Yikes, maybe I’m not cut out for this class.
I spent about 3 hours trying to download a variety of different open source software but was entirely unsuccessful. Browsing through different software on SourceForge, I came up with some seemingly wonderful ideas to use in my French classroom:
- flashcard generators
- comprehensive international dictionaries
- comic book generators
- French verb workshop
Alas, my inability to figure out how to open them from my download folder on my MAC was an insurmountable obstacle. Dragging the item from my download folder into my applications folder was unfruitful. I tried to seek advice on the web and was lead to a new software to enable downloading software but that merely lead me back to my original problem!
Ultimately, I tried to download Openoffice under the assumption that since it is such a popular software, it might be more obvious to download. Fortunately, when I double-clicked on the downloaded file, it opened a new window that directed me to drag it into my applications folder and then it opened automatically.
I explored it a bit and found out how to set the language in French as I typically do in Word and was pleased with the results. Despite the terribly frustrating beginning, I now have a very friendly “productivity suite” on my computer (I kept postponing shelling out the money to buy the Microsoft Word package because I didn’t know about open source software). And perhaps I will learn how to download less obvious software in the near future.
amyvonsauer 
Alas, you are not alone. The more mature software packages make installing easy, but it CAN be difficult if you find a smaller project. Especially with tarballs and java apps.
Fortunately, you found a gem! Open Office is fantastic.