Linux Alternative Applications

Posted on Mar 12, 2009 in Linux by dee 1 Comment

Firstly, many of my family members or friends are not completely computer savvy and tend to collect all manner of nasty malware etc during their newbie browsing.

I have gotten tired of reinstalling windows every time they have an "issue".. over the last few months I’ve taken to re-educating them not just on safe browsing but also giving them a choice of OS’s to install. This is particularly the case where their Windows XP cd comes on a CDR..

A friend of mine even had a TradeMe (kiwi version of eBay) transaction with a reputable dealer who gave him a system with a hacked version of Windows Vista installed on it (and called it "installed for evaluation purposes, so please delete after you have evaluated it") – damnit.. that sucked as we couldn’t even go to Windows Update from that copy.

Soooo, nowadays whenever one of the newbs screw up their PC (and they do.. often).. I suggest installing Linux on it instead. This has brought about quite a bit of happiness actually, for as good as Windows is (and i do think its good), when it comes to Linux vs Pirated Windows, i see no other alternative.

The main gripe they usually have is with "oh what about my hacked version of Office? or *insert any other windows app here*? The good news is that Linux has quite a lot of alternative applications that can be used instead of the native Windows ones.. (and yeah, taking them through Wine would have been a mission).

I’ve collated a quick few links below to point to some of the sites out there that lists these alternatives.. quite comprehensive really :)

See below:

• The Linux Alternative Project – a good site with many alternative applications for common windows applications. They even have a forum that can lead to even more alternatives.
• Osalt.com – Open Source as Alternatives – not strictly Linux, but open-source alternatives to commercial applications.
• The top 50 proprietary programs that drive you crazy and their open-source alternatives – another pretty good site.. huge list!

There are a lot more sites like above.. those i just picked within a few minutes of searching and browsing.. :)

Tags: Linux

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