Many long-term Ubuntu users(including me) overlook at the fact that, there are plenty of good quality applications available free of cost in Ubuntu
Software Center already. If you look at our reviews of applications here, a good number of them require adding and updating third party repositories. Not that those apps are somehow inferior, but we will, for a change, list the most highly rated applications
which are available for free installation from Ubuntu Software Center.
Ubuntu Software Center
We have talked in detail about the limitations
of Ubuntu Software Center in its current form. But that was a discussion strictly from a functionality and design point of view. What about
the hundreds and thousands of open source applications available in Ubuntu Software Center? Below, we will list 20 of the most highly rated and downloaded applications of the lot.
Stellarium Planetarium Software
Stellarium is a free and open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye,
binoculars or a telescope. It boasts of a star catalogue with over 600,000 stars. No wonder why Stellarium is one among the most
favored applications for Astrnomy enthusiasts in Linux.
Chromium Web Browser
Chromium is the open source web browser project from which Google Chrome draws its source code. Chromium browser is like the bleeding edge of the
Chromium project while Google Chrome is the more user focused version, rebranded version ie. Also, Chromium browser is available as an installation candidate in default Ubuntu while Google Chrome is not. Learn how
Chromium is different from Google Chrome in greater detail.
SMPlayer - MPlayer Based Media Player
SMPlayer is my most favorite multimedia player for Ubuntu. SMPlayer is basically a Qt based MPlayer front-end. SMPlayer remembers the settings
of all files you play. So, when you restart a video after quitting SMPlayer, it will start from the exact same position.
GnuCash Finance Management
GnuCash provides accounting functions suitable for use by small businesses and individuals. It can track finances in multiple accounts, keeping
running and reconciled balances. There is support for customer, vendor and employee processing.
Blender - 3D Modelling, Animation, Renedering App
Blender is one of the most popular open source applications ever. Blender is basically a free and open-source 3D modelling
and rendering application which is also cross platform. Short
films and animations created using Blender has been an instant hit across the web.
Guake - Quake Style Terminal Emulator for GNOME
We have talked in detail about Guake Terminal Emulator before. Guake is a drop-down terminal for GNOME Desktop Environment(originally inspired
from KDE's Yakuake).
Synaptic until Software Center is more 'complete'. Expected changes for upcoming Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin release
include many improvements and feature additions for Ubuntu Software Center, so that we can expect a more solid release next time around.
Shutter - Capture, Edit and Share Screenshots
control and low latency audio with support for multiple audio standards.
Uget is a simple, lightweight and easy-to-use download manager. It is fast, responsive and does what it is supposed to do rather well. Uget is the download manager I always preferred to use while downloading ISO's, very reliable download manager for Ubuntu.
GIMP needs no introduction. It is simply the best image editor application for Linux. Until a few releases back, GIMP was among the default choice of applications for vanilla Ubuntu. It has now been replaced with more light weight applications. [Top
GIMP Tutorials]
during export.
10 Inkscape Tutorials]
OpenShot Video Editor is a free and open-source non-linear video editor. It can create and edit videos and movies using many popular video, audio, and image formats. Though user reviews have generally been positive, many hard core users still prefer KDenLive.
Calibre E-book Library Management
Calibre manages your e-book collection for you. Calibre is a free and open source tool as well. It even supports e-book syncing with a variety of popular e-book readers out there.
Note: We have omitted some obvious choices like VLC, Rhythmbox, Ubuntu Restricted Extras and some other applications we have discussed here before. And this post is meant for new comers to Ubuntu primarily, as a quick introduction of top free applications available
in Ubuntu.