Aside from the GIMP, a graphics program that rivals PhotoShop for complexity, productivity software was rare. Several Open Source office suites are being developed, but, for now, writers may have to choose between efficient tools and remaining true to the Open Source ethos. For example, Applixware Office boasts a full set of features, but it is not available for download and is closed source. Corel Office, by contrast, is closed source but is available for free download. On the other hand, LaTeX, a professional typesetting program, is free software, but, like QuarkExpress, is a poor choice for documents that will be frequently revised.
Online help is even more difficult.
No help authoring tools comparable to ForeHelp or RoboHelp exist, unless you are documenting Java applications, in which case you can use JavaHelp. Further, choices for help formats are limited. If you choose HTML, editors like Bluefish are available. The importance of DocBook is indicated by the fact that, on July 16th at the Open Source Convention in Monterey, the members of the Open Source Writers' Summit voted to standardize their free software documentation on DocBook. Still, DocBook does not provide any tools for document maintenance.