Best Free and Open Source Software

posted by Rianne Schestowitz on Sep 07, 2026,
updated Sep 07, 2026

• 6 Best Free and Open Source Material and Texture Authoring Tools

  These applications are used by 3D artists, game developers, VFX teams, technical artists and designers working with rendered and real-time graphics. Some concentrate on painting directly onto 3D models, while others use procedural or node-based workflows to create reusable materials that can be refined without starting again from scratch.

  Good authoring tools make texture production faster, more consistent and easier to iterate. Procedural workflows are particularly useful for creating variations of a material, while painting tools provide precise control over details such as wear, dirt, scratches and surface imperfections. Related applications may also generate lighting maps for 2D artwork or help manage materials within larger production pipelines.

  Here we feature the best free and open source material and texture authoring tools for artists and developers.

  Here’s our verdict captured in a legendary LinuxLinks-style ratings chart. Only free and open source software is eligible for inclusion here.

• Netshot - Network Configuration and Compliance Management

  Netshot is a browser-based network configuration and compliance-management application.

  It maintains an operational inventory of network devices, records configuration changes and evaluates equipment against administrative policies. The server can be deployed on Linux directly or through containers, while administrators interact with it using its web GUI and REST API.

  This is free and open source software.

• rst2pdf - Convert reStructuredText Documents to PDF

  rst2pdf is a command-line application that converts reStructuredText documents directly into PDF files. It uses ReportLab rather than passing documents through a LaTeX toolchain, making it a useful option for automated documentation, publishing scripts and Python-based workflows. Output appearance can be extensively controlled through reusable stylesheets and page templates.

  This is free and open source software.

• Revisited: SparkPlayer – visually appealing media player now with gapless playback

  SparkPlayer was already a polished and unusually attractive terminal media player. Its combination of audio and video playback, terminal graphics, album art and visualizers gave it considerable appeal.

  But in my previous review I couldn’t regard it as a credible music player while it inserted a pause between consecutive tracks. For anyone who listens to albums rather than isolated songs, that deficiency was too important to ignore.

  The current version fixes the problem properly. The next audio stream is prepared in advance, differing sample rates are handled, the setting persists between sessions and even the visualizer’s sample history is carried through the transition. This isn’t merely a checkbox implementation of gapless playback.

  As a result, SparkPlayer moves up the pecking order. Some of my earlier reservations remain. It is still fundamentally folder-oriented rather than a sophisticated music-library manager, and its enthusiasm for visualizers won’t suit everyone. Video quality and smoothness also remain heavily dependent on the capabilities of your terminal. I also note that some terminal emulators exhibit very high CPU usage even when playing music. Termora is one example.