What OSS Programs are Still Needed?

suso asks: "I was thinking yesterday about how much open source software is out there already. Most categories are filled, but I wonder about what pieces of software still need to be written. What programs would you like to see in OSS form that are currently not available?"

Comments

Voting software.

[Sierran]

Anything to put Diebold out of business, thank you. Auditable, open-source, tested. Please. Before the U.S. Midterms.

Re:Voting software.

[np_bernstein]

The Open Voting Consortium is doing a pretty good job. The program itself is written in python which is a good idea (despite being a perl guy) since there is always the risk that someone could keep additional code out of CVS for compile time, has paper verification w/ barcodes for quick recounts/auditing... all in all they're doing a pretty good job.

I understand that there are hardware requirements for security as well, but this provides a good way for businesses to still sell and add value to this software.

They are currently having a fund drive so if this seems like something important, consider giving them $10 (what they're asking for)

DRM

[sevinkey]

Need a reliable open source DRM solution that can be proven trustworthy so we can finally have pay content that's not platform dependent.

If you can build a linux box for $70 and call it a linksys router, then with a OSS DRM you should be able to create the equivalent of MCE2005 for $250.

Re:DRM

[finkployd]

DRM is a fundamentally flawed concept. The only implementations of it that exist involve basically turning the concept of public key cryptography upside down. Giving someone a private key with which to decrypt data but then trying to prevent the user from ever coming in contact with that key is just silly.

The way it is SUPPOSED to work is the owner of the key is the only one who controls it and nobody else ever comes in contact with it. The way DRM is supposed to work is by having the content producers control what you can and cannot do with your own private key, and try to keep it from you.

This is why DRM (in its current form) is so easily (and constantly) broken and also why it will never work in an OSS implementation. Even strong proponants of DRM (you can find them at the Digital Identity World conference pontificating about how great DRM will be for the computer industry) admit that someone will be able to break it, they just want to keep everyone from breaking it. Of course once one person breaks it it and unencumbered media is released, then it is all over anyway.

Finkployd

A 100% functional and universal audio mixer

[Beatbyte]

Having been on linux 100% for the last 3 years, I've never had an audio mixer work right (even on a sound blaster live! value) out of the box.

The channels are not labelled correctly, the fader doesn't work on most of them, the inputs are changed on the back of the card (i.e. from rear out to line in!).

The only reason this is so important to me is the 5.1 surround setup I have has no volume control. The volume is at whatever level the computer sends to it. I'm sure this is not the standard setup so it doesn't get much attention.

Database

[adam mcmaster]

I hate to say this, but a database frontend that's as good as MS Access would be nice - there are attempts at such applications currently in development, but nothing that's even close to usable.

Re:Database

[Rysc]

There are two theoeries as to why Access is bad:

1) It's DB engine is primative and a joke making all databases created for it fundamentally inferior.

2) It dumbs down databases making DBAs annoyed that their boss' can say "My 12 year old sun threw together a database that works fine in 20 minutes! Why am I paying you?"

The first argument is the only one which is good. You do NOT want to use a technically inferior DB.

The second argument is NOT good. For some people, for some things, you really do not need a DBA. The fact that people CAN build databases without really understanding them is not fundamentally bad, it's an empowerment and fundamentally good... so long as it is understood (as, of course, it some times will not be) that a DB designed by an amature in a WYZIWYG DB app is not the same as a DB designed by a professional, just as some kids VB bitmap editor is not Photoshop.

Free software, in my view, is ultimately about empowerment: My ability to do more. Not necessarily without knowing more, but without spending more, and without being forced to do it someone else's way. To empower more people it can be necessary to allow for people to do more while knowing the same or less (see some aspects of the GNOME philosophy of late). That isn't bad, in fact it's definitively good.

So, just as a WYZIWYG html editor is not bad just because FrontPage blows, a GUI database designer is not bad just because Access blows.

CAD

[ikeleib]

Serious CAD software. There are a few projects that do some 2D drafting. That is not sufficient. A serious CAD package can not only serve as an end application, but the backend to many tools.

I have thought on more than on occasion of starting a foundation to get such an effort off the ground. I felt then as I do now that there are many places that would contribute serious money to the effort of an OSS CAD. Organizations spend serious money on CAD. Additionally, there is lots of out of work talent that would be willing to devote serious time to such a project if it were financially possible for them.

A Simple, End-User Oriented Database

[Dragonmaster Lou]

Something along the lines of Access (though with a better DB engine that Access), FileMaker, Paradox, etc., would be nice.

It should use local files (so you don't need to have a server running, although that could be an option) and have an easy to use form layout system. I don't want to have to administer a database daemon, and I don't want to have to have to hand-hack code for a simple database.

I have mucked around for a while looking for something like this. The closest I've seen in Rekall, but it looks like it still needs to hook up to an external database of some kind, as best as I can tell.

Re:A Simple, End-User Oriented Database

[Isomer]

Like Glom or GNU enterprise. Both prefer to use postgres, but failing that, at least gnuenterprise can use sqllite for local database use (dunno about glom).
Both projects seem pretty good, they just need mindshare :)

Cross-Platform Game Design Studio

[xanderwilson]

I know I'm probably dreaming, but I'd love something like an Open Source alternative to Director or Flash.

Alex.

Re:Cross-Platform Game Design Studio

[Geoffreyerffoeg]

If OOo Impress gets a bit more polished and a bit more capable (even more than PPT) with respect to custom animation, especially motion paths and the like, it will probably suffice. It has an "Export to SWF" option. I've done some cheesy yet impressive Flash-like animations in Microsoft PowerPoint, and I know OOo can support everything I used.

Maybe Impress should be further developed with this goal in mind, in addition to presentation-making.

WYSIWYG web design

[Johnny Mnemonic]

I've tried netscape etc, but I would sure like to see a web designer that will allow me to drag a picture anywhere inside a box, and build a table that positions it correctly relative to the other elements in the page. For instance something like this. If OSS can design a PhotoShop killer (GIMP), why not a truly WYSIWYG web designer?

Oh, and while we're dreaming, how about a desktop HIG standard? So each time I load a new distro I don't feel like I'm learning a new OS? While that's cool for hobbyists, it hurts corp adoption because Linux continually feels "unpolished." Why can't some consortium develop, decide on the lowest common denominator, and make it a standard that shrinkwrap developers and trainers target? And then you can leave the other stuff for preference panels.

QuarkXPress/InDisign replacement

[rekrutacja]

DTP on linux is simply impossible. Scribus doesn't work (yet?) for most of us...

Done and done.

[sethadam1]

Nvu is your answer.

Collaborative calendar app...

[cjpez]

... that's cross-platform and lets you reserve conference rooms, schedule meetings, etc, etc, etc. Haven't found anything quite like that yet, not that can be used on coworkers' windows machines too, anyway.

Re:Collaborative calendar app...

[acaird]

I agree and am suprised that no one else mentioned this. We have decent (not great, but passable) word processors and spreadsheet programs. Good web browsers. Very good networking and server level stuff. But when people talk about why they use Windows, it's because of Outlook and the calendar. If there was a "firefox" of calendaring it would be really nice. It's more than a client though (unless you can manage to get Exchange calendaring working), so you have to get the server, and it has to operate with the huge MS Outlook base out there.
So, um, good luck.
.

How about...

[r3m0t]

CAD
Good IDEs
Movie/animation editing
Professional DVD menu editing (Look, it's complicated)
Graphical LOGO
Macromedia Flash or Shockwave editor (or editor of something similarly good)
Vector-based drawing

My vote:

[BrokenHalo]

An equivalent to Endnote that interfaces with OpenOffice. That would be a big plus for those of us who write scientific documents on linux machines in a MS-based world, where BibTex is not an option.

Oh, and while we're at it, a gui-based stats package along the lines of PASS or SPSS would be nice too.

Pr0n Indexer

[Anonymous Coward]

I need a program to index all my pr0n!!!

clarity

[elliotj]

oss needs clarity. think about the mac. everything is immediately obvious to the end user. apps are sensibly named, things make sense. look at .net on windows. again, this is an easy to understand system.

oss is great, but since it's a voluntary collaboration, things are named after inside jokes or poor conventions. the "k"rap naming of kde stuff for example. or "vi", "gawk", "sed" etc. come on.

I know this will be flamed, but I think some kind of clarity council should be setup to provide consistency and simplicity across applications, tools and platforms. with a bit of this kind of organization, linux could really make a dent on the desktop, and new developers and users wouldn't face such a high barrier to entry.

Re:Heres a few:

[forsetti]

2. XMMS is pretty decent, and has a handful of plugins
4. CLAMAV, Sophos, OpenAntiVirus

Heres something...

[spreerpg]

A Mathematica replacement, please.

Re:Spreadsheets

[magefile]

WTF? If you have 64,000+ rows, doesn't that suggest that gnumeric/OO/Excel are not the right tool to be using?

Simple graphics editor

[ted_nugent]

Going from TuxPaint to the Gimp is literally like jumping between kindergarten and college. Is there nothing inbetween for simple drawing and photo touch up?