List of Open Source Alternatives to Common Technician Software

The IT industry is full of improperly licensed software. However, it doesn’t need to be that way. Lots of programs with EULAs that require licenses for commercial use can be replaced with software that is open source. Many of these open source applications are not widely known, so below is a list of well known applications, and an open source counterpart.

CCleaner can be replaced with BleachBit. As mentioned previously, BleachBit is open source and quite powerful. It can be rolled out via Chocolatey, and it has a command line interface–thus allowing for both unattended deployment and usage, which makes it perfect for use in scripts or RMM tools.

Adobe Reader can be replaced with Sumatra PDF. Sumatra PDF is an open source PDF application that is both lightweight (designed for speed) and extremely powerful (it has a command line interface!). The command line interface can be used to set Sumatra as the default PDF application, to restrict access to areas of the system (for security), to print PDFs automatically, and so much more. Sumatra is also more secure than Adobe Reader, so it is definitely worth consideration as your default PDF application.

WinZip can be replaced with 7-Zip. 7-Zip is open source, and it can extract almost every file format under the sun. It integrates into Windows Explorer and it has a command line version. It’s also included in Chocolatey, so it too can be installed and used in a zero touch scripting scenario.

Daemon Tools can be replaced with WinCDEmu. WinCDEmu is a lightweight open source  program for mounting ISO files and creating ISO files. WinCDEmu integrates into the context menu of Windows Explorer, so mounting, ejecting, and creating ISO files is just a right click away. As with previously mentioned programs, WinCDEmu has a command line interface (mount/eject functions only) and it can be installed via Chocolatey.

WinToFlash can be replaced with Rufus. Rufus is an open source program for creating bootable USB drives from ISO files. It is fast, and versatile. It works for Windows, Linux, and most other ISO files. It’s also very small (916Kb)! While it does not have a CLI, it is supported by Chocolatey.

Norton Ghost can be replaced with FOG. FOG is a free OS mass deployment platform. It can capture and deploy images via PXE boot, and it can be used to manage computers (for software deployment, some OS configuration, etc.). It is managed from a web interface, and it scales extremely well.

PingPlotter can be replaced with WinMTR. WinMRT is an open source tool that brings the Linux mtr command to Windows. For those unfamiliar with mtr, think of it as a traceroute that pings each hop continuously and records the statistics for each hop. It can help isolate the cause of network speed and stability issues. Its command line interface just launches the GUI, but it is a great (and portable) program that is extremely useful.

McAfee Endpoint Encryption can be replaced with DiskCryptor. DiskCryptor is an open source full disk encryption software. It is not as seamless as Bitlocker (you’ll need to manually enter a password with each boot, as no TPM support is documented), but it does sport many other useful features for industries that need it. The boot splash screen can be configured to display a custom message, and removable media can be encrypted as well.

EaseUS Data Recovery can be replaced with PhotoRec. PhotoRec is a raw recovery tool, that looks at a disk or image file and recovers files based on file headers. It is a text interface only application, but it is quite useful for raw recovery jobs. It supports most popular file systems, and it supports almost all media types (from hard drives to iPods).

Finally, Ninite can be replaced with Chocolatey. Chocolatey is a command line package manager for Windows, much like apt-get from the world of Debian based Linux. It allows for the automated downloading, installing, updating, and removing of applications. It is open source, and it is a purely a command line program.

With the large number of high quality open source programs out there, it is not possible to list them all in one location. The above programs were chosen because they have potential for every day use in the IT world, and they make it easy to move to a software tool set that is properly licensed. So, without further ado, feel free to start test driving some of these wonderful applications — and perhaps even supporting the development of them.