At first the point of this section might not be apparent. Finding images, music, and other media on the Internet is much like finding sand on the beach... it doesn't take a whole lot of effort. However, if you plan on using artistic material in your works, then the net gets a whole lot smaller. Most established artists have customized terms of use that are vague (is use in FOSS projects a 'personal' use?) or restrictive ("these images may not be cropped or modified"), if it allows for free use at all. Though the net is littered with wonderful art, most of it becomes useless when it comes time to release.

The net has permissively licenses media... it just takes some looking to find useful works free in the libre sense rather than just no-cost. This section has resources I've found helpful in my projects. If the license matter in your work then double check that I'm right before using it. Please let me know of any mistakes or especially interesting free content out there.

Icons are a vital part of making a nice and intuitive looking user interface. Hence it shouldn't be any surprise that there's numerous free sets available for software and web developers. This section is largely thanks to Max Power and Gnome Art where many of these sets were found.

I've avoided listing sets only available in OS specific formats like Windows icons (".ico"), icon packs (".ip"), Apple icon image (".icns"), and Mac iContainers (".icontainer") for the simple reason that I find previewing and using them to be a pain in the ass. Copies of the sets on this site only include icons in the png format (and svg if available), so check the links if you're interested in other formats. I've also thinned sets with excessive duplicates.

	Spiffy search service for liberally licensed png icons. If you know what you're looking for then try this first.
	Art site with numerous sections- mostly for Windows. The "Icon & PNG" section has numerous liberally licensed sets of specialized themes. This is also the home of the amusing Tux Factory.
	Elegantly simple site containing over a hundred sets with previews. Not all have defined terms of use but they've contacted the authors to ensure they're free for personal and non commercial purposes.
	Collection of over a hundred categorized icon sets free for personal and non commercial use with clear terms of use.

Magnifying glass displays a preview montage

Name	Author	License	Dimensions	Formats	Size	Preview/Download
NuoveXT	Alexandre Moore	GPL v2	12x12 - 128x128	png, ip, iCont.	7.6 MB
An absolutely fantastic system icon set available for Gnome, KDE, Windows, and Mac. It's complete with icons for applications, devices, emblems, MIME types, etc.
NuoveXT 2	Alexandre Moore	LGPL v3	16x16 - 128x128	png, ip, iCont.	4.3 MB
Alexandre's most recent set and still in the works.
SnowIsh	Alexandre Moore	GPL v2	16x16 - 128x128	png, svg	2.4 MB
Small, soft set by the creator of NuoveXT. Svg copies can be snagged here (3.9 MB).
Crystal	Everaldo Coelho	LGPL v2	16x16 - 128x128	png	20.7 MB
Part of KDE, this is an absolutely beautiful, glossy set of over seven hundred icons.
CrystalSVG	Everaldo Coelho	LGPL v2	16x16 - 128x128	png, svg	10.8 MB
Predecessor to the Crystal project. This series was discontinued, the copy on this site coming from the source for KDE 4.0.3. An expansion of this set is available by Exdaix here.
Crystal Clear	Everaldo Coelho	LGPL v2	16x16 - 128x128	png, ico	14.4 MB
Another discontinued Crystal predecessor with a softer aesthetic. The Windows icon (ico) version can be found on the set's CrystalXP page.
Nuvola	David Vignoni	LGPL v2	16x16 - 128x128	png	12.5 MB
System icon set for KDE. I've found this set to be invaluable for user interfaces, having excellent artistic style for a wide array of controls.
Torchlight	Yan Shuangchun	LGPL v2	16x16 - 128x128	png	4.7 MB
Another interesting set for Gnome and KDE including devices, folders, MIME types, and a variety of miscellaneous icons.
Noia	Carlitus	LGPL v2	12x12 - 192x192	png	11.9 MB
Colorful, glossy system icon set. This was once widely distributed with copies on KDE-Look, Wikimedia Commons, Deviant Art (ico format), and a warm alternative but most downloads no longer function.
StillLife	Julian Turner	CC v2 (A, SA)	16x16 - 128x128	png	450 KB
Generic set with a few very distinctive icons. Only fifteen icons are avaialbe in 128x128, the rest are 48x48 or smaller. This set's DeviantArt page lists the set as being under CC v2 (A, NC, SA).
Glaze	Marco Martin	LGPL v2	16x16 - 128x128	png, svg	5.5 MB
Friendly KDE set with a special focus on media controls, mime types, and file system icons.
FastIcons	Multiple	Free (Notice)	16x16 - 128x128	png, ico	21.2 MB
Several fantastic, diverse sets- many very artistic. Use requires a link to the FastIcons site. The vast majority are by Dirceu Veiga. Some sets were omitted from this site's copy due to licensing or content.
Oxygen	Multiple	CC v3 (A, SA)	16x16 - 128x128	png, svg	14.5 MB
Over eight hundred KDE icons dual licenced under the GPL v2 or later. This site's copy came from the runtime source for KDE 4.0.3. Svg copies are available here (23.6 MB).
Gion	Silvestre Herrera	GPL v2	16x16 - 128x128	png, svg	1.2 MB
Silvestre's most recent set. Thus far there's only 48 icons but they look excellent.
Neu	Silvestre Herrera	GPL v2	22x22 - 128x128	png, svg	3.2 MB
Silvestre's first set, containing numerous categories in a colorful and friendly style. A KDE variant called kNeu is also available. Both Neu and kNeu have a few icons the other doesn't...
^Nuovo	Silvestre Herrera	GPL v2	48x48 - 128x128	svg	6.5 MB
Silvestre's most somber (ie, least colorful) work.
^Etiquette	Silvestre Herrera	CC v2 (A, SA)	48x48 - 128x128	svg	8.4 MB
Sizable set of vector art for applications, devices, emblems, etc.
^Yasis	Silvestre Herrera	GPL v2	48x48 - 128x128	svg	5.1 MB
Standing for "Yet Another Scalable Icon Set", this features numerous soft icons.
^Yatta Blues	Massimiliano Cero	GPL v2	48x48 - 128x128	svg	2.4 MB
Simple theme with some overlap with Gorilla. Set includes an additional scattering of small png icons.
^Gartoon	Kuswanto	GPL v2	48x48 - 128x128	svg, ico	9.9 MB
Kuswanto's first work, a system icon set for kids. There's also a mac variant in a dmg.
^Lila	Daniel Taylor	GPL v2	48x48 - 128x128	svg	16.1 MB
Cartoonish set inspired by Gentoo. The icons have a consistent style that isn't particularly colorful, but soft and elegant in their simplicity.
^eXperience	David Berg	GPL v2	48x48 - 128x128	svg	3.6 MB
System set based on Everaldo's Crystal sets.
^BlankOn	Zeus Box Design	GPL v2	48x48 - 128x128	svg	4.7 MB
Simple, mellow system icon set. Local copy was retrieved from its Gnome Art site.
^Lanthys	Adrien Facélina	LGPL v3	48x48 - 128x128	svg	786 KB
Small beta consisting of about forty icons. Unfortunately the project has been innactive for a couple years.
^Jini	Kitae Kim	CC v2.5 (A, SA)	48x48 - 128x128	svg	16.2 MB
Cartoonish system icon set. Korean use is under CC v2 (A, NC) instead. This site's copy reflects version 0.6.
^Gorilla	Jakub Steiner	CC v2 (A, SA)	48x48 - 128x128	svg	2.3 MB
Among the first sets to push svg rendering on the desktop, this is a small collection of generic icons.
^Tango	Multiple	CC v2.5 (A, SA)	48x48 - 128x128	png, svg	3.8 MB
Tango is a project to create a consistent interface for FOSS projects. Simple and sharp, this has a variety of themes including media controls, emotes, weather symbols, etc.
Sweetie	Joseph North	CC v3 (A, SA)	8x8 - 24x24	png, psd	92.6 KB
Nice set of small icons including generic web controls and communication symbols.
Flags	Mark James	Free	16x11	png, gif	95.4 KB
Handy set of 247 country flags, named according to their ISO abbreviations.
^Flags 2	Michal	CC v2 (A, SA)	18x12	gif	22.9 KB
Smaller set of country flags.
^Manentia Pack	Javier Odriozola	CC v2.5 (A, SA)	16x16	gif	44.0 KB
Web icon set of 245 generic icons.
^TwoTone	Paul Jarvis	Free	16x16	gif, psd	14.7 KB
Seventy five simple, symbolic monotone icons available in several colors.
Drunkey Love	Kevin Wetzels	Free	16x16	png	28.9 KB
Set of 143 tiny generic icons. Smaller 12x12 variations (with some additions) can be found here.
Silk	Mark James	CC v2.5 (A)	16x16	png	577 KB
Set of a thousand tiny icons for all sorts of things.
Feed Icons	Kuswanto	CC v3 (A, ND)	16x16, 32x32	png	60.2 KB
Seventeen icons with both a large and small version, mostly concerning RSS feeds.
Web Controls	Marko Vidberg	Public Domain	16x16 - 32x32	png, gif	1.6 MB
Simple set of eleven small commonly themed icons. They're available in black, blue, green, and red.
^Greyscale	Ian Main	CC v2 (A)	30x30	gif	17.3 KB
As the name suggests, this consists of a set of forty generic greyscale icons.
Humility	Andy Fitzsimon	GPL v2	16x16 - 48x48	png, svg	972 KB
Generic set for an Ubuntu theme. Unfortunately the svgs are somewhat corrupt, preventing me from exporting the icons in larger sizes.
Aqua Fusion	Daniel Flax & Markus	DSL	24x24 - 64x64	png	1.7 MB
Small, soft system set. The set's original home page (and with it primary mirrors) have long since expired. KDE-Look has project pages for version 0.4 and 0.5.1.
Ricebowl	Yan Shuangchun	LGPL v2	32x32, 128x128	png	567 KB
A very nice, soft set including devices, folders, and MIME types. The small icons represent common browser controls.
DesignMagus	Kelli Shaver	Free (Notice)	64x64	png	90.1 KB
Sixteen generic icons. The site has a few additional sets, most interestingly a set of weather icons. This set requires that a readme is provided with the icons.
Kreski Lines	Szymon	CC v2 (A, NC)	64x64	png	732 KB
Among my favorites, this is a fantastic (but small) set of rugged, sketchy looking icons. This set's DeviantArt page has an extended collection with ico and ip counterparts but that copy's not under CC.
^Nerdy Lines	Christoph Brill	CC v2 (A, NC, ND)	48x48 - 128x128	svg	2.1 MB
This is the Kreski Lines set redrawn as svgs with a few additions. While scalability is handy, this lacks some of the charm provided by original's rugged textures.
NeonX	Alexandre Moore	CC v3 (A, NC, ND)	128x128	png, iCont.	524 KB
Set of 37 black icons (mostly folders) with luminous symbols.
Keys 1	Alan	CC v2.5 (A)	128x128	png, ico	632 KB
Set of 102 simple, plain icons of keys originally developed for video tutorials.
Keys 2	Chromatix	CC v2 (A, NC, ND)	128x128	png	1.8 MB
Set of keys including some non-English characters.
*ColorCons	Ken Saunders	CC v2.5 (A, SA)	128x128	png, ico, icns	2.3 MB
Set of 49 glossy, uniform icons featuring numerous symbols common in user interfaces. They're available in red, green, blue, and smoke. Use requires a link to his site.
*PrimaryCons	Ken Saunders	CC v2.5 (A, SA)	128x128	png, ico, icns	5.6 MB
Over a hundred thickly bordered symbolic icons. They're available in red, green, and blue. Use requires a link to his site.
*MouseRunner	Ken Saunders	CC v2.5 (A, SA)	128x128	png, ico, icns	2.7 MB
Eleven of Ken Saunders' smaller sets including media controls, weather icons, zodiac signs, etc. His site has several more sets with less liberal terms of use or trademark concerns. Use requires a link to his site.
*Soft Icons	Asher	CC v3 (A, NC, SA)	128x128	png, ico	724 KB
Contrary to its name this is a sharp, glossy set of fourty five generic icons. He's also the author of the Aeon set though unfortunately it isn't really free in the liberal sense.
*Ahmad's Sets	Ahmad	CC v3 (A, NC, ND)	128x128 - 512x512	png, ico, icns	5.0 MB
Several glossy sets by Ahmad. Themes include cell phones, linux distributions, mac apples, and the ruby programming language.
*Free Icons	Jonas David John	Various	256x256	png, ico	8.3 MB
Set of 106 large icons of common objects, made from images on Stock.XCHNG and Flicker (sources and licenses are documented).
*Turbo Milk	Multiple	Free (NC)	256x256	png, ico	1.1 MB
Amusing set of 25 critters. This is only free for non-commercial use.
*OpenPhone	Walrick	GPL v2	256x256	png, ico	612 KB
Twelve very large icons based on those for the iPhone.
*Vista Toon Pack	Tardio	CC v3 (A, NC, ND)	256x256	png, ico	11.1 MB
Colorful set of application icons with several alternatives for OpenOffice, Opera, Quicktime, Skype, and μTorrent. Tardio's site has some additional art including a couple themed sets and wallpapers.
*Deleket's Sets	Deleket	CC v3 (A, NC, ND)	300x300	png, ico, icns	34.5 MB
Twenty four of the artist's sets with an emphasis on application logos, Mac products, and emoticons. Individual sources are available in its readme.
*Brushed Adlua	Pedja Rusic	CC v3 (A, NC, ND)	245x245	png, ico, icns	2.3 MB
Set of sixteen themed folders bundled with Pedja's related works: Lons, Prty Trash and Byrn.
*Onibari Light	Pedja Rusic	CC v3 (A, NC, ND)	245x245	png, ico, icns	1.1 MB
Eighteen large, creatively themed folders.
*Onibari Leopard	Pedja Rusic	CC v3 (A, NC, SA)	512x512	png, ico, icns	6.2 MB
Like Onibari Light this set consists of huge, creatively stylized folders.

From the professional to the abstract, fonts can be a handy resource for banners and specialized labels. Their uses are fairly rare so I won't expand this section beyond a few sites I found helpful. For a more extensive listing see Vitaly Friedman's compilation of the 25 Best Free Quality Fonts.

		Individual 11.8 MB		Download All 9.2 MB
Almost three hundred artistic TrueType fonts by Brian Kent, essentially under a No-Derivative CC license. They're also available in a Ubuntu Edgy/Feisty repository here.
				Download All 46.2 MB
Collection of almost two hundred fonts under a No-Derivative license (terms of use). Most are available in both TrueType and Type 1 formats. The copy on this site only has the TrueType copies.

		A fantastic site with thousands of fonts. They're browsable by category and can render previews of arbitrary text on the site. Unfortunately while all fonts are either classified as 'free' or 'commercial', the free fonts don't have any defined terms of use.
		Domain of several font designers. This including several themed collections such as Celtic, runes, pirates, graffiti, etc. Free as in beer, unfortunately many sections have undefined terms of use and the site's owner is unresponsive to questions.

While icons are spiffy for interfaces, occasionally the need arises for larger artwork. The following certainly aren't a replacement for the Google image search but they provide a nice alternative with liberal terms of use.

	Besides Wikipedia the Wikimedia Foundation has several other services. One of them is the Wikimedia Commons, a resource for liberally licensed images, video and sound clips. The vast majority of the content is photos, making this an excellent resource if you need to snag a shot of something generic.
	Art site for wallpapers, login screens, and other art for the Gnome desktop environment (but not necessarily Gnome specific). Terms of use are clearly listed with the art and most are CC, Free Art, or under other liberal licenses. I've found that this is an especially good resource for backgrounds.
	Sweet image repository with tons of photos and textures free for personal and commercial use.
	Prominent stock photo site with liberal terms of use. Full sized images require an account and search results are intermixed with 'StockExpert', their non-free counterpart. Still, it's a great resource when you can't find what you're looking for elsewhere.
	Clip art collection of varying quality under Creative Commons and Public Domain. All art is made available in a single archive.

Though not commonly a consideration, music and sound effects can be handy for some projects (most often games). The following are a few liberally licensed sources of audio clips.

	Beyond vast, Jamendo's a music community with over ten thousand albums, all available under liberal licenses and freely available in several formats. Artists are largely funded by donations so if you like something then don't forget to support their work!
	Living up to their motto "We are not evil", Magnatune provides a fantastic service for both artists and anyone looking to expand their musical horizons. With over five hundred albums available in several formats under the Creative Commons (A, NC, SA) what more could you ask for? Download instructions for non-commercial projects can be found here.
	Music by Kevin MacLeod. This includes numerous pieces in several genres under Creative Commons v3 (A) as MP3s.
	Part of the Internet Archive, this consists of several genres of music licensed under the Creative Commons.
	A collaborative music project, FuMP's exactly what it sounds like - comedy music under CC 2.5 (A, NC, SA).
	Chiptunes by Marco Martin under Creative Commons v3 (A, NC, SA).
	LibriVox is a project that releases audio books made by volunteers into the public domain. Admittedly I've never found a use for this in a project but it's never the less a spiffy resource for audio materials.

It's been said that everything's miscellaneous but I'll try to keep this section brief. The following resources either cover multiple categories or defy efforts to pigeonhole.

	Anyone even remotely connected with artistic circles are probably aware of DeviantArt. This is a showcase for all kinds of work by hundreds of artists, many with liberal terms of use. Most works require the artist's permission but they're usually prompt to respond and very generous.
	Collection of activitiy indicators (animated gifs) in the public domain.
	Generator for free activity indicators providing a couple dozen animations in any color.