So you want to get creative, huh?  Whether you're a student, freelancer, or company looking to add a creative department, one thing is for sure - you are going to need software to get that creative genius out of your brain and onto the page or screen.  Here's the problem.  The most popular/obvious programs can be expensive, and often require one heck of a computer system to run them. So, the more you search and research - the more you might feel like your creative dreams have reached an impasse due to massive dollar signs. 

Don't dispair.  It's Open Source to the rescue!

Open Source means the software is 100% free for personal and commercial use!  That's right.  You can use these programs to create items just for you, to be sold, or given to your clients for their marketing purposes without any worry of legal issues over the software.  Also, with open source you can rest assured that your every move and use of the software is NOT being tracked and recorded as it is with paid-for programs. Bonus!

In this blog, we will give you a list of FREE, open-source software alternatives to get your creative dreams rolling again.

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Discord is freemium application available on pc, mac, and mobile devices, all you have to do to get started is download the application and create a free account. Although the base model is free, there are upgrades, or "boosts" in the Discord world, such as a Nitro Boosts and a Server Boosts. Nitro boosts effect your own account only, but it moves with you to every server you are a member of. Server boosts on the other hand only apply to the server boosted, but benefit EVERYONE in the server while they are in that specific server whether they have Nitro or not. Following up from my previous blog about Discord for Business, we are going to take a look at both of these offerings from a  business stand point.

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In an online world cluttered with communication options like Zoom, GoTo Meeting, and Slack, Discord emerges from the gaming world as a possible awesome alternative that you might not have heard about in the business / teaching realm.

Discord is a FREE application that allows users to communicate through voice, video, and text channels. The application is very simple and efficient and allows instant communication with the click of a mouse. While it does not have all the bells and whistles of some platforms, it is definitely a viable option for businesses looking for a way to communicate instantly for any projects that need cooperation.

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I’ve used Adobe products exclusively for years. They’re the industry standard after all. But what if you’re not part of the industry?

For the casual user, their subscription model is unappealing and downright untenable for many.

For years, I’ve been hearing about replacement software called Affinity that’s on par with Adobe’s most popular programs: Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, but who has time to learn a new product? Well, I seem to have a lot of time on my hands at the moment, so now seemed like the perfect time to take the plunge into this subscription-free paradise.

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The OSTraining podcast has kicked off again for 2019.

In the first episode of the year, we welcomed Josh Strebel from Pagely. Pagely is a hugely successful WordPress hosting company that focuses on household name brands.

However, Josh and Pagely are launching a new service called NorthStack. Whereas Pagely was the very first "Managed WordPress" service, NorthStack is best described as a "Managed AWS" service.

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There are plenty of reasons why your team might be in a position to manage multiple websites concurrently. In some cases, you have a major network or brand that runs disparate, but connected web properties.

In other cases, it’s because your agency or development business handles the setup, maintenance, and management of websites for numerous clients.

Regardless of the why, you’re probably interested to learn how to actually do it efficiently and effectively.

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"The big wheel keeps on turning
On a simple line day by day
The earth spins on its axis
One man struggle while another relaxes"
"Hymn of the Big Wheel" by Massive Attack

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Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms in the world.

For under $30 per month, Shopify offers everything your store needs from products and variations to payments and shipping.

We've just published a free, hour-long introduction to Shopify. Rod Martin shows you how to build your store in just one hour. This video is free to watch on YouTube!

Special offer: If you're starting a new shop, get a .STORE domain name for your Shopify site! It's the perfect TLD for your eCommerce site. Use the coupon "OSTSTORE" and you'll pay just $4.99/year. Get started here.

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A few weeks ago, WPEngine purchased StudioPress. This was a major move in the WordPress space. This also seemed like a simple move. One of the biggest hosting companies was taking over biggest theme developer. More customers, more money, more growth.

But I'm part of a popular Slack channel for WordPress developers and I saw was confusion. WPEngine said they purchased StudioPress to become a "DXP". That was unexpected. Lots of the terminology used to describe the deal was new to the developers:

What is a DXP? A DXP appears inside a magic quadrant?!?

In this guide, I'll try and explain DXPs, magic quadrants, WCMs and more. What does this jargon mean? How do these phrases help explain WPEngine's acquisition of StudioPress, and other big moves made by open source companies?

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Today, we're delighted to say that the "Magento 2 Explained" book is here.

This step-by-step guide will get you up-and-running quickly with Magento 2.

Magento has a reputation for being a complex platform, but we've successfully explained similar software before with Drupal, Joomla and MySQL. This 300-page book is a fun and straightforward beginners guide to Magento 2.

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We've just seen the launch of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) law in Europe.

If you need some general background on the GDPR itself, this podcast from a16z is a great introduction.

With the law in action, open source projects are finally talking more about how their getting ready for the new law. One thing most people can agree on is that compliance will not be easy and changes will be needed.

After looking into the approach of different projects, I can divide them into three different groups.

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Adobe has just purchased Magento for $1.68 billion.

This deal is not a big surprise. People were predicting it a couple years ago, when Magento started partnering with Adobe. Karen Baker, a figurehead in the Magneto Community, wrote that the community had been expecting something like this.

This also isn't the first time Magento has been sold. Back in 2011, Magento was sold to eBay. That deal is generally considered to be a failure, and eBay sold Magento in 2015. Hopefully, Adobe will turn out to be better owners of Magento than eBay. 

Let's look at this deal from several angles ...

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In 2014 here at OSTraining.com, we decided to stop the flood of spambots sending spam via forms on our site.

We tried one particular unobtrusive technique on some of our forms. (PS. We're big fans of Shack Forms here at OSTraining).

This method worked out much better than we could have expected. So, we decided to turn this into a Joomla plugin. This is how OSpam-a-not was born.

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Multi-vendor e-commerce sites are really popular.

Sites such as eBay, Etsy and AliBaba have enormous reach and support with 100,000's of sellers on just one site.

However, multi-vendor sites are also really difficult to build and maintain. E-commerce itself is difficult enough, but when you multiply the number of transactions and vendors, you multiply all of the potential issues.

Still, we often get asked how to set up a multi-vendor site. For our members and our readers, here are options for building a multi-vendor site with open source software.

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A new law in France is threatening to cause major headaches for e-commerce platforms.

First off, thanks to Olivier Karfis for the heads up on this, and the links that helped me understand what's going on.

This started two years ago because French politicians decided to combat VAT fraud.

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