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Quickly Install the Best Open Source Apps with WinLibre and MacLibre
Posted by Adam Pash at 3:00 AM on January 9, 2008
Windows/Mac OS X only: Free, open source applications WinLibre and MacLibre install and update a handful of some of the best open source applications available for Windows and Mac OS X, respectively. These are the kind of apps that make setting up a fresh system a breeze—just download, choose the apps you want, install, and you've got most of the software you'd need to get things done. You can re-run the app periodically to check for updates and install newer versions if the apps you're running don't update themselves. Expect most of the obvious favourites, like Firefox, Thunderbird, VLC, Gimp, and Handbrake, along with a few others you may not have known about. Both applications are free. For another Windows alternative, check out previously mentioned InstallPad. Thanks Stephen!
Tags: automation | downloads | featured download | installer | mac os x | top | windows
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
scootah
Posted January 9, 2008 11:05 AM
see download.com if you want a working d/l link - 151mb though - seems excessive for a download manager. http://www.download.com/WinLibre/3000-2064_4-10349342.html
net1492
Posted 12:36 PM 8/1/08
Always looking for ways to save time building or rebuilding a system so I will add this to my list to investigate once there site recovers or more capacity is added.
net1492
mountainbiker
Posted 12:34 PM 8/1/08
How does MacLibre compare to something like AppFresh?
mountainbiker
fmerenda
Posted 12:32 PM 8/1/08
This is exactly the thing I need to send to my less-technical friends and family members...thanks! :)
fmerenda
niklas-schroder
Posted 12:22 PM 8/1/08
ah no! lol. too bad it's windows/mac only. although i guess all of linux is open source. :P the screenie *did* point me to PDFcreator though! very handy!
niklas-schroder
Webran61
Posted 12:19 PM 8/1/08
Yeah, apparently I'm "Forbidden" from accessing the server.
Webran61
pkoutoul
Posted 12:18 PM 8/1/08
Yep... the poor site is swamped. It's the LH effect again!
pkoutoul
rubbsdecvik
Posted 12:09 PM 8/1/08
Or you can go to [72.14.205.104] and see google's cache of it. I don't think it will have a download link that is active, but you can read up on it.
rubbsdecvik
Veign
Posted 11:46 AM 8/1/08
Looks like the website (WinLibre) can't handle the traffic surge from being listed on LifeHacker. Bookmarked to check out later when the surge has slowed down.
Veign
ThingAmaJigger
Posted 2:26 PM 8/1/08
WinLibre site is back up:
[www.winlibre.com]
Great utility to save time on new computers!
ThingAmaJigger
HeartBurnKid
Posted 2:04 PM 8/1/08
So, we've got...
AppSnap
AppFresh
InstallPad
Win-Get
And now WinLibre...
Cripes, I need an install manager for the install managers.
You know what I want? I want a app-installation platform that has a peer-driven central database, like MusicBrainz has for music. That way, the app list can just keep on growing and updating without having to rely on an (almost always flaky) developer.
Hmmm...
*eyes copy of VB.Net Express*
HeartBurnKid
ark_de
Posted 4:05 PM 8/1/08
@niklas, what distro of linux do you use? debian-based distros (like ubuntu) have synaptic package manager, which i would describe as having similar features to maclibre and winlibre (and vice versa). synaptic really makes installing a lot of popular open-source apps for linux easy to install. :).
ark_de
TonyAgudo
Posted 5:39 PM 8/1/08
@ark_de: I think I should point out that Synaptic isn't restricted to Debian-based Linux distributions. PCLinuxOS is based off of Mandriva, but it uses apt-get and Synaptic to manage RPM packages, for example.
TonyAgudo
Jono
Posted 12:21 PM 8/1/08
That has to be one of the fastest overloads I've seen. This article was just posted. Yikes.
Jono
graham.reeds
Posted 10:26 PM 8/1/08
@HeartBurnKid: That would be pretty cool - it could use the actual installs to "rate" a program. Also it would allow you to see what all the other cool kids are using.
graham.reeds
dcjanes
Posted 8:07 AM 9/1/08
Has anyone actually gotten this to work? Keeps saying I'm not connected to the internet and there's zero documentation and forum posts on the site. I'd have to rate this as one of the most useless downloads I've seen in a long time. It appears to have been abandoned shortly after it was produced!
dcjanes
armeck
Posted 3:11 PM 9/1/08
@dcjanes: Maclibre won't work for either - same issue.
armeck
David Webb
Posted 12:33 AM 10/1/08
Ditto.
Looks like an interesting idea but I guess I'll just have to go through their list of programs manually and decide what i want to download or not.
David Webb
crichton007
Posted 7:44 AM 10/1/08
I'm having the same issue. It keeps telling me I'm not connected to the Internet and there no help on the iste.
crichton007
moxSapphyre
Posted 6:05 PM 10/1/08
OMG, this one I can't believe. Practically everything that WinLibre (Windows/English) installs is OUTDATED! Firefox 1.0? And WinLibre does not have a bulk uninstaller. That was an unfortunate waste to download the 150 MB complete installer.
I agree with HearBurnKid...give me a peer-driven database of apps that I can choose from.
moxSapphyre
Deadman36g
Posted 3:26 PM 8/1/08
Still down for me
Deadman36g