educational CD, rescue system, or adapted and used as a platform for commercial software product demos. It is not necessary to install anything on a hard disk. Due to on-the-fly decompression, the CD can have up to 2 GB of executable software installed on it."

Rolling your own... CD, that is..

Open CD is a nice idea, but I've been doing this sort of thing myself for a long time.

I include, at a minimum:
Firefox
Thunderbird
Open Office
Latest AVG free Antivirus download
Ad Aware
Spybot Search and Destroy
Zone Alarm free version
XP security utilities from GRC.com

I keep these installs in a directory on my HD and update as new versions come out. Then, when I want to give one to someone, it's easy to burn a fresh copy. I usually carry one with me in my briefcase along with a Knoppix Live CD and a Xandros free version Install disk (in case I get a convert). These have been useful a number of times.

"Do the Right Thing. It will gratify some people and astound the rest." - Mark Twain

OSS Spyware Removal

Why hasn't anyone created an open source spyware cleaner yet? I think that would be a perfect OSS project, since it's continually changing and needs lots of eyes to keep up to date.

Some mirrors

ftp://gd.tuwien.ac.at/pc/OpenCD/
ftp://ftp.uni-ba yreuth.de/pub/pc/TheOpenCD/
ftp://sunsite.informa tik.rwth-aachen.de/pub/mirror /opencd/
ftp://ftp.freenet.de/pub/filepilot/windo ws/tools/t he_open_cd/releases/
ftp://ftp.uoi.gr/mirror/open cd/
ftp://neacm.fe.up.pt/pub/OpenCD/
ftp://ftp.f unet.fi/pub/mirrors/theopencd.org/TheOp enCD/
ftp://theopencd.hands.com/theopencd/
ftp:/ /www.mirrorservice.org/sites/gd.tuwien.ac.at/ pc/OpenCD/
ftp://carroll.aset.psu.edu/pub/windows /opencd
ftp://planetmirror.com/pub/opencd/
ftp:/ /ftp.heanet.ie/pub/TheOpenCD/
ftp://cs.ubishops.c a/pub/windows/opencd/

Screenshot mirror

Here [theopencd.net].
(as if /.ing the main site wasn't enough)

Re:So i'm going to pay for open source apps?

Well, if you want someone to take the time to burn you a CD and send it to you, its a fair assumption that you'll have to pay for the blank CD, postage and packaging and perhaps a little for the time it takes to burn it...
Although it seems that you can d

Re:Ubuntu

That's true, we are partnering with Ubuntu. The current version of the Ubuntu LiveCD has a scaled-down version of TheOpenCD on it. Get your copy here [ubuntulinux.org].

Re:A must download

Let's dump the pub tonite and hit the download site...

So, do you sit and stare at your monitor for hours, watching each and every download? Call me crazy, but if I want to download something big, I'll start it, which generally takes all of 30 seconds,

Re:Why Gaim?...

Precisely because Gaim is cross-platform. The aim is to eventually draw people over to Linux, and a good way to do that is to get them using the same apps on the Windows platform first.