 Are you tired of your computer constantly crashing, running slow, getting viruses, and do you hate overpaying for your software? If you are, there is a very simple solution. Go open source and download an Ubuntu 8.04 iso. Unlike some people might say, Linux is very easy to use, and there is tons of software available. OS Installation Installation with Ubuntu is easier than that with Windows even. All you do is pop in the cd, and it will go into a mode called “Live Cd”. In this mode absolutely no changes are made to your computer. You can try out Ubuntu, with most features available. It will all run in the RAM. If you like it, all you have to do is click the “Install” icon, answer a few question about how you want your installation (or just click next all the way through) and it will do the rest! Once it restarts your computer will have Ubuntu installed on it. Software Installation By now, you are probably thinking, where is Word? Where is Internet Explorer! How do I get photoshop on here? More importantly, where is the start menu? Well instead of a start menu, we have a menu on the top called “Applications”. There all the software is grouped into categories such as Games, System Tools, Productivity, etc. Below is a chart of software in Windows and the open source equivalent. Below is a list of programs which I found helpful. A more complete list can be found at the Linux Questions Wiki. However don’t take my word for it, try out different programs yourself. Don’t worry, they are all free, and installing them is easier than on windows. Just click “Applications” then “Add/Remove Programs”, and finally search through a list of programs available. If you can’t find them, you can use the Synaptic Package Manager, or download/install one online. They usually come with a howto. | Windows | Linux | Details | | ACROBAT READERAdobe Acrobat Reader | Adobe Acrobat Reader | It works on linux too J | | BIT TORRENTuTorrent, Azureus | Azureus, Ktorrent | Bit torrenting is very secure on linux by the way | | CALENDARThunderbird | Thunderbird | Yup, it works on linux. | | CD BURNINGNero, Roxio | GnomeBaker | Also there is a built in burner. Just drag to cd! | | FTPCuteFTP | FileZilla, Kasablanca | For all your FTP-ing needs! | | INSTANT MESSENGERAIM, MSN Messenger, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger | Pidgin | All your favorite IM clients in one happy package | | IRCmIRC | Konversation, XChat | You can even write perl scripts for XChat! | | MAILOutlook/Thunderbird | Thunderbird, Evolution | Thunderbird works just like Outlook in terms of mail. So does Evolution. | | MEDIA PLAYERWindows Media Player | VLC | It plays DVDs, CDs, MP3s, Xvids, DivXs, you name it, it plays it! | | OFFICEMicrosoft Office | OpenOffice | It does not look as nice but it does the job. Has Word processor, spreadsheet editor, presentation maker, even a database. | | OS EMULATIONVMWare | VMWare, VirtualBox | Yes, there is a linux version of VMWare | | PHOTO EDITINGPhotoShop | GIMP | Not as good as photoshop, but you can still dual boot, or run CS2 over WINE! | | Remote SoftwareRealVNC, Remote Desktop | TightVNC, RealVNC, Remote Desktop client | Or fire up a terminal and type “vncviewer <ip address goes here>”. It can even do Microsoft’s remote desktop! | | SATELLITEGoogle Earth, WorldWind | Google Earth | Believe it or not, it is pretty similar (in terms of features) with the Windows version. | | SERVERApache, PHP, etc. | XAMPP | All made for and works on Ubuntu. You can install one at a time. But I recommend using XAMPP | | VECTOR ARTCorel Draw, Illustrator | Inkscape | Works better than Illustrator if you ask me | | VOIPSkype | Skype | Can’t do video though L | | WEB BROWSINGInternet Explorer/Firefox | Firefox | That’s right, there is firefox for linux too! It has all the functionality of Internet Explorer and more. If you still water Internet Explorer, you can run it through WINE | | ZIPPINGWinzip, Winram, 7-Zip | File Roller | And it is built in too. Works with most formats. | Viruses and Updates With Ubuntu, you do not have to worry about viruses or updates. Ubuntu automatically updates itself, and it has a much more secure kernel that Windows does, so the chances of getting a virus are slim. Ubuntu comes with a firewall called Firestarter, but you don’t really need it. When Ubuntu needs to update, it will tell you Effects Do you wish that you had all the effects of Windows Vista, with it’s sliding windows, and see through aero theme? Well compared to what Linux can do, Vista is as lame as Windows 3.1 seems now. You can install a little package called compiz, which lets you modify your theme. You can do anything that aero does, and more. You can put your workspaces on a cube, make your windows “burn” close, and lots more. But don’t take my word for it, try for yourself. If you are not the creative type, you can download themes already made by other people. My favorite site is http://art.gnome.org/. They are all free, both to use and to edit! Support You may be wondering now, “Ubuntu sounds great and all…but what if I mess up? What if I am confused on how to do something? Who do I call.” Well the Linux community is a very helpful one, contrary to popular belief. Just go to ubuntuforums.org, ask a question, and before you know it, it will be answered. Also I plan on writing more on Ubuntu and how to use it, later on. Conclusion Ubuntu is a great operating system, both for home use, educational use, and even work use. Many companies use Linux for work now. And the most popular operating system to run a web server on is Linux. So join the Open Source Community and try Linux! Links Ubuntu Home Download An ISO Free ISO Burner Request A FREE Ubuntu CD - Might Take a While To Ship Free Themes For Ubuntu Linux Questions Wiki Ubuntu Forum - FREE Help
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