Free Software is the foundation for making software that does not just give convenience to a user, but also gives them the freedoms for them to make great use of them beyond just using it. In this kind of software you can see the source code, the licenses are more different than the licenses used in most proprietary software, and the GNU project and FSF are the face of it all. There are four essential freedoms that this movement is guided by; (0) to run the program, (1) to study and change the program in source code form, (2) to redistribute exact copies, and (3) to distribute modified versions[Source: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/philosophy.html].
If you want to develop free software yourself, you may do so by trying a few tips here and there and do a good documentation for how the programs will be available to be compiled, then after that's done you publish the source code into a place where someone can edit the software like Gitlab or other repositories. From here you just sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor...
If you want to learn more about free software, the GNU project have some links you may have to visit:
What is Free Software?
Free Software and Education [0] [1] [Media]
I am sure that most of you guys would rather buy your software, than go to some shady site to get it for free. I respect your decision since it gives an impression that you are an honest person not "stealing" from anyone and willing to play it fair. Now these software like Adobe, Minecraft, and what not are all proprietary software and it seem reasonable to pay for it, however when you encounter software like GIMP it is another story. You see this GIMP that I have talked about is actually a software dedicated to be distributed freely and more than that the developers have a collective goal to care for your privacy and respect your rights as a computer user. Many a software have also followed its example and are ready to be hosted on their websites like gimp.org for GIMP itself. They will give you a download page and you can just download it for free without even getting a copyright notice and you can enjoy the software to your needs.
Oftentimes most people(like Windows Users) would just go to an "official app store" for downloading the software and then end up paying a few bucks to someone who is not the original developer. If you really want to pay for such software then go to their website's donate page to send your money.
For more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N73VkaqalWQ
Here are a few lists of some of the software I personally use:
GIMP [Computer]
Krita [Computer]
Shotcut [Computer]
LibreOffice [Computer]
OpenOffice [Computer]
LMMS [Computer]
Collabora [Android]
Minetest[Android] [Computer]
Openkeychain [Android]
MPV [Computer] [Android]
VLC [Computer] [Android]
And a lot more
I would like to propose a little something for the advancement of free software. (0) The full education of the use of such software in multimedia like YouTube and Odysee (1) A full study on what free software people have known or have not known that much. (2) Individuals to donate to free software developers and even participate for the best.
Today there are already videos on the internet mostly in YouTube that have tips on the use of such software. I have some videos here below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCMcyYAtRzw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX-S1CX1HUI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv7Tu-cOzPw
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjEaoINr3zgFX8ZsChQVQsuDSjEqdWMAD