Cross-Platform Software

The Problem

Most school networks are heterogenous places these days, running some combination of Windows, Macintosh and Linux computers, servers and devices. Once teachers and students head home, things can get even funkier. For better or worse, we live in a multi-platform world. Arguments about which platform people "should" be using are pointless ... people use what is available to them, what they know, and are typically more focussed on achieving some practical end than arguing the toss about computer operating systems.

Students and teachers who use one computing platform at school and then go home to use another (or even just move to another room or desk at school) are often frustrated and occasionally exasperated by how most software applications are tied to specific platforms (by design) and specific devices (by licensing). So what works here won't work there, what I learnt there is useless here, etc. Can you imagine how frustrating the internet would be if it too were broken up into separate sections that each only worked on a single computer platform?

The Solution

The Software List contains links to quality cross-platform desktop/laptop software that looks and works pretty much the same on any type of computer. Students and teachers can legally install this software at no cost on as many computers as they like (why? because it's all open source). Links are included to download pages, and to Diigo lists of documentation, tutorials and howtos. Now go to it!