Posts Tagged ‘free software’

With the exception of my early grammar school days playing “number muncher” on an old Macintosh,  I have been a windows user. It is what I grew up using and since most of the programs were made for Windows. It’s really all there was. Eventually my love relationship with Microsoft and Windows slowly started to fall apart. In college I lost several hours of work due to crashing and though the programs never seemed to work the way they were supposed to, the prices always seemed to climb. Then came the serial numbers. Each time I had to reformat to make windows work again I had to call and confirm my serial number.

Three years ago, I decided I had had it with Microsoft and Windows and started searching for other options. I found a whole new world. Some of the products weren’t only able to compare, but were actually better. I started by replacing Microsoft word with Open Office. It did everything word could do, but didn’t crash. Then I took the leap and Installed Ubuntu Linux as my OS. At first I had the choice to dual boot (I could choose to run either Ubuntu or Windows), but soon realized I didn’t need Windows at all.

Now I can’t say there were no problems. Three years ago there were a lot of things that just didn’t work with Linux. And three years ago I would not have recommended for the average user to switch. However, three years is a long time when it comes to computing. Linux has not only caught up to Windows, but in many areas surpassed it. And best of all it’s completely free. Here is a list of great alternatives to Windows and the programs that come with them. Not a complete list, but ones I have personally used and can recommend.

OS (Windows Alternative)

Ubuntu Linux-You can download it for free or order a free disk. before installing it you can run it off a disk to make sure it’s compatible. It runs faster and more stable than windows and is very easy to use. You can even run it off a USB. You can get a free copy here.

Office Suite (Microsoft Office Alternative)

Open Office is a complete office suite containing a word program, spreadsheet program, and presentation program, a drawing program, and a database program. The interface is very similar to MS Office and is easy to transition into. You can download it here.

Internet Browser (Internet Explorer)

Firefox and Flock. If you’ve been off the internet for a while, then you probably haven’t heard that the number of Firefox users has been consistently increasing. It is a fast and secure browser with a lot of options. Flock is built on the same engine as Firefox, but with features designed for web 2.0. You can download Firefox here and Flock here.

Instant Chat

Pidgin is a a program that not allows you to connect to a singe chat program, but to all of them at one time. It allows you to see all your contacts within one program. You can download pidgin here.

Video Player

VLC is a media player that can play just about anything. Now I will admit that the user interface is nothing amazing, but it just plain works. You can download it here.

E-mail Client

Thunderbird is a mail client similar to outlook. It has the ability to view and store both private mail and web mail, as well as a number of ways to sort and store it. The interface is simple and there are also a number of add-ons to increase the functionality. I personally prefer to use webmail. However, for those who like a dedicated program, this is a good one.

Keep the list coming. Feel free to list your favorites in the comments.