Examples of free software applications

Today, free software covers just about every field of computer applications. Because of their high quality and openness, several free software programs have become leaders in their field or comprise the core of of an entire industry. Here is a short list of free software headline acts :

• The Linux kernel, of course! The Linux kernel is protected by the GPL, and is used daily by millions of people throughout the world. As the kernel, it is one of the most important components of the GNU system ;
• Apache, the most widely used web server in the world. More than 56% of the web servers on this planet use Apache; far more than its fierce competitors, Microsoft and Netscape ;
• The Gimp is a powerful bitmap mode digital creation program. In spite of being relatively new, The Gimp has rapidly become serious competition for Photoshop ;
• PostgreSQL is an object-relational database. It is currently the most sophisticated free software database available.

English translation by Katixa Rybalka.