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What follows is a carefully curated list of recommended free software (freeware or open source software). They are inteded for and experienced users and professionals in the sense that functionality has higher priority than ease of use. Software that only runs on GNU/Linux and requires expert knowledge for installation is excluded:

Name Function Details Links
openSUSE Leap KDE Operating Sytstem Can be installed next to Microsoft Windows (dual boot setup), up to date, stable, central system administration and software management (including drivers) with YaST2 (frontend for zypper) here
ghostscript Post script, EPS and PDF handling backend Color managed here
gsview Viewer for Post script and EPS Frontent for ghostscript here
Inkscape SVG vector image editing Trace bitmaps (vectorize), patterns, frontend for ghostscript, backend for Scribus 1.5.6, sRGB only. Needs Scribus 1.5.6 here
Scribus Desktop publishing Color managed, frontend for Inkscape and ghostscript here
darktable RAW image processing, photo editing Color managed here
Fiji (batch-)processing of scientific images, image analysis Import of scientific raw image formats with SCIFIO, sRGB or raw formats only. Needs colorTransformer2 and ij-plugins_toolkit here
Python 3 + pillow Batch processing of images, scripted image analysis, scripted image editing, color management Library for Python 3, reliable, flexible here
Python 3 + wxpython + subprocess Developing programs that have a GUI Library for Python 3, platform-independent, easy, flexible here
Python 3 + SQLAlchemy + pymysql Manipulating data in databases Library for Python 3, platform-independent, database-agnostic, flexible here
Python 3 + numpy + pandas + scipy + statsmodels + matplotlib statistical analysis, test power analysis Library for Python 3 here
Python 3 + numpy + pandas + scipy + sympy + matplotlib Computer Aided Algebra Library for Python 3, solve equations and differntials analytically (symbolic algebra, symbolic calculus) here
LibreOffice Office suite Writer: text editing, PDF support, Calc: spreadsheets, Draw: presentations. Better than Microsoft Office here
TexStudio Latex Editor, typesetting live preview, frontent for MikTex here
MikTex Latex distribution, typesetting Runs on Microsoft Windows here
Zotero standalone Literature management, referencing system platform-independent, LibreOffice integration here
JabRef Literature management, referencing system platform-independent, LibreOffice integration here
Thunderbird Organizer Email, Calendar, Contacts. Emails can get lost when copied from IMAP inbox here
K-9 Mail Organizer Apache License, Verions 2.0. Email client apk for android smartphones and iPhones running iOS here
Bitnami Redmine + buschmais/redmics plug-in + Redmine Outlook integration Project management GNU General Public License 2.0 here
FreeCAD + Assembly4 Computer aided design GNU General Public License 3.0, Assembly 4 extension can be installed here
Zyn-Fusion Synthesizer VST plug-in ZynAddSubFX with graphical user interface “Fusion” (uses the zest framework) here
Chameleon Synthesizer VST plug-in Amplifier simulator for clean and distorted (overdrive) sounds here
MusicBeam Light show MIT License here
Captura Screen recording Only for Microsoft Windows, Highlight mouse cursor and show key strokes here
vokoscreenNG Screen recording Highlight mouse cursor and show key strokes here
kdenlive Video editing GNU General Public License 2.0 here
shotcut Video editing GNU General Public License 2.0 here
VSCode + PlatformIO IDE Programming Apache License, Version 2.0 here
Bio7 Integrated development environment for software develpment Based on the Eclipse framework, integration of ImageJ and R, Eclipse IDE packages can be installed here ; here
ChemAxon Marvin Chemistry Free for non-commercial use here
KNIME Chemistry, Data science, Programming GNU General Public License 3.0, Infocom/Axonchem KNIME nodes (Marvin nodes), RDKit KNIME nodes for chemistry, Eclipse IDE packages can be installed here ; here ; here
Bioclipse Chemistry, Programming Based on Open Babel, Chemistry Developemt Kit, ChemPaint and the Eclipe framework. Eclipse IDE packages can be installed here ; here
SerialCloner Molecular biology Freeware here
GeneRunner Molecular biology Freeware ; only for Microsoft Windows here
BLAST (primer-blast, protein blast) Molecular biology web-interface online here ; here
protparam Molecular biology web-interface online here ; here
PubMed Scientific literature web-interface online here
PubChem Chemistry literature web-interface online here
NIST Chemical data web-interface online here ; here
NIST Digital Library of Mathematical Functions Database containing mathematical functions web-interface online here
EAGLE 7.7.0 Computer aided design “Express” licensing: Free for non-commercial use here
KiCAD Computer aided design GNU General Public License 3.0. Electronic design automation software for creation of schematic circuit diagrams and designing layouts for printed circuit boards (PCB) here


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