If you caught my last article , you should now understand how to prepare a system, set up, andinstall a fresh copy of Ubuntu Linux, even if you've never touchedthe operating system before. I also walked you through updates andexplained how to install software. Like the G.I. Joe public serviceannouncement goes, now you know, and knowing is half thebattle. But what about the other half? Now that you know how to installsoftware, what is available for Linux? Could you really ditchWindows and completely migrate to this foreign OS? If you doeverything through Web-based apps, then your operating environmentof choice doesn't really matter as much.
But without a handful oftitles able to replace their Windows counterparts, you'd probablyremain tethered to the familiar. But don't write Linux off that quickly. You may be surprised tofind that many of your favorite third-party apps from Windows havenative Linux installations. Mozilla Firefox is the second mostpopular Web browser in the world, for example, and the default inmost modern Linux distributions.
Sun Microsystems' OpenOffice.orgis growing in popularity across all platforms as a viable (free)alternative to Microsoft Office. The VLC Media Player, which is afavorite third-party media player for Windows, is also a top app inthe Linuxphere. Unfortunately, not all of your applications are going to have Linuxversions available. Some industry-leading apps, such as Quicken andExcel, do not install natively in Linux.
This means you are goingto need to replace some of your Windows apps with a Linuxequivalent. The first step in this process is to stop thinking about yourcomputing needs by the specific applications that you use. Instead, begin thinking in terms of the task that you use those apps to complete. Take the aforementionedQuicken and Excel, for example. The tasks that you are completingare personal finances and spreadsheets (respectively).
Once youdefine what you actually use your PC for, you can begin looking foralternative Linux apps. After you find one, make sure that itcontains the same critical features as it's Windows equivalent.I've included links to download the Windows and Mac versions ofthese apps when available, so you are encouraged to try them outfor yourself. If the feature sets are comparable, then you are wellon your way to getting up and running, free of charge! For those who believe that there isn't as much software availablefor Linux as there is for Windows, let me enlighten you. There is a ridiculous amount of software available for Linux. In fact, this piece beganas an article and quickly turned into a multi-part series.
Even asmassive as it is, it still is not a complete listing of everyavailable Linux application by any stretch of the imagination. Infact, I had to seriously reign in the scope: Exclusion #1 : Web Apps And Online Services Almost every article showcasing Web apps and online services isapplicable to Linux as well as Windows, even if not specificallystated. Exclusion #2 : Windows Apps Though I will include a page on virtualization and emulation, it isto showcase the actual virtualization/emulation software. I do notdelve into the details of getting any specific Windows app runningin Linux.
Exclusion #3 : Preferences User preferences like the alluring 3D desktop effects, screensavers, and panels/launchers are not covered in this series. Thereis an upcoming How-To piece for the different preference options,though. Exclusion #4 : Games Native casual games, free games, indie games, retail games as wellas virtualized platforms and emulation will be covered in a futurerundown of Linux gaming. Exclusion #5 : Servers This is a follow-up to the first article and therefore concentrateson Linux as being an alternative OS for consumers.
Nothingserver-side this time, only client-side. This is not one of those played-out "Essential Apps" articles,which simply tend to list a browser, a basic office suite, and amedia player, leaving the user with only the most basicfunctionality appropriate for a netbook and nothing more. Besides,I already covered those bases a few paragraphs up. Also, let me beclear that this is a roundup, not a shootout. I didn't do anexhaustive review of every app that appears within.
Instead, Ispent about a day with each. What this guide will do in its entirety is highlight traditional,locally-installed applications running the gamut from theubiquitous Web browser to specialist uses, such as ISO-mountingtools. If all you care about is surfing the Web and recordingaudio, this series will showcase those apps. If all you want to dois communicate via email, occasionally using VoIP with a webcam,this series will catalog the available software.
If you just need abasic office PC with additional project management and flowchartsoftware, it's all here. This guide is intended to be a referenceresource, not simply a linear story to be read from intro throughconclusion. Each article features an overall category ofapplications (office apps, for example), and each page features adifferent type of application (like spreadsheets). So, if you don'tcare about video editing or DVD encoding, feel free to skip thosepages and move on to what interests you. The first part in our comprehensive Linux App Roundup coversInternet Apps.
In this segment, we'll be looking at Web browsers,RSS readers, podcatchers, FTP clients, download managers,BitTorrent clients, and a slew of other file sharing solutions.There's also a spotlight on Miro Internet TV, a piece of softwarethat defies category. This does not include apps used tocommunicate with other specific people, but simply to retrievecontent from the Web. The next segment will feature CommunicationsApps, and will include those titles. I am Bag & Luggage Making Materials writer, reports some information about blue ringed octopus , woo long tea.
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