Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. How much does it cost?
A. No charge. Download it, burn it, and it's yours. You have to pay for electricity to power your computer, and for access to the Internet. Oh, and you have to have a blank CD to burn it onto. If you don't have a CD burner, or if your connection is really slow, you can order a copy.

Q. What do I do once I've downloaded the files?

1. Verify the integrity of the ISO file using the provided MD5 sum. This step is optional, and if you don't know how to do it, we have more detailed instructions for you.
2. Burn the ISO onto a blank CD. If you have never burned a CD from an ISO image before, you may find it helpful to refer to these instructions from e-smith.org.

Q. How many computers can I use this software on?
A. As many as you want. Not only that, you can give copies of all this software to your friends, your boss, or anybody else. In fact, please do!

Q. Can I get the OpenCD in languages other than English?
A. Not right now. We are aware of everybody else in the world, and plan to make the second edition multi-lingual. Please note that some of the programs on the disc already include support for other languages, most notably OpenOffice.org. In fact, there is a utility on the disc -- DictInstall -- which simplifies the process of localizing OpenOffice.org.

Q. Does the OpenCD run under Linux or Macintosh?
A. No. Right now it is aimed wholly at Windows. We might conceivably make a Macintosh edition in the future.

There are no plans for a Linux edition, however. The CD is intended to be an evangelism tool for Open Source software: if you're using Linux, you already know about Open Source software. That said, we emphasize cross-platform programs, so many of the programs on the CD have Linux versions available from the original projects.

Q. Where's the source code?
A. Full source code for version 1.0 is included on the CD itself. Look in the directory called "Source Code". For version 1.2 it is available for download at our mirror sites.

Q. Hey, I like program X. Why isn't it on the CD?
A. Depends on the program. Many server programs, such as Apache, have been left out because this disc is aimed at desktop users much less than techies. We are contemplating issuing an Enterprise Edition that would include lots of juicy server/development goodies.

If you think that you have a program that really should be included, please feel free to nominate it. But read the nomination guidelines first!

Q. I'd like to nominate program X for inclusion.
A. We welcome suggestions; however, due to some hard lessons we learned the first time around, we have a fairly strict policy regarding nominations. Please see the nomination guidelines, and remember that improperly formatted submissions will be ignored.

Q. How can I contribute?
A. As this is an Open Source project, you are free to make any contributions you like. In fact, however, it is not likely that someone will answer this question with 'OK, you can get started on X.' Instead, you might want to suggest to the forum an area where you want to contribute, and then either start working on it yourself, or try to form a sub-group to coordinate efforts. Once you have produced something to build on, you can submit it to the wider community for further tinkering.

That said, there are certain general areas where contributions are clearly needed:

Developers! Currently our CD browser app is written in Visual Basic 4. This is a bug, not a feature, and we want to replace it in the next edition with something else. We are especially interested in writing a XUL-based CD browser, for its ease of customization to other non-English languages (which is planned).

Mirrors! If you would like to host a mirror for TheOpenCD, please email us or drop by our forum. Currently the ISO is just under 300 MB, and could conceivably grow to a full 700 MB.

Artists! We would love to be able to provide some printable CD labels and covers. The CD is meant to be an evangelism tool; first impressions count, and a blank labelled in felt-tip marker just doesn't make the same sort of impression as a clean, professional-looking label. There is also a need for a range of clean and consistent artwork for the next installer and web-pages.

Translation! Once we get an installer that can be easily translated, there will be a need for translators. We will also need translations of our web pages; no point in offering the CD in multiple languages if only English-speakers can read the site to figure out what it's for.

Documentation! Some OSS applications have missing or dated documentation for the novice user, but might otherwise be well suited for the CD. These could use some help to qualify. You might also consider contributing this documentation directly to the project you're trying to help; that way people will get the benefit of it even if the program doesn't make it onto the OpenCD.

Application Review! As the candidate applications change, and new ones appear, we need to keep our reviews up to date. Multiple reviews are also valuable. Please see the program nomination and review guidelines.