| URL | freecode.com |
|---|---|
| Type of site | Software |
| Registration | Optional |
| Available language(s) | English only |
| Owner | Geeknet |
| Created by | Patrick Lenz (scoop) |
Freecode, formerly Freshmeat, is a website owned by Geeknet that helps people find software and keep track of the latest releases/updates. The site also hosts user reviews and discussions among other things. A majority of the software covered is open source for Unix-like systems, although Freecode also covers releases of closed-source, commercial and cross-platform software [1] on OS X and handhelds. Freecode is notable for its age, having started in 1998 as the first web-based aggregator of software releases[2]
The site was renamed from "Freshmeat" to "Freecode" on October 29, 2011.[3]
Contents |
Programmers register their projects and inform the site about updates; users browse for software and download and (sometimes) rate or comment on the software. Software is categorized by field of application, license, development status, environment, intended audience, type of use, supported operating systems, and used programming and available natural languages. There is an NNTP server for usenet-like access and complex search queries can be saved, and new or updated entries that match the query can be sent as daily e-mail notifications.
Freecode offers a news ticker stream, a daily newsletter, articles on Unix software-related topics and an IRC channel.
Freecode's entire database of software releases is freely available as a download, for such purposes as having a local database copy.