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GNU is Not Unix Software

TheOpenCD 2.0 Released 239

Posted by michael from the spread-the-gnus dept.
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."
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TheOpenCD 2.0 Released More

TheOpenCD 2.0 Released

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  • What is OpenCD? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by eln ( 21727 ) on Friday December 10, 2004 @01:05PM (#11053284)
    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? (Score:5, Informative)

      by abysmanu ( 228691 ) on Friday December 10, 2004 @01:08PM (#11053326)

      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? (Score:3, Interesting)

        by eln ( 21727 )
        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 question though: Why include both Mozilla and Firefox? I know a big part of open source is choice, but are you worried about causing confusion with multiple programs for the same purpose?

        • Re:What is OpenCD? (Score:4, Informative)

          by Nurseman ( 161297 ) <nurseman@nOspAM.gmail.com> on Friday December 10, 2004 @01:20PM (#11053481) Homepage Journal
          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.

        • Why include both Mozilla and Firefox?

          Because they really are two different projects. For the benefit of others:

          Mozilla is the traditional Mozilla "suite" with a web browser, email client, irc client and web page creator that work very well together. It is well tested, very stable and one of the most refined FOSS projects out there. Usability has been fine tuned over the years. It is a good choice for someone that prefers "all in one" application suites like OpenOffice or other similar office style progr

      • Which Windows?

        95/98? NT? 2000/XP?

        Or all of the above?

    • Re:What is OpenCD? (Score:3, Informative)

      by RealAlaskan ( 576404 )
      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? (Score:3, Informative)

      by WarmBoota ( 675361 )

      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 features.

      Besides the above raison d'etre, I think it's great to have around for the times when a machine doesn't have MS Word installed or a decent ZIP utility, or a decent graphics editing package.

      I'm glad to see that Blender has been added. The Blender cre

    • 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 the various packages are.

      Basically, it's the ideal way to introduce your windows user friends to open source if they don't know about it already.

    • Re:What is OpenCD? (Score:2, Informative)

      by jayteedee ( 211241 )
      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, 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
      • The thing I really like about TheOpenCD is the fact that a group of experts have lent their endorsements to the software. They've sort of certified them as proffesional in appearace, straightforward and useful with no major security flaws.

        When a newby (or even an old hat like me) sees several open source projects for a similar software type, it can be difficult to choose which one to try. TheOpenCD gives a good starting point for many software categories.

        How many VNC flavors are there out there? How do
      • every time they do this I get re-addicted to Sokoban
    • The OpenCD is a CD compilation of various Open Source software for WinDo$e. It's a great way to introduce people to what open source has to offer, and the software included is also usefull and of good quality.

      When your friend is telling you they're about to plunk down $350 for MS Office, you can hand them an OpenCD and tell them that the office suite on there reads and writes to MS Office formats, but cost $0!

    • What you said ...and I believe oriented for the Win32 platform. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

      The reasoning?

      "These programs on this CD are free. They're often as good as - or better - than their non-free counterparts. Almost always not ad-ridden like their non-free counterparts. Oh and, if you were so inclinded, you could modify the source code of the software and customize it for your business or something."

      What's it meant to do? The same thing any free thing is meant to do. Draw customers/users
  • Another nail in the coffin of M$. That's how the free market moves. Let's dump the pub tonite and hit the download site...
    • 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, then leave to go to the pub (or the bar). Not a big fan of sitting watching a progress bar myself, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
    • I'm running out of excuses to make my gf switch to Linux or Mac. These people are doing a (too fscking) good job.

      --Excuse 1 (dead): "TCO. Windows may have 'come with the computer' but almost anything else will cost you top dollar."

      1a. Office apps
      1b. a mail client not dumb enough to put everything in the same folder
      1c. a browser with tabs and no ads

      --Excuse 2 (partly dead): "Security. Windows is too darn insecure and so are many (closed source) apps for Windows."

      Quit using IE and Outlook. 90%
    • Haven't you heard? MS is dead and Netcraft confirmed it!

  • 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 really needs is a marketing plan.

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

    • Re:While this is great for open source advocates.. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Spoing ( 152917 ) on Friday December 10, 2004 @01:19PM (#11053457) Homepage
      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.. (Score:4, Insightful)

      by forsetti ( 158019 ) on Friday December 10, 2004 @01:21PM (#11053484)
      "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.
      • Marketing is not just the people who make advertisements and con people into buying stuff. Marketing, at it's core, is to build a consistent message that speaks to a certain audience. Now, I know that sounds really pollyanian, but this is the OSS community, so we can build it as we want. What is needed is some way to communicate to people what it is and why its better.

        Take Firefox for example. It has a clear and concise marketing message: Faster and safer browsing experience. This works incredibly wel

        • Marketing is not just the people who make advertisements and con people into buying stuff

          Good point. Not all advertising is a con job, and marketing is not just about advertising. Marketing is about how you define your product. It encompasses everything from advertising, packaging, press releases, logos, all the way down to design specifications for the product you're building. So it's not just the communication of "why the product is better," but it's creating an identity for your product, finding a ni

      • I hear this often, but why? Nobody is making money off open source, many are doing it as a hobby.

        Because open source software derives its power from the community. The larger the community, the more resources available, hence the higher quality of the software.

        I've brought some really good people over from the Dark Side - it's not fair to say that if they're any good they'd be here already.
      • I come from a slightly different point of view when it comes to OSS. I'm not a developer who just wants to make it and use it himself. I'm not a vendor trying to make money off of these projects.

        I'm just an open source advocate from the standpoint of a guy who fixes computers for his 9 to 5, and supports friends and family on the weekends. So I want to push open-source for two major reasons:

        1. It's free (as in beer), so I can give the people I'm supporting the software they need without asking them to co
    • what open source really needs is a marketing plan.

      You seems to misunderstand the "purpose" of open source.

      It's to allow Freedom for the people that wants it, and create the best SW possible. A marketing plan is somewhat counter to the movement as a plan per se will impose constrains on the development process. Marketing plans are for companies lik RH, Mandrake and the like not for the FOSS as a movement.

      Lastly the superiou development method will win in the end. There is just so many transatlantic boa

      • You need a marketing plan if you need to justify your own choices. Open Source is about diversity, but for many people conformity is the priority. In other words, an adolescent geek using Linux won't be happy until the other adolescent geeks around him use Linux as well. Replace "Linux" with any other choice, such as "AD&Dv3.5", "GTA:SA", or any particular brand of caffeinated soda.

        We need marketing because adolescent geeks need validation. I'll now sit back and watch the insulted moderators run roughs
    • My tactic is to install stuff from TheOpenCD whenever my friends ask me to pirate Office for them. Simple, legal, and productive!

    • Re:While this is great for open source advocates.. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by temojen ( 678985 ) on Friday December 10, 2004 @01:25PM (#11053539) Journal
      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.
    • ### what open source really needs is a marketing plan.

      What OpenSource needs is better software, not a marketing plan. You can't 'talk' people into using OpenSource Software when they have already purcased superior non-free software. Lets face it, in lots of areas OpenSource is simply inferior to proprietary software and will stay so for a long time to come, better marketing won't change that, IMHO it already is over-hyped way to much. What OpenSource needs is better software, doesn't even need to be better
    • If i'm an average joe, my first question is 'why should i use open-source?" not where do i get it from?
      Wrong answer. If you're average Joe then your first question is "How much does it cost?" That is followed by "Is it really free?" followed by either "Cool" if you understand or "I don't trust them" if you don't. People don't need a thing in order to want it. It simply has to exist (at least in the consumer market we live in today).

  • Release notes (Score:5, Informative)

    by HenrikOxUK ( 776979 ) on Friday December 10, 2004 @01:11PM (#11053358) Homepage
    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).
    • That's a newer version of GIMP than Gentoo (x86 linux stable)
      • 3des ~ # esearch -cI gimp
        [ I] media-gfx/gimp (2.0.6): GNU Image Manipulation Program

        Unstable has a newer version, things have to be bug-free for at least 2 weeks before they move to stable. With GIMP releasing fairly frequently, it's not surprising. If you want cutting edge, hit unstable as always. If you want stability, don't.
        • If you want cutting edge of the GIMP in gentoo you'll have to compile it yourself. 2.2-preN isn't even in portage yet (with good reason, it requires freetype 2.1.7+, which breaks compatibility with code written for freetype 2.1.5- (changed a global include file name)). I tried it, but it still didn't support 16b/channel, so I re-emerged gimp-2.0 and went back to useing cinepaint for my digital camera pictures.
    • This is a nice compilation, but how much sense do CDs like these make - by the time they are released some of the software will already be out-dated. I guess people don't have to have the latest version of everything all the time.
  • Well my little brother is a bit of a budding hacker. He's really into Blender and Python right now. He probably doesn't really need this CD since he's got his own setup already, but it's always good to encourage kids to get into this stuff at an early age.

    With Microsoft and recently and more chillingly the government itself constantly chipping away at our freedoms, it's crucial to make sure we bring up a new generation of programmers who understand their civic responsibility to protect freedom of speech, w
    • Hacker??? Since when is using a graphics program hacking??? To hack is to code. Unless he is writing code that is going back into Blender I would say that that he is not a hacker.
      • ...my little brother is a bit of a budding hacker. He's really into Blender and Python...

        Emphasis on Python. Therefore, by your standards he IS a budding hacker. Emphasis on budding also. We have to be carefull not to become bullies and assholes you know.

        Cheers,
        Adolfo
        • Maybe I am old school but scripting blender is not too me hacking. Sure it is fun, educational, I would even say he could be considered talented but not what I would call hacking. Not a judgment on the young mans talent but I see way to many people that can run adaware and install a video card calling themselves hackers.
          • I understand your point of view on the young people that call themselves hackers and I couldn't agree more. Too many script kiddies brag about being hackers. I make a living by developing software solutions and wouldn't dare to call myself a hacker.

            At the moment of my post I perceived your comment as being elitist, and yet, I share your views on the subject. Perhaps I should think twice and post once.

            Cheers, Adolfo
  • I don't have any of the detials of their release schedule, and can't get to the because the site is slashdotted, but wouldn't it make sense to automatically generate an iso of this collection on a weekly basis? A lot of the software proejct that they include (e.g. Firefox, GAIM, Mozilla) have new releases very frequently. One problem that I've found while providing tech support for my wife, 4 brothers-in-law, parents, and wife's parents is that they are all very slack when it comes to updating software.
    • wouldn't it make sense to automatically generate an iso of this collection on a weekly basis?

      I think that would run somewhat contrary to the purpose of the CD. From my understanding, they've patched together known-stable builds of each of these apps for the purpose of introducing the less technical to the world of OSS. Anything automatically generated is bound to come up with a few extra quirks now and then.

      Besides, all the software is freely available over the net. If you ever really want to generate

  • Mirrors, with release 1.4 and 2.0 (Score:4, Informative)

    by RealAlaskan ( 576404 ) on Friday December 10, 2004 @01:18PM (#11053451) Homepage Journal
    Version 1.4:

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

  • BitTorrent File (Score:4, Informative)

    by HenrikOxUK ( 776979 ) on Friday December 10, 2004 @01:19PM (#11053459) Homepage
    http://hirisemultimedia.com/TOCD2.iso.bz2.torrent http://www.theopencd.net/torrent/TOCD2.iso.bz2.tor rent

  • In related news... (Score:5, Informative)

    by JediTrainer ( 314273 ) on Friday December 10, 2004 @01:19PM (#11053464)
    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.. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by the_rajah ( 749499 ) * on Friday December 10, 2004 @01:21PM (#11053488) Homepage
    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
    • the programs on your CD maybe free as in beer, but not free as in speech. so it's different thing than the OpenCD.

    • OSS Spyware Removal (Score:3, Interesting)

      by NardofDoom ( 821951 )
      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.
      • Could it be that people who are interested in Free software (and have the skill to write it) and people who need spyware cleaning utilities are mutually exlusive groups? Not many people want to hack something that they don't need or want to use theirselves...
        • Most people who know about free software are the ones *cleaning up* spyware infested computers. If they could do it with an open-source program that they knew worked well and got all the beasties, they'd be happy to use it. Especially if it was easily extensible.
          • That may be true, but I at least don't really care -- if somebody wants me to remove spyware, they're either going to get a reformat, or a look through the Windows task manager and deletion of whatever executables look like they don't belong (and usually that's because I'm using their computer and get too annoyed by particularly bad adware).
    • I keep a similar collection for my own internal use, but I really like the OpenCD for another reason - it gives me a nice collection of free apps with a nice frontend that I can give to customers and let them explore it on their own.

      With some people, a nice, polished presentation is almost as important as a nice, polished product.

  • Some mirrors (Score:5, Informative)

    by HenrikOxUK ( 776979 ) on Friday December 10, 2004 @01:26PM (#11053553) Homepage
    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/

  • Arrgh! (Score:2, Funny)

    by Pacifix ( 465793 )
    Thirty seconds ago I finished collecting, burning and giving most of this software for a friend - along with zonealarm, avg antivirus, etc - whose computer has been zombied, specifically because OpenCD was too out of date. Then I open /. and see this. Ain't that always the way?
  • In addition to including installers for open source Windows software, why not also make the CD a bootable Knoppix CD? That way Windows users can use open source apps on Windows, in addition to experimenting with Linux.
    • 1) Disc space will most likly be to limited to be full of OSS software for Windows and for Linux

      2) There is already the Ubuntu live cd, which contains a full Ubuntu Linux live distri and in addition to that a bunch of popular OSS software for windows, but due to 1) most likly quite a bit less then the OpenCD.

  • Screenshot mirror (Score:3, Informative)

    by HenrikOxUK ( 776979 ) on Friday December 10, 2004 @01:51PM (#11053830) Homepage
    Here [theopencd.net].
    (as if /.ing the main site wasn't enough)

  • Shameless plug (Score:2, Informative)

    by MMatessa ( 673870 )
    We are selling a similar CD to those who cannot download the packages themselves. It includes Firefox, Mozilla, Thunderbird, Gaim, and OpenOffice for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

    www.bestofopenoffice.com [bestofopensource.com]

    Feel free to send this link to friends/relatives that do not have high bandwidth downloads...

    • OpenOffice.org for Mac shouldn't be on there until it has an OS X native version that doesn't use Java. If they don't know about OSS, I wouldn't expect them to know how to use X11.
  • I haven't been able to RTFA, but from the posts here BsPLayer doesn't seem to be among the programs listed on OpenCD. Maybe they should include it and/or Foobar in the next version as well? Just a thought.
  • I'm hugely impressed with TheOpenCD - I was visiting go-opensource.org and filled in a form saying I'd like a copy.

    Two weeks later, one arrived at my P.O.Box - I never expected it and in fact completely forgot I'd asked for one. Comes with a great CD case and the silk screen print job on the CD is highly professional - a lot better than the Half-Life 2 CD's that I bought from those damn corporate pirates ... ;)

    Great stuff.
  • It's good to see a new release, but what happened to Crack Attack? From the list of games (don't have my download yet), this game is MIA. I thought this was a reeally great game, and a nice change from most of the "me too" FPS and fighting games out there.

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