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Open Source Alternatives PDF Print E-mail
Written by Von   
Friday, 01 June 2007

I like to use open source programs on Windows as well as Ubuntu, I have replaced almost all my closed source programs. Here is a list of the open source software I use and some details/comparisons with their closed source counterparts:

 

 

OpenOffice.org - Replaces Microsoft Office.

OpenOffice.org has several components like those in Office, Writer - word processor (MS Word), Calc - spreadsheet (MS Excel), Impress - presentation (MS Powerpoint), Base - database (MS Access). There is also a drawing program and an advanced calculator, neither of which I use. The user interface isn't as pretty as the new 2007 Office, but it is very functional.

Mozilla Firefox - Replaces Internet Explorer

This is an obvious choice, and a good one. The extensions available for Firefox are a big bonus for me, many of these I couldn't do without now. Firefox is generally more secure than IE, although the latest IE7 has improved a lot on 6. You need IE (unless you have an IE render extension) for most Microsoft related sites/downloads. IE is still integrated into XP even if you use Firefox exclusively.


Mozilla Thunderbird - Replaces Outlook Express

I don't have much need for a full diary etc. that Outlook proper has. I used Outlook Express for a very short time, but found it to be too restrictive and resource intensive. Thunderbird has a range of extensions like Firefox, but the library of extensions for Thunderbird is not as good as for Firefox. Personally I don't have much use for many alterations and enhancements for my email client. Thunderbird handles multiple accounts for email, newsgroups, and an RSS reader, however I don't use anything but the email as I prefer Firefox for live bookmarks (RSS). There are no advantages to using Outlook Express over Thunderbird as far as I'm concerned.

Pidgin (formerly Gaim) - Replaces MSN/Windows Live Messenger

Pidgin has the ability to log into multiple accounts from various instant messenger services (AIM, MSN, Yahoo among others). You can also log into multiple accounts from one protocol, all the contacts from all the accounts appear in the same contact/buddy list. I only use MSN but I do sometimes log into more than one MSN account at once. Pidgin does not have any adverts in any of the windows. Those adverts really annoyed me in MSN, Also MSN has become bloated with video and voice chat (trying to get in on the Skype revolution), as well as premium content being forced upon you all the time. MSN uses more resources than Pidgin, even when idle.

GIMP - Replaces Photoshop etc.

GIMP is a very good image creator/editor. I've never been much good at using PS and I'm not the most creative person ever, but I do occasionally like/need to alter or create an image. GIMP has all the features I need, and many more! I'm not sure if it would satisfy a hardcore PS junkie though.

Sumatra PDF - Replaces Adobe Acrobat Reader & Foxit

I have been using Foxit until very recently, this is an excellent alternative to Acrobat although it is close source (still free Ł). Sumatra is even more lightweight than Foxit. Despite still being in beta, Sumatra does exactly what I need from a PDF reader: read PDFs with no bloat.


I currently use iTunes for music playback, I have an iPod still, and this sort of keeps me locked into iTunes. I realise there are alternatives that can be used to update iPods, or I could modify it and use it with Rhythmbox (on Ubuntu) or similar on XP. If I get time, I will look into doing this, and replace iTunes for good.


I use Skype, even though it is a locked, proprietary platform. There are some open source VoIP programs, but these are not compatible with Skype unfortunately.

7-Zip - Replaces WinRAR

This is one of the best programs I use, It is very small and really simple, It does everything I need from a file archive utility and best of all its open source! 7-Zip can handle almost any file compression: .zip, .rar, .7z, .tar, .gz, .cab, .rpm. You can also specify what it places in the explorer context menu. 7-Zip should be on every PC.


Other open source programs I have:


Ideally I would not even use Windows, my Ubuntu machine has and does everything I want or need except the games. I am a keen PC gamer and that is the only thing keeping me on Windows. There are some programs on Linux that allow emulation etc, but the performance hit would be too much for me! I still try to use the Ubuntu machine wherever possible, despite it being several years old and much slower than my XP machine.


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