Best Free and Open Source Software

posted by Rianne Schestowitz on Jan 25, 2026

• Vipster - powerful editor for molecular structures - LinuxLinks

  VIsual Periodic STructure EditoR (Vipster) is a fast and easy to use graphical editor for periodic atomistic simulations.

  This is free and open source software.

• DAMASK - Düsseldorf Advanced Material Simulation Kit - LinuxLinks

  DAMASK is a unified multiphysics crystal plasticity simulation package.

  The solution of continuum mechanical boundary value problems requires a constitutive response that connects deformation and stress at each material point. This problem is solved in DAMASK on the basis of crystal plasticity using a variety of constitutive models and homogenization approaches. However, treating mechanics in isolation is no longer sufficient to study emergent advanced high-strength materials. In these materials, deformation happens interrelated with displacive phase transformation, significant heating, and potential damage evolution. Therefore, DAMASK is capable of handling multiphysics problems. Following a modular approach, additional field equations are solved in a fully coupled way using a staggered approach.

  This is free and open source software.

• 5 Best Free and Open Source CSS Linter Tools - LinuxLinks

  A linter is a tool used in software development to analyze source code for potential errors, stylistic issues, and adherence to coding standards. It essentially acts as a static code analyzer, examining the code without actually executing it. Linters help developers catch issues early in the development cycle, improving code quality and maintainability

  Linters are useful tools for maintaining code quality and consistency in your CSS code. They analyze code for potential issues, enforce coding standards, and help catch errors before they are pushed into production. Linters are not necessarily a quick fix, can be a distraction, and it’s not inconceivable that they may not be helpful with old, large code bases.

  This article picks some useful tools to help you fix CSS code.

• Goofys - Amazon S3 backend filey-system interface - LinuxLinks

  Goofys allows you to mount an S3 bucket as a filey system.

  It’s a Filey System instead of a File System because goofys strives for performance first and POSIX second. Particularly things that are difficult to support on S3 or would translate into more than one round-trip would either fail (random writes) or faked (no per-file permission). Goofys does not have an on disk data cache (checkout catfs), and consistency model is close-to-open.

  This is free and open source software.

• Athas - cross-platform code editor - LinuxLinks

  Athas is a lightweight, cross-platform code editor, built with Tauri (Rust and React) with Git support, AI agents, vim keybindings.

  This is free and open source software.

• Site Updates: Our Plans - LinuxLinks

  I’m delighted to discuss our updated plans with the Linux community!

  We recently published our 10,000th article on all things Linux! Our articles primarily highlight open source software, showcasing our top recommendations through curated roundups. In addition to these, we provide in-depth reviews as well. However, we’re more than a software-focused platform. We also feature a diverse array of series that cover hardware topics that are sure to captivate Linux enthusiasts.

  We’re excited to announce that we’re increasing the number of software roundups available on LinuxLinks. Our goal is to transform the site into a truly comprehensive resource. This means you can expect plenty of new roundups, along with updates to existing ones, especially those that are over a year old. Stay tuned for more!