Open Source Applications
One of the hardest parts about switching from Microsoft Windows is identifying what applications are available to you. The reality is that for most applications, there are several Open Source alternatives out there. So, what applications stacked up for me?
My biggest concern is interoperability. I need to be able to share files with a variety of people, most of whom do not use Open Source applications. I have a goal of educating them to the options available, as the cost savings of switching to Linux & Open Source can be significant.
So let’s start at the top of the list, what Operating System did I use?
I chose to use Ubuntu as my Operating System of preference. It comes in many flavors, 32 bit, 64 bit, Desktop, Server and provides a Live CD so you can try it out. I have tried other flavors of Linux, Fedora, Red Hat, Suse and Slackware, to name a few. But for various reasons, none of them really matched what I was looking for.
- Easy Installation – I put the CD in, rebooted and the install worked. It detected my hardware, did not ask for a lot of technical information and presented itself as something a non-technical person could easily work with.
- Hardware support – My sound, video and network (wireless too) were all detected, and worked with no major tweaking required.
- Pre-installed applications – OpenOffice, Mozilla, MP3, CD/DVD Burning and many other needed apps were already installed and configured to work.
- Customization – I was easily able to change my wallpaper, colors and fonts. It even showed me what the change would look like before I hit OK
- Security – System level changes require an authentication. Now that’s not to say that everything you do requires you to put in a password, just the things that really need it
- Windows Connectivity – I was able to share files and printers with the Windows computers in my house. There was no brain damage required to get it configured.
So the OS is installed and working. Now what?
Documents, Spreadsheets and Presentations – OpenOffice is clearly the front running in Open Source office applications. It includes applications that would compare to most of the applications included in Microsoft Office Standard Edition.
- Excel -> Spreadsheet
- Word -> Word Processor
- PowerPoint -> Presentation
These applications all have the ability to save in formats that are recognizable by Microsoft Office (.doc, .xls, ppt). As an added bonus, you can export anything to a PDF – something you have to buy an application for on Windows.
E-Mail would be the next point. Now, an interesting question someone posed to me – do many home users still use a desktop email client? With the existence of gmail, yahoo mail, hotmail and ISP provided webmail options, why would you risk your email, contacts and calendars by putting them on your desktop? I don’t know the answer to that, but I know many people that still use “thick” applications like Outlook to keep track of all that information.
Here are two applications that I found that have all the things you’d expect from an application to replace Outlook.
- Evolution – comes pre-installed with Ubuntu. It can connect to POP, IMAP and ActiveSync (Exchange) mail boxes. It does all of the things you expect Outlook to do.
- Thunderbird – made by the same group that makes Firefox. Also a very stable and fully functional application.
Web Browsing is probably the easiest choice. I recommend Firefox on any OS. The only reason I think anyone should use Internet Explorer on Windows would be around compatibility of corporate applications. IE is not compliant with web standards and is a headache for web developers to write around, and let’s not get into the security debate. There are certainly other browsers out there, Konqueror and Opera to name a couple, feel free to research the one that gives you the features you want. I like Firefox, it does exactly what I need it to.
Chat/Instant Messaging Programs are something of a lengthy conversation. There are so many different clients, I have seem computers that have 4 or 5 different chat programs running. If you ask why you’ll usually get a response along the lines of “I have some friends on each one, and they won’t switch”. There are a few programs for Windows like Trillian, that let you connect to multiple chat programs at once. Open Source on Linux is no different, unfortunately the first one I tried as a pain to configure, I removed it and decided to forget it’s name. So I only have one to talk about.
- Empathy – This chat program has a very GoogleTalk feel to it. It was easy to set up and configure. It sits quietly and only makes noise when someone messages me. The program can connect to all major Instant Messaging services (and a few minor ones) and display all your contacts in one frame.
Beyond the basic programs, with details I’ll list out some of the other application replacements I use:
- FileZilla – Fully features FTP, SFTP client
- Planner – A Microsoft Project replacement – although it cannot save in MS Project formats, yet.
- Freemind – Mind Mapping Software
- Screem – Web Development, supports most web programming languages
- Rhythmbox – plays MP3s and streams them to other computers on my home network
So what about those applications you can’t replace? There is a solution for that as well!
There is a project called Wine that is developing a Windows Emulator for Linux. This emulator allows you to run many Windows programs in Linux. I have tried Wine, and found it to be difficult to setup and run. But have no fear, I found a better solution!
Crossover Office is a commercial implementation of Wine. They work directly with the developers of Wine and focus on making specific applications work. Crossover is not free, or open source – but it is built on Open Source and they contribute much of their work directly back to Wine. Like Wine, it’s not perfect, but I have many of the Windows “Native” applications that I need running on Crossover and the applications they have working is growing all the time.
ToDo:
- Add Links to products – for now I’d suggest searching your OS and the Applicaiton. This will help you find the current version as well as installation instructions.
- Make a table with application names and alternatives.