
It's not just for the desktop anymore, either. I can't think of an open source user who doesn't know and love (or, at least, like) LibreOffice. Working on an expense spreadsheet using Framacalc Open365 Be ready to stretch your linguistic muscles if you want to use the Framasoft suite: most of the applications are in French, and there doesn't seem to be a way change the interface to a different language. You can use a public instance of many apps, or sign in to keep your data private. The suite also includes a read-it-later tool, a vector drawing program, an RSS reader, a URL shortener, a kanban board, and file sharing tools. Unlike Sandstorm Oasis, however, the folks behind Framasoft have rebranded the applications and given them a consistent look and feel.įramasoft includes web applications like EtherPad (called Framapad), GitLab (called Framagit), MatterMost (called Framateam), and EtherCalc (called Framacalc).

Like Sandstorm Oasis, Framasoft pulls a disparate set of web apps together into one place. Writing this article using Dillinger in Sandstorm Oasis Framasoft It keeps things nice and neat in your instance of Sandstorm Oasis. Just start the app, create a collection for your project, and then add grains to the collection. If you're collaborating on a project, you can share a set of grains as a single package using the Collections app. You can share individual grains with others by sending them a link. A grain is a single, standalone instance of an application, for example, a document or a chat room. When you fire up an application, it creates a grain. Those applications include EtherPad, EtherCalc, GitLab, WeKan, Rocket.Chat, and Draw.io. You get just about everything you need to work, share, and collaborate. You get a choice of over 50 applications in categories like productivity, office, graphics, communication, and developer tools. Sandstorm Oasis is the hosted version of Sandstorm.io, which bills itself as an open source operating system for personal and private clouds.

So what's an open source advocate who wants to work with web applications to do? You turn to an open source alternative, of course.

If that happens to you, you lose what's yours. I'm sure you've heard numerous stories of, say, Google locking or removing accounts without warning. Your data also exists at the whim of large corporations. The main problem with most web-based office suites-like Google Drive, Zoho Office, and Office365-is that they're closed source. Doing that is incredibly convenient: as long as you have an internet connection, you can easily work and share from just about anywhere, on just about any device. It can be hard to get away from working and collaborating on the web.
