Converting from Microsoft XP and office 1

[jacobkane2002]

Hi, I've used Microsoft products for most of my needs on my computer. However, I'm thinking of making the change to open source products.

I'm not an expert computer user by any stretch of the imagination but I use the web all the time for shopping, banking, email etc. The extent of my computer know-how is that I have all the antivirus/antitrojan programs installed and updated. Over and above this, my knowledge is limited.

I use firefox browser all the time but I've heard that there are security issues with it and so whenever I do anything that requires privacy i.e. banking, purchasing, I access the required site through Internet Explorer. Clearly, if I stop using MS, then IE and its security won't be available to me.

Is it the case that many programs and games available for use on the internet are only operable with Microsoft Windows? As a frequent user of the internet, I often want to access certain programs and games, and as far as I'm aware they're mostly configured to only work with Microsoft Operating systems.

So should I take the plunge and make the conversion? Or should I keep it as it is - 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'?

 

[Trevoke]

Using IE to do your secure banking online when you have firefox is kinda like taking a club to a gunfight because you heard there was a danger to shoot yourself in the foot with the gun. You're only gonna get hurt.
The firefox flaws are more obvious than the IE flaws because Microsoft can cover up most of the flaws; while Firefox, due to the open source process, well, has all its flaws advertised

If you play games like Everquest or World of Warcraft, or.. Well, really any involved DirectX game, it's likely that it won't work under Linux (but you can always look into Cedega, which is very close to a technological miracle).

Many programs, likewise, only work with Windows (if it's *.exe, it's a Windows program. Simple as that). The difference is that there is, in most cases, *at least* one replacement software for a given Windows program. And best of all, it's free.

If you use Linux, you'll pretty much stop being worried by malware and viruses, as long as you're not silly and you don't run anything like X or your browser as root.

And technically, Windows *is* broken, so get Ubuntu or Gentoo or whatever distribution you want, and fix your computer!

The choice is yours in the end; I don't want to force you if it'll make you unhappy. Bottom line is, if you are an avid game player, forget it. You need Windows.
If you use your computer to work, then for $deity's sake, use Linux and spare yourself the headaches.

-Haben sie fosforos?
-No tiengo caballero, but I have un briquet.

 

[lgarner]

Your going to gain some and lose some by changing. The best advice that I can give is to list what you need, find out what's available in open source that will match them, and determine which you can live without. This includes finding out if specific web sites that you need, like banking, will work with other browsers. If they work with Firefox, they shoud work with most others.

Replacing MS Office is probably the easiest part. It's the other programs which might not have open-source equivalents.

 

[Trevoke]

http://linuxshop.ru/linuxbegin/win-lin-soft-en/table.shtml

Equivalence table for Linux/Windows software

-Haben sie fosforos?
-No tiengo caballero, but I have un briquet.

 

[BIS]

Nice website Trevoke!