Who we are
The Texas
Open Source Software (TOSS) Foundation
is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to advocate and advance
the use of
non-proprietary, open source software at all levels, in the public
and the private sectors. Such advancement will promote free open source
operating systems, such as Linux. Our aim is to aminorate the cost of
operating and maintaining computer systems by providing free, albeit
copyrighted, software that any computer user or organization in Texas
should have at their disposal.
Where Open Source
software is being
deployed, the Foundation also helps users with hardware acquisitions
and technical support. The Foundation supports and encourages
developers and users who embrace the Free Open Source philosophy.
The Type of Software We
Provide
There are thousands of Open Source programs available to
any user on the Internet. We provide links and CDs with the most
popular types, especially those directly relating to skills that K-12
students
and their families should have (see the tools tab above).
We hope to become a mirror site for many of the best known Open Source
software
products. We presently provide copies of a TOSS-Mac/PC CD
that includes
current copies of:
OpenOffice:
an office suite application, comprising a word processor, spreadsheet,
presentation program, vector graphics editor, and database component,
available for many different platforms. It is intended to be a
compatible, free alternative to Microsoft Office, and it supports the
Open Document standard for data interchange and PDF.
Firefox:
A free browser that empowers PC, Mac and Linux users to surf faster,
more safely and more efficiently than with any other browser.
Award-winning Firefox includes an integrated pop-up blocker, tabbed
browsing, live bookmarks, support for open standards, a skinnable
interface and an extension mechanism for adding functionality.
GIMP: Free
Photoshop-equivalent software used to process digital graphics and
photographs. Typical uses include creating graphics and logos, resizing
and cropping photos, changing colors, combining images using a layer
paradigm, removing unwanted image features, and converting between
different image formats. GIMP includes advanced image editing,
manipulation, and professional graphics creation.
AbiWord:
AbiWord is a small and fast Free Software word processor, with a very
similar user interface to Microsoft Word to help make it easier for new
users to migrate. AbiWord has several import/export filters including
Rich Text Format, HTML, Open Document and LaTeX. The native file format
uses XML.
NVU:
is a WYSIWYG HTML editor, based on the Composer component of Mozilla
Application Suite. It is intended to be an open source equivalent to
proprietary software like Microsoft Front Page and Macromedia
Dreamweaver and is one of the primary WYSIWYG editors for Linux. Nvu is
designed to be easy for non-technical computer users. Knowledge of HTML
or CSS is not required.
Audacity:
Audacity is an Open Source, cross platform digital audio editor. Among
it's many features it includes recording and playing sounds, editing
via Cut, Copy, Paste (with unlimited Undo), multi-track mixing, digital
effects and effect plug-ins and noise removal. Audacity is extremely
popular in the podcasting world due to its wide availability,
multiplatform support, and the fact that it is free.
Inkscape:
A free vector graphics editor. Its goal is to become a powerful graphic
tool while being fully compliant with the XML, SVG and CSS standards.
It is a cross-platform application that runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac
OS X and Unix-like operating systems
Thunderbird:
Mozilla Thunderbird is a free, cross-platform e-mail and news client
developed by the Mozilla Foundation. Thunderbird can manage multiple
e-mail and newsgroup accounts and supports multiple identities within
accounts. Features like quick search, saved search folders ("virtual
folders"), advanced message filtering, message grouping, and labels can
help manage and find messages.
Gallery:
The Gallery Project is an open source PHP project enabling simple
management and publication of photographs and other digital media
through a server. Photo management includes automatic thumbnails,
resizing, rotation, and flipping, among other things. Albums can be
organized hierarchically and individually controlled by administrators
or privileged users.
Juice:
Juice is a cross-platform aggregator application that is used to
download podcast media files, such as oggs and mp3s. These media files
can be automatically copied to a digital audio player.
Click here to look at an equivalence
table between Windows programs and Open Source (Linux) equivalents.
One of the best all-PC Open Source distros is OpenCD. If you are
interested in finding open source software alternatives to well-known
commercial software, consider visiting http://www.osalt.com/
or SchoolForge-UK's FLOSS
Solutions for Education site.
A word from
TOSS' President
Welcome to the Foundation's new web site. I hope to provide here a
forum for the advancement of Open Source software, and a way to become
informed about issues surrounding the use of Open Software that runs on
any platform, and of Linux more specifically. The Foundation hopes to
reach K-12 students, teachers and parents.
The Foundation needs your support. Please consider a donation.
If you have some time to devote to an aggressive essay
called "Avoiding a Lawsuit",
click on the title.
More Tools
A
wiki for the exchange ideas and concerns will be deployed. In addition
we hope to be able to provide ample bandwidth to house mirror sites for
the best-known and useful Open
Source sites and applications.
Funding TOSS -
Membership Categories
Founding Members
are prominent business, education and community leaders that have made
a comittment to help further the principles of the Foundation, and that
lend their name and support to this organization.
Corporate Members
are those willing to make a $100-$200 donation to the Foundation.
Gold Corporate Members
are those whose donation to the Foundation ranges from $210 to $500.
Silver Corporate
Members
includes companies, organizations and individual donors whose
generosity exceedes $510.
Private individuals can also contribute thus:
Private Member
Sponsorship
includes donors from $10-50.
Special
Private Membership Sponsorship are for generous donors in
the $51-100 category
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