Ubuntu being an Open Source OS is a perfect place for developers worldwide to showcase their skills. Deriving contributions from millions of programmers worldwide, Ubuntu is rich in features and is loaded with apps that will perform any task. In fact you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues as those existing in premium operating systems. So let us take a close peek into the world of Ubuntu and list down some of the hottest apps that you must have on your Ubuntu PC.

As you are all aware, Ubuntu is the world’s 3rd most popular Operating System. The biggest reason for its popularity especially among developers is the Open Source nature of the Operating System. It means you do not always have to pay even a single penny to get the OS installed in your PC. Amazing isn’t it!! Well that is not all, as Ubuntu is developed by the Open Source community; it has a world wide support and service base. Ubuntu is a constantly developing environment with upgrades and updates released almost every month.  Having such a huge developer base has its advantages. Any developer can use the freely available Ubuntu resources such as code and data structures to contribute to the OS.

Such a large fan base has resulted in numerous apps available for download in Ubuntu’s Software centre and here are the top 20 picks of the lot.

Stellarium Planetarium Software 

Regarded as the perfect app for astrological enthusiasts, it showcases a 3D view of the sky which is reminiscent of our own vision of the sky through a telescope.

Chromium Web Browser

Chromium is the Open source web browser from which Google Chrome derived its roots. It is a perfect open source browser for Linux platforms like Ubuntu.

SMPlayer - MPlayer Based Media Player

It is a good alternative to other free media player softwares like VLC. The SMPlayer has the ability to remember user settings and history of closed media clips.

GnuCash Finance Management

Gnu Cash is the perfect accounting tool for Linux platform and it aids in preparing accounting statements and also to keep track of employee processing.

Blender - 3D Modelling, Animation, Renedering App

The Blender is a very useful 3D modelling and rendering tool which Ubuntu users have used to create short video clips and animations that have gained immense popularity online.

Guake - Quake Style Terminal Emulator for GNOME

It is a good drop down style terminal which can be used with the GNOME desktop environment of Ubuntu.

Synaptic Package Manager

For those of you who do not like the new Ubuntu Software Centre, you can still use the old Synaptic Package Manager by downloading it from the store.

Shutter - Capture, Edit and Share Screenshots

It is a very useful tool to capture and edit screenshots.

Synapse Launcher

Even though Unity is fast catching up, people still love the old Synaptic launcher.

Mumble - A Low-Latency, High Quality Voice Chat Program for Gaming

It is a superb VOIP programme used mainly for communication among gamers.

XChat IRC

It is a perfect graphical IRC client with a GTK and GUI.

Uget Download Manager

It is a download manager for Ubuntu PC’s similar to the ones found in Windows OS.

Deluge Bit Torrent Client

It is a free and open source torrent client used for downloading torrent links.

GIMP Image Editor

It is without a doubt one of the best picture editing apps available for Ubuntu or any Linux platforms.

RawTherapee Digital Photo Processing Application

It is the app that is designed for those highly enthusiastic photo freaks who love working with Ubuntu.

Darktable 

It is the open source answer to Adobe Lightroom.

Inskscape Vector Graphics Editor

It is the perfect graphical editor for drawing and vector editing of images. It is similar to Corel Draw in functionality.

OpenShot Video Editor

It is an open source video editor app that will be of great use for video enthusiasts.

Calibre E-book Library Management

It is your own open source eBook manager software that manages all your digital copies just like in a library.

What we have discussed here are all about free apps that have the biggest fanfare among Open Source apps. There are premium apps, but since we are more interested in Free and Open Source software, it was decided to omit them.

Thanks to Techdrivein for coming out with a good review of the apps