Posts Tagged ‘linux’
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.
So your tired of Windows right, but maybe aren’t quite ready to go to an Apple (or can’t afford it). Then you might consider moving to Linux. Ubuntu has been putting out great releases, and best of all it’s free. If you aren’t quite convinced if you are ready to give up windows, you can even run it off a cd. I have been using Ubuntu Linux for over a year and it has been great. The Hardy Heron release not only does it have pretty much everything that Windows has, it is also a lot more stable and much less likely to get viruses.
Ubuntu has 5 flavors: Kubuntu, Edubuntu, Gobuntu, Ubuntu, Xubuntu. The difference between them depends on how many features you want and the interface you prefer. I use Ubuntu, but most window users may prefer Kubuntu. There are a lot of great programs (most are free) and they will do all the functions that you can accomplish on your Windows or Apple machine. So give it a try and you may find yourself switching as well.
Related Links
- Xubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) Screenshots Tour – Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Other Linux, Xubuntu-8.00-Screenshots, Xubuntu-8.04-Screenshots-gallary, Xubuntu-hardy-heron-Screenshots, xubuntu-screenshots. Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh.
- Upgrade Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) to Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) Beta – Ubuntu 8.10 is the upcoming version of the Ubuntu operating system. The common name given to this release from the time of its early development was “Intrepid Ibex”. (…) Read the rest of Upgrade Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) to Ubuntu …
- Ubuntu 8.04 “Hardy Heron” beta – making life easier for Windows … – Ubuntu 8.04 “Hardy Heron” beta has made Linux adoption much easier by making it easy for Windows users to install Ubuntu onto their PCs without affecting their Windows installation. Two new features added to Ubuntu 8.04 are umenu and …
