I sometimes get asked for references and tools (free and/or open source oriented) and I decided to compile here the ones I use the most, which I highly recommend for frequent use (so very personal selection).

Considering that this is "work in progress" for the moment, I'm open to any suggestion.

Good reading !
Franck

Operating Systems 🐧

Server

• Debian & YunoHost ( Self-Hosting )

Workstation

• Manjaro (with GNOME) : The advantage of Arch Linux's stability with an easier handling, just install to work 🤓
• elementary OS : Based on Ubuntu (without Snap package manager), a distribution that will remind a lot macOS™ without its locks
• Pop! OS : Also based on Ubuntu (and still without Snap), I use it mainly for multimedia
• To watch, the young (but promising) Vanilla OS with a pure GNOME and interesting choices, especially on security

Mobile

• LineageOS : AOSP version of Android™, works perfectly without Google™ products (and with the F-Droid application store)
• /e/OS : Other AOSP variant, initiated by Gaël Duval (one of the late MandrakeLinux founders), with complete "de-Googlized" ecosystem
• postmarketOS : Very interesting and dynamic adaptation of Linux with several possible interfaces including GNOME or Plasma
• Mobian : Mobile adaptation of Debian, slowly but surely progressing …
• Ubuntu Touch : After the withdrawal of Canonical™, UBports and its community have nicely taken over this mobile version of Ubuntu

Others

• ⌚ AsteroidOS : Excellent alternative to Android Wear for connected watches
• 🕹️ Lakka & Recalbox : Linux distributions dedicated to emulation and retrogaming
• 📻 Volumio : Local network jukebox solution, installable on a Raspberry Pi™ board
• 📺 webOS OSE : Project I follow, it's the open source counterpart of the webOS™ bought by LG™
  
  

Softwares

Design

• Akira : UX design tool project in development
• Minder : Mind mapping application to organise and visualise our ideas

Development

• DBeaver : Cross-platform database management (very useful for on-the-fly consultation)
• GNOME Text Editor : Text editor (and more if affinities) for GNOME (as indicated) of which I made the 1st French translation
• Geany : Lightweight and customizable IDE (I have some additions to suggest)
• GnuCOBOL : Free COBOL compiler, which translates programs into C and compiles them using a native C compiler … professional interest 🤓
• Meld : Indispensable for code comparison and merge
• Notepad++ : Another IDE (under Windows) with my DansLeRuSH-Dark dark theme included since version 7.8.7
• Seer : Graphical interface for GNU Projet Debugger (GDB)
• VSCodium : For anyone who would like to use Visual Studio Code with libres binaries and without the Microsoft's "telemetry" 🕵️
• Zowe (of Open Mainframe Project) : Integrated and extensible open source framework for Mainframe z/OS … also professional interest 🤓

Graphics

• Darktable : Loss/destructive-less processing used mainly for photography
• GIMP : Very complete bitmap editor, I use it almost daily
• Goxel : Voxel editor, perfect for stacking cubes
• GrafX2 : A bit retro but ideal for pixel art 👾
• Inkscape : Very complete (and supported) vector editor, I do all my .svg with
• RawTherapee : Cross-platform raw photo processing system
• Upscayl : Using advanced algorithms to upscale low-resolution images

Internet

• Firefox : THE browser (admittedly imperfect but the only valid one)
• GNOME Web (Epiphany) : Minimal browser very useful to (also) test WebKit under Linux
• Thunderbird : Indispensable email client, very practical in its multi-account management

Network

• RustDesk : Remote desktop support for Linux, macOS, Windows and Android
• Wireshark : Excellent for capturing network data and monitoring traffic
  
  

Web / Network applications

Collaboration

• Dolibarr : Enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management (ERP/CRM)
• Mobilizon : Event organisation and group management
• Nextcloud : File hosting and collaboration tools

Communication

• BigBlueButton : Videoconference developed for distance learning, with slide presentation, whiteboard and polling
• Jitsi : « Open source alternative to Zoom™ » with instant messaging, voice over IP, video conferencing and end-to-end encryption
• Matrix : Open standard for interoperable, decentralised and real-time (also audio/video) chat communication
• Mattermost : Free, self-hosted instant messaging dedicated to organisations or companies

Design

• Penpot : Open source design and prototyping platform

Development

• Forgejo : Git-based software forge, derived from Gitea™, lightweight, complete and forever community-based

Multimedia

• Audiobookshelf : Self-hosted audiobook and podcast server
• Castopod : Very complete podcast hosting solution
• PeerTube : Federated, paralleling and self-hosted video streaming

Security / InfoSec

• CrowdSec : Collaborative Fail2Ban (identifying and sharing malicious IP addresses)
• Pi-Hole : Ad blocking at network level, works as a DNS liar and possibly in DHCP

Wiki

• XWiki, whose standard offer is free