FEATURE Readers’ Choice Awards 2009

Management Tool

Picasa (34%)
Honorable Mention
F-Spot (17%)
digiKam (13%)
gThumb (11%)

Although much has changed in the crowded category of Favorite Digital Photo Management Tool, one broad trend appears to hold. If a Google application is around, it is likely to be slicing and dicing its rivals. In the photo management category, the slicer dicer is Picasa, and the sliced and diced is digiKam. In the 2008 awards, Picasa and digiKam were neck and neck with 25% of the votes. This year, Picasa wins the category, leaving everyone else in the dust with its 34% of the vote. F-Spot (at 17%), digiKam (at 13%) and gThumb (at 11%) are still all popular enough to deserve Honorable Mention. However, Picasa may continue to surge as unique features, such as the ability to sync photos between one’s PC and Web-based albums seamlessly, make it a tough act to follow.



Favorite Text Editor

vi (36%)
Honorable Mention
gedit (19%)
Kate (11%)

The more things change, the more they stay the same in the Favorite Text Editor category. Vi wins again with a solid 36%, with gedit and Kate taking Honorable Mention honors. Emacs and nano also are popular but just missed the cut.



Favorite Version Control System

Subversion (47%)
Honorable Mention
CVS (16%)
git (15%)

You left little doubt about who deserves to win Favorite Version Control System, a new category in the 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards. Subversion is the favorite of 47% of you; CVS and git win Honorable Mention at 16% and 15%, respectively.



Favorite Database

MySQL (61%)
Honorable Mention
PostgreSQL (18%)

MySQL’s move over to Sun Microsystems doesn’t appear to have dampened your admiration for the legendary open-source database. Both this year and last year, you deemed MySQL your Favorite Database, with 61% of your votes this year. PostgreSQL also shared a similar fate as last year, registering 18%, enough for Honorable Mention. SQLite, Oracle and Firebird all polled in the single digits.



Favorite Linux Monitoring Application

Nagios (51%)
Honorable Mention
Hyperic HQ (15%)
up.time (11%)

Nagios was not only recently dubbed one of the most important open-source apps of all time, but it also is the winner of the new Readers’ Choice category, Favorite Linux Monitoring Application. A slim majority 51% of you use Nagios to keep close tabs on your networks of all shapes, sizes and levels of complexity. Most of you not using Nagios opt for the Honorable Mention candidates, Hyperic HQ (with 15%) and up.time (11%). Ganglia and GroundWork also garnered respectable votes in the single digits.



Favorite Programming Language

Python (20%)
Honorable Mention
C++ (19%)
Java (17%)
C (13%)
Perl (12%)

Last year, we created discord when we split programming languages into two categories: Favorite Programming Language and Favorite Scripting Language. Then, we limited your choices according to our own definition of each. In order to shield ourselves from the avalanche of “WTFs” (whew, we succeeded!), we gave you more latitude to decide which is which. Therefore, the results look a bit different from last year. In an interesting twist, Guido van Rossum’s venerable Python, which tookFirst Place in last year’s Favorite Scripting Language category, wins this year’s Favorite Programming Language award with a hefty 20% of your votes. Close behind in the Honorable Mention group are your other favorites, with few surprises: C++ with 19%, Java with 17%, C with 13% and Perl with 12%.

Source of Information : Linux Journal Issue 182 June.2009