With the open source culture becoming more and more popular there is a constant stream of new freely available web based applications being released by an abundance of developers under various open source licenses. These applications range from your popular content management systems such as WordPress and Drupal or your online discussion boards such as phpBB and MyBB, but there are also hundreds of others that are far less known, each boasting their own specialty use.
Open Source applications, or all web applications in general, are divided up into various categories based on their functionality and specific use cases. You’re likely used to hearing or reading about some of the more popular categories such as Blog/CMS, Shopping Carts and Discussion Forums, but there are a bunch of other open source application categories that you may not be aware of, each containing a wide range of useful applications. Some of these include:
- Social Networking
- Ad Management
- Polls and Surveys
- Project Management
- Guest Books
- Customer Support
- Educational
- File Management
Many of these categories are skipped on by many website owners simply because the need for such applications aren’t as dire compared to some of the larger application types. The problem this raises is that many useful and powerful applications that may actually benefit your website or business may be missed out on, some of which may even save you a significant monetary value by not paying for a premium alternative.
5 Open Source Applications You Probably Didn’t Know About
The following 5 open source applications offer powerful features that can be used to further enhance a website and provide further functionality for both webmasters and website visitors. All are also available for 1 click installation via Softaculous, an automatic web software installer.
1. Ghost
Category: Blogging
Website: Ghost.org
Ghost is a relatively new open source blogging platform which is managed and run via the non-for-profit Ghost foundation. Ghost was originally an idea put forward on Kickstarter, a crowdsourcing platform, during 2013 and raised over $200,000 AUD before being launched as an official product in October of 2013.
Ghost provides all of the features you would normally expect from a blogging application including the ability to publish content and media directly to the web, theme and customize your Ghost powered website to look exactly the way you want and further enhance its functionality through the use of a range of plugins that have been designed and developed by countless individuals supporting the application.
2. LimeSurvey
Category: Polls/Surveys
Website: Limesurvey.org
Limesurvey, formerly PHPSurveyor, is an open source application that can be used to publish a number of surveys or questionnaires on your website, making it easy to gather valuable feedback from your customers or website visitors. Upon installation of Limesurvey, a web based dashboard is made available to website owners which can be used to create and publish surveys, view survey answers and historical data along with template and visual control over how their surveys are presented to website visitors.
Limesurvey provides webmasters with basic statistical and graphical representations of survey results which makes it easy visualize results. The surveys created via Limesurvey can also be completed by individuals anonymously or via the tracking of IP addresses.
3. osTicket
Category: Customer Support
Website: Osticket.com
osTicket is a widely used open source customer support and ticketing application that allows business and website owners to provide an easy to use and manage support medium for their customers and visitors. Customers are able to submit a support ticket via the osTicket interface which is then managed, replied to and actioned via the websites staff, all of which is replied to the customer via email discussions.
One of the greatest aspects of osTicket is the fact that you get full access to a rich set of features for free, rather than paying potentially large subscription or one of fees like you may do with many similar competitors.
4. Clip Bucket
Category: Video Streaming/Media Sharing
Website: Clip-Bucket.com
Clip Bucket is an open source multimedia sharing script, essentially acting as a clone of YouTube. Clip Bucket allows you to create your own website that provides the ability for visitors to sign up for an account, upload and share videos and view videos uploaded by other members just like Youtube, MetaCafe or Hulu.
Clip Bucket features a powerful administration area, video moderation tools, HQ video conversion and optimization, easy visual customization, commenting system along with a strong social networking aspect and feel.
5. OwnCloud
Category: Cloud Management
Website: Owncloud.org
OwnCloud is a free open source web application that empowers website owners to create their own cloud storage platform that can be used to sync, access and share their data wherever and whenever they like, just like DropBox or Google Drive.
OwnCloud boasts a huge range of features including file storage, synchronization, task scheduler, calendars, music streaming, online text editor, photo gallery, video viewer and a list of other great features. OwnCloud also features an application store that can be used to install additional applications into the core software, enhancing functionality.
Many More
The above 5 open source applications are some of the most functional platforms that can be downloaded and installed for free on your website or server. The next time you’ve got an idea for your website, or if you’ve got one in mind, take a look at some of the great open source applications that are available for free. You may just find one that suits your requirements perfectly.
For a full list of other open source applications, visit our Softaculous page.
