How To Install Open-Source Software and Applications in Windows

Most Windows users should be familiar with an "executible", which is files ending in .exe - this is the common form of an installation file for Windows programs. However, for those who aren't advanced with computers, finding a way to install free open-source software, such as those from SourceForge.net, might not look very easy. Many people might get the impression that applications which are free and "open source" are because only advanced users can download it.

Fortunately, however, even people who have very little knowledge of computers are easily able to install almost any open-source program. For Windows users. simply look for the "binary" version of open-source software to download. When you run (double-click on) a binary "compilation" of a "script", or application, it functions in the same way as an .exe file, and executes programs in Windows. In addition, most application developers make an easy-to-use graphical interface for easy installation of the open-source software.

Simply download the binary version of the software, and double click it in Windows once it is downloaded. The installation window will pop up, and will provide the same simple and graphical interface most users are familiar with when installing Windows applications. Almost all applications for Windows operating systems are written in binary code.