Free and open-source software is good for you and good for the world. This is the best free Mac software that we know of.<\/p>\n
Open Source Mac is a simple list of the best free and open source software for Mac OS X. We aren't trying to be a comprehensive listing of every open-source mac app, instead we want to showcase the best, most important, and easiest to use. This page should be a handy reference and a useful tool for getting more people to start using free and open-source software. If you think we're missing any great apps, please let us know. Open Source Mac is of course hosted on Linux.<\/p>\n
Note to software creators: first of all, thanks so much for making free, open-source software-- we love you.<\/p>\n
Second, if we linked to macupdate or versiontracker as the download page, it's because we think your download page is too confusing for new users. It's usually very easy to improve-- just add a big 'Download Now' link towards the top of the page, without too much clutter around it (use mozilla.org or adiumx.com or bittorrent.com for inspiration). <\/p>\n
Here's some more unsolicited advice for getting more people to download your software:<\/p>\n
a. if you have a nice icon, show it off prominently. <\/p>\n
b. put a download link and a screenshot on your front page. <\/p>\n
c. if you use mirrors, use a script to pick a random mirror and just give people one link that says 'download now' <\/p>\n
d. if there's any way you can avoid sending people to the sourceforge download mirror page, you should (we know it's not your fault, but it baffles lots of folks). <\/p>\n
e. if you really want to make things easy for people, and you have a cross-platform app, detect what OS they are on and give them the correct link. <\/p>\n
f. test your page on a novice! See if they can understand what the software does and how to get it.<\/p>\n
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email us: info@bestfreesoftwarelist.com<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n