Windows Privacy Guide #1 - Open Source Software

Open source software are great. That is not a statement from a random dude, it is an idea accepted by many people. The reason for that is simple: they show us their code. The software that are part of the communities of Free and Open Source Software, or FOSS, are willing to show us their code for people to check and learn about their work, and money is not their biggest goal for developing their products. This separates open source software from others, since experts have checked their work, and told people if they are trustworthy.

However, along with the benefits, there comes flaws. Nowadays, most computer users cares about productivity and aesthetics, but the truth is, most open source software either look bad, or does not have as much functions as their close-sourced counterparts.

This list of open source program is created to give you an idea of the best products the FOSS community can offer, and my personal favorites, to let you decide if you want to try them out.

1. LibreOffice

LibreOffice is suggested by most of its user. It has most of MS Office features, and is a rather stable alternative. Aside from some minor issues with compatibilities with MS Office file types, it is the best free choice on the web.

2. 7-Zip

Probably everyone reading this blog has heard about this at this point, but if you don't know, 7-Zip is a great Open Source competitor to WinRAR (or not, since both of them are technically free). I will not give my opinions on WinRAR users, but just so you know, if you didn't pay for WinRAR, you are going to face the annoyance from the pop-ups saying your free trial is over.

3. Thunderbird

Mozilla Thunderbird is a great product from Mozilla, and it is a open source mail client. The client itself is very modern (it wasn't, but they changed it) and privacy friendly. Most people nowadays are stuck with Gmail, and either use it for work, business, or just don't want to switch out of habit. With Thunderbird, you can, at the very least, control your email a little better in terms of privacy.

4. Librewolf/Brave

In terms of browsers, Google Chrome is the goat. Nobody can doubt its speed and popularity. However, Google uses a lot of RAM, and it of course supports Google from getting your information from the back. Browsers can get your information very easily and you probably won't even notice. The way browsers tackle the connection to different websites are hidden, and browser settings only gives you the minimum amount of control over it. There are two main open source browsers that are rather popular, and they are Brave and Librewolf. Both of them are pretty good browsers, but since Brave is based on Chromium, and Librewolf is based on Firefox, I prefer Librewolf a little more.

5. Okular + SumatraPDF

PDFs are important, and you can't avoid it when communicating with people online. Let's be real, Adobe is great, and it did create the file type originally, but as Acrobat getting more and more overwhelming to handle (just like every other adobe application), and not to mention Adobe is a big company and probably needs data to sell for their employees to get paid. That is why we need alternatives. (By the way, Acrobat installer installs McAfee automatically, are you kidding me??) Okular and SumatraPDF are two of the best open source PDF readers in the group. If you have an e-book, in format of PDF or EPUB, you should probably check out SumatraPDF. It is lightweight and comes with a simple design. However, the best part is that it is portable, meaning that all it needs to store data is one folder, and it does not mess with your AppData folder and registry. Okular, on the other hand, is more useful when you are just viewing a document for 10 minutes, and then put it back to your documents folder. Okular is a nice tool to just view a PDF file, and modify a little bit here and there.

6. Session + Revolt

What'sAPP and Discord are undoubtedly the most important tools many people use every day. However, What'sAPP can be sending your private information to Facebook, and Discord may be leaking stuff to scam companies. Keep in mind, with these closed-source software by huge companies, we can't be sure if they are private or not. Session is an open source alternative to What'sAPP, and Revolt is an open source alternative for Discord. Even though both of them have a way smaller user base, if you can convince some of your friends to download, you can definitely check them out.

1. Inkscape

If you have made a quiz in JetPunk, then you got to know about SVGs. SVGs are essential for making quizzes in JetPunk, and if you didn't pay for Adobe Illustrator and don't want to, this is definitely the choice.

2. Kdenlive/Openshot

No doubt, Kdenlive is the leading video editing software in the open source communities. I can't say it's better than Adobe Premiere Pro, but I can say it is definitely not worse. On the other hand, Openshot is another open source video editor, it is less complicated, and is better for people who edit videos for a hobby.

3. GIMP

GIMP is something too good to be true. As an open source software that is completely free, it is hard to imagine how much it can do. It's features are good enough to compete with Photoshop, and many people already use it as a great Photoshop alternative.

4. Blender

I'm not obsessed with art skills, and I have not used this tool, but since it is so good, I might as well include it. This open source 3D modeling software is basically the number one choice for 3D artists and game developers, and a popular software staying free and open sourced is very respectable.

5. Krita

Krita is another tool that works with vector art, but unlike Inkscape, it focuses more on the art side. This open source software is a professional tool for creating artwork, and it is also very great for editing photos generally. Even though I am not blessed on art skills, Krita still impresses me every time I see it.

6. Darktable

Darktable is an open source alternative to Adobe Lightroom, which basically modifies the filters and lighting of a photo. This may not be used that frequently, but it is worth noting.

7. Handbrake

Handbrake is a video transcoding software for changing the format, definition, and other stats of a video file. This is especially useful if you recorded a video or made an animation and want to upload it to YouTube, here you go!

8. OBS

OBS stands for Open Broadcasting Software, and the name literally tells you this is open source. In case you don't know what it is, which I highly doubt, this is the best tool to record screen and stream. I bet at least 70% of the videos on YouTube you watch nowadays are made with OBS. Whenever you need to record something, you can do it very easily.

1. Flow Launcher

Windows search is good enough, or is it? You see, MacOS has a way better spotlight search, that is more aesthetically pleasing, and easier to access. There are a lot of Windows tools that offers similar features, but when comes to aesthetics, customization and code transparency, you gotta give credit to Flow Launcher. This tool triggers a search box when you hit a hotkey, and you can use it to launch apps, search the web, search for specific files, browser bookmarks, and even shell commands. You can use themes to customize the experience, install add-ons to make it even more powerful, and most importantly, it makes you much more productive since you can do everything on your keyboard.

2. EarTrumpet

This is another tool that you didn't know you needed until you get it. EarTrumpet basically gives you an icon in the task bar that serves the features of windows volume mixer. Best of all, it's design looks exactly like Windows. It's icon looks just like the original Windows one, but allows you to manage sound for different apps and devices. It even offers a more modern redesign for audio mixer in case you need a separate window for that.

For some of you who do not like Windows 11, or you don't have the "supported hardware" to update, then you need to look at this tool. This tool gives you a fresh and modern look for the pop-up menu when you are changing sound level, brightness or capslock. It also gives a good amount of customization, which is just what we need.

4. QuickLook

Do you wonder if Windows can release a feature that you can quickly preview the file without opening it, just like what Mac did over a decade ago? Just use QuickLook. It's easy and simple. All you need to do is to select a file and press space. It can preview images, videos and folder properties, with a tap of a button.

Do you still need me to introduce Rainmeter at this point? Almost every "beautify Windows" guides online requires Rainmeter. Rainmeter is a RAM eater, but if you want a minimal desktop, this is always the best choice.

6. Lively Wallpaper

Lively Wallpaper is the free and open source alternative for Wallpaper Engine, so I think I need to say no more. Live wallpaper and interactive wallpaper are the dreams for desktop customization, so just use this free one.

Online privacy is a hard goal to accomplish today, and using open source software is just the first step. This article might give you an idea on what open source is and how are they useful. Although the change may not help that much at the moment, it can be a bridge that helps you get closer to take back your own privacy.