CHAPTER 11 (Web design portfolio) UBUNTU REPLACEMENTS FOR WINDOWS PROGRAMS
CHAPTER 11 UBUNTU REPLACEMENTS FOR WINDOWS PROGRAMS Table 11-1. Linux Alternatives to Windows Software Type of Program Windows Ubuntu Alternative Choices Text editor/viewer Notepad Gedit KWrite (www.kde-apps.org/content/ show.php?content=9901) Desktop games Minesweeper/Solitaire Mines/AisleRiot Solitaire Too many to mention! 1 Opera is a proprietary project, rather than open source; however, it is free of charge. 2 Nautilus is the file manager within Ubuntu; to activate its CD/DVD burning mode, click Go . CD/DVD Creator. 3 Xterm is part of the X.org package, so it is installed by default under Ubuntu. To use it, type xterm in a GNOME Terminal window. See Chapter 10 to learn how to create a permanent desktop launcher for Xterm. LINUX HAS IT ALL The Ubuntu software archives contain thousands of programs to cover just about every task you might wish to do on your computer. Diversity is vitally important within the Linux world. For example, rather than offering just one e-mail program, you ll find many available. They compete with each other in a gentle way, and it s up to you which one you settle down with and use. Part of the fun of using Linux is exploring what s available. Of course, the added bonus is that virtually all this software is free of charge, so you can simply download, install, and play around. If you don t like a program, just remove it from your system. However, don t forget to revisit the program s home page after a few months; chances are the program will have been expanded and improved in that short period, and it might be better at meeting your needs. A Quick Start with Common Linux Programs The remainder of this chapter outlines a handful of the programs listed in Table 11-1. My goal is to give you a head start in using each program, pointing out where most of the main functions can be found. You ll find more details about the The GIMP image editor, multimedia tools, and office applications in Parts 5 and 6 of this book. Keep in mind that Linux doesn t aim to be an exact clone of Windows. Some of the programs will work in a similar way to Windows software, but that s not true of all of them. Because of this, it s very easy to get frustrated early on when programs don t seem to work quite how you want or respond in strange ways. Some programs might hide functions in what seem like illogical places compared with their Windows counterparts. Some patience is required, but it will eventually pay off as you get used to Linux. Word Processing: OpenOffice.org Writer OpenOffice.org is an entire office suite for Linux that was built from the ground up to compete with Microsoft Office. Because of this, you ll find much of the functionality of Microsoft Office is replicated in OpenOffice.org, and the look and feel are also similar. The major difference is that OpenOffice.org is open source and therefore free of charge.