The Top Ten Open Source Projects

This is my personal list of the ten most influential Open Source projects out there. It's not ordered.

If your favorite project isn't on here and you're very very nice to me, I might include it if you're willing to make your case. Otherwise, this is my opinion.

• Linux -- The highest-profile of them all, Linux is the king of Open Source projects and one of the best server OSes on the market.
• X Windows -- Though annoyingly clunky in some ways, X is the standard for open source GUIs.
• BIND -- The Berkeley Internet Name Daemon is the most widely used DNS implementation, and IMHO the single most important Internet program in existence.
• Sendmail -- Like BIND, the most important of its category. Sendmail accounts for the overwhelming majority of mail traffic on the net.
• Perl -- Sorry, Python fans, but I gotta give this one to the Camel. Perl is the language for Web scripting, and many other uses as well.
• NetBSD -- Though there are at least five significant BSD versions available now, I consider NetBSD the most direct descendant of the original "Unix for the masses". It's been ported to almost every platform out there (certainly far wider than Linux), and even as an OS of last resort it's still a great thing to have around.
• Apache -- Originally a drop-in replacement for NCSA httpd, Apache now runs 60% of the web. 'Nuff said.
• GNU Compiler Collection -- The premier open source language environment, GCC was originally developed as the official compiler of the GNU Hurd. It has gone on to become one of the most respected compiler packages ever, and is even shipped commercially with a number of major Unix implementations (including MacOS X).
• Samba -- A determined hacker's attempt to create a clone of DEC Pathworks has become the single most important competitor for the Windows network server dollar. More so than any other project, Samba is in my opinion the greatest embodiment of the benefits of Open Source and a beautiful demonstration of how to fight vendor lock-in.
• Quake -- Need to build a first-person shooter? Id Software was the first to release their source code, and you could do worse than to use theirs.

If you have any suggestions to add to the list, you can email me and I will cruelly disregard your suggestion and dump it onto the list of honorable mentions.