We all know that Linux is about choice. Everyone has the choice of what they use and how they use it, provided they have access to a tame hacker with suitable programming skills.

I have compiled 23 of the most outstanding free/open source software. If these software have price tags, I would consider them the most expensive and valuable. The list was judged according to how I view their significance in the field of technology and the benefits that they have given to society.

Xara Xtreme is a graphics drawing application which has been available on the Linux desktop for about a year now. But I just now got around to trying it. For the obvious reason, and I'm sure many of you familiar with graphics on Linux would concur, that I didn't think yet another vector graphics editor was anything to jump out of my chair for.