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FREE (as in Speech) & Open Source

Firefox

The award-winning, free Web browser is better than ever. Browse the Web with confidence - Firefox protects you from viruses, spyware and pop-ups. Enjoy improvements to performance, ease of use and privacy. It’s easy to import your favorites and settings and get started. Download Firefox now and get the most out of the Web.

PDF Creator

PDFCreator easily creates PDFs from any Windows program. Use it like a printer in Word, StarCalc or any other Windows application.

Created with Octave
Created with Octave

Octave

High-level language, primarily intended for numerical computations. It provides a convenient command line interface for solving linear and nonlinear problems numerically, and for performing other numerical experiments using a language that is mostly compatible with Matlab

Python

Python® is a dynamic object-oriented programming language that can be used for many kinds of software development. It offers strong support for integration with other languages and tools, comes with extensive standard libraries, and can be learned in a few days. Many Python programmers report substantial productivity gains and feel the language encourages the development of higher quality, more maintainable code. Check the Python Development page for instructions on how to install Python (including some of the extensions below).

Created with matplotlib Created with matplotlib Created with pyGame Created with pyGame Created with Blender Created with Blender
  • Matplotlib / Pylab: Matplotlib is a python 2D plotting library which produces publication quality figures in a variety of hardcopy formats and interactive environments across platforms. Pylab is a clone of Matlab for Python.
  • Python Image Library: The Python Imaging Library (PIL) adds image processing capabilities to your Python interpreter. This library supports many file formats, and provides powerful image processing and graphics capabilities.
  • Python Game Development: Pygame is a set of Python modules designed for writing games. It is written on top of the excellent SDL library. This allows you to create fully featured games and multimedia programs in the python language. Pygame is highly portable and runs on nearly every platform and operating system.
  • Blender: Blender is the python-based open source software for 3D modeling, animation, rendering, post-production, interactive creation and playback. Available for all major operating systems under the GNU General Public License.
  • iPython: An enhanced interactive python shell.
  • pySerial: This module encapsulates the access for the serial port. It provides backends for Python running on Windows, Linux, BSD (possibly any POSIX compilant system) and Jython. The module named “serial” automatically selects the appropriate backend.
  • pyParallel: This module encapsulates the access for the parallel port. It provides backends for Python running on Windows and Linux.