Top 4 Open Source Technologies in 2019

2019 has brought forth a slew of open source platforms that will reduce your effort and increase your productivity. Click here to know about all the platforms in 2019.

Nothing in the world is constant, except change. The same applies to open source technology as well.
Bunch of developers work on several pieces of software to come up with advanced technologies. It is due to these tireless developers that our computer experiences have developed in different fields.
Sadly, not many people are exposed to a plethora of open source technologies. When I asked my students to submit an assignment on the same topic, all I could see was WordPress, Magento and Firefox in their papers. These are the most common open source platforms, but definitely not the only ones. I have crafted a list of some groundbreaking technologies that you should know in 2019.

WordPress 5.1

In my opinion, Wordpress is old school. But, WordPress 5.1 is the version you should look out for. This version is also known as 'Betty' and was officially released on 21st February 2019. This is the first major update since the launch of WordPress 5.0 or Gutenberg. Let’s check out all the updates in detail:

• Site health

The WordPress Site Health project will let you know about your outdated PHP versions. WordPress will also consider the plugin PHP version requirements.

• Multisite Metadata

Betty consists of an added database that stores relevant metadata. Thus, your WordPress will store relevant data in a multisite network.

• Updated styles

You will find an admin table pagination with a modified CSS styling in this version of WordPress. This modification will enhance the colour contrast ratio and lead to better accessibility.

• Cron API

Betty comes with a change in behaviour for cron spawning for PHP versions 7.0.16 and above. It will let you retrieve cron jobs and scheduled events ready to be run.

• Block editor

The block editor has been exposed to changes since WordPress 5.0. You will see an improved Gutenberg performance along with design improvements here.
Apart from these features, WordPress 5.1 also comes with 156 enhancements, nine feature requests and 23 blessed tasks. Do you want to know more about this version? Give WordPress 5.1 field guide a read.

Umbraco 8

If WordPress 5.1 made website designing super easy, then Umbraco 8 is all set to simplify website development for you. From editing to publishing, everything is 10X easier with Umbraco 8. After five years of thorough planning, Umbraco finally released its updated version on 26th February 2019.
The three main features of Umbraco 8 are:

• Infinite editing

You can slide through your tasks without any interruption on Umbraco 8. This new version comes with improved editing flows for content editors. You can even customise your flows to let them fit in your Umbraco backend just the way you want.

• Content apps

I assume about 40% of my readers have blogs of their own. How popular was your last blog post? How reader-friendly are your posts? Do you use the right keywords in the copy? You will find the answers to all these questions with the Content Apps on Umbraco 8.

• Language variants

Management of language variants in the CMS has always been a struggle. With Umbraco 8, now you can switch between languages in preview mode or set up mandatory languages as per your requirement.
Apart from these features, we also get codebase that is way less complicated and simpler to extend. You can also install and uninstall packages with the new version of Umbraco. Check out this full guide here before you start with Umbraco 8.

Shotcut

We have had our share of talks about open source platforms for website design and CMS. Now let’s talk about the best video editing open source software in 2019. I choose Shotcut as the best open source technology for editing videos. Do you have other suggestions in mind? Let me know in the comment section below.
The thing about Shotcut is that you may find it a little stark. However, if you add the optional toolbars, you will have some of the most powerful and essential features at your fingertips. Some of the latest updates in Shotcut are:

• Improved image load times on Windows

You can just select your media files, drag them to the timeline and watch the image load in a jiffy. You can even create multiple tracks for audio and video.

• Splitting clips is as easy as a breeze

If you thought splitting clips were a troublesome task, I would suggest you give Shotcut a try. Other handy tools such as snapping will also help you join clips together neatly.

• New sketch, audio & visualisation and mask filters

The raft of audio and video filters is completely customisable. You can create different layers and combine them in all sorts of interesting ways. Choose the filter and hit on the '+' icon. Make adjustments as per your requirements, and that's it.
The latest version of Shotcut comes with extra text formatting options. I found it really hard to find faults in this video editor and hence I can vouch for this one. Although you can’t preview the filter before applying it, you can easily remove an undesirable effect, unlike other video editors.

Audacity

Since I talked about my favourite video editor, there’s no way I am ending this post without talking about my favourite audio editor, which is Audacity. It is the perfect open source tool for recording and editing podcasts/music. Even if you have the cash to pay for an online editor, I would recommend you to give Audacity a try.
It has all the features required for recording and refining sound files. Most importantly, you can add new features as per your requirement from its wide array of extensions. You can now streamline your podcast production with Audacity in just three easy steps. The most attractive features of Audacity that will bowl you over are:

• Capacity to alter frequencies

Unlike other audio editors, Audacity lets you alter the frequencies of your sound easily. Effects such as Equalisation, Bass, Treble, Notch and High/Low Pass fitter can help you modify the frequency of the sound.

• Import different file formats

You can import different file formats by using this tool. It lets you adjust your files with features such as multi-track editing, labelling, smooth fading, syncing and more. You can remove annoying sounds such as hissing, humming and other background noises.

• Default recording mode

The new version of Audacity 2.2.0 comes with this feature of the default recording mode. It will start a new track every time you hit the Record button.
Audacity consists of several other features in its new version. You can use it even if you are not tech-savvy. If you want to reduce noise or you want to remove vocals from music tracks, this open source audio editing platform will help you do it.
Open source software is on the rise these days. It can be difficult for you to decide which platforms are worth your time. Cut straight to the chase with this list. I have researched thoroughly to put together the best open source platform for you in different fields. Let me know if you have other software in your mind.