Difference between revisions of "How Do I Do That?"
From WPLUG
(→Multimedia) |
|||
(18 intermediate revisions by 8 users not shown) | |||
Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
== Multimedia == | == Multimedia == | ||
− | {| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" | + | {|border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" |
− | | | + | !class="coloredTH" | Issue |
− | | | + | !class="coloredTH" | In Windows I'd Use... |
− | | | + | !class="coloredTH" | In Linux I'd Use... |
|- | |- | ||
| Burn a CD/DVD | | Burn a CD/DVD | ||
Line 65: | Line 65: | ||
| | | | ||
* Totem | * Totem | ||
− | * Mplayer | + | * [http://www.mplayerhq.hu/ Mplayer] can play almost any type of media, provided you have the correct codecs. Most installations of Mplayer also ship with Mencoder which allows you create and change the format of video and audio tracks. |
+ | * [http://www.gstreamer.org/ GStreamer] is a flexible multimedia pipeline that can be used to do all sorts of wacky things with video. For a one shot effort, check out the gst-launch program. | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Organize and manage MP3s | | Organize and manage MP3s | ||
Line 76: | Line 77: | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Sync to an iPod | | Sync to an iPod | ||
− | | iTunes | + | | |
+ | * iTunes | ||
| | | | ||
* [http://www.banshee-project.org/ Banshee] supports syncing your music library to iPods, Creative Nomads, and a variety of other devices. It also is able to do on the fly transcoding of those files. [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]] | * [http://www.banshee-project.org/ Banshee] supports syncing your music library to iPods, Creative Nomads, and a variety of other devices. It also is able to do on the fly transcoding of those files. [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]] | ||
* GTKPod | * GTKPod | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Edit ID3 Tags | ||
+ | | | ||
+ | * MediaMonkey | ||
+ | | | ||
+ | * [http://more-cowbell.org/ Cowbell] is a graphical ID3 and Vorbis tag editing program for GNOME. | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Edit Video | | Edit Video | ||
Line 92: | Line 100: | ||
| | | | ||
* Adobe Photoshop | * Adobe Photoshop | ||
− | * | + | * Picasa |
− | + | ||
| | | | ||
* [http://www.gimp.org/ The Gimp] is the canonical graphics manipulation program for Linux systems. It is shipped with most versions of Linux and provides enough features to keep an amature photographer happy for quite some time. However, the Gimp is starting to show its age and is lacking features that advanced users may find helpful, such as color masks and 32 bit image depth. <font color="green">also availalble for Windows</font> [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]] | * [http://www.gimp.org/ The Gimp] is the canonical graphics manipulation program for Linux systems. It is shipped with most versions of Linux and provides enough features to keep an amature photographer happy for quite some time. However, the Gimp is starting to show its age and is lacking features that advanced users may find helpful, such as color masks and 32 bit image depth. <font color="green">also availalble for Windows</font> [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]] | ||
Line 109: | Line 116: | ||
== Office Tasks == | == Office Tasks == | ||
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" | {| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" | ||
− | | | + | !class="coloredTH" | Issue |
− | | | + | !class="coloredTH" | In Windows I'd Use... |
− | | | + | !class="coloredTH" | In Linux I'd Use... |
|- | |- | ||
| Write a letter | | Write a letter | ||
− | | Microsoft Word | + | | |
+ | * Microsoft Word | ||
| | | | ||
− | * OpenOffice.org [http://www.openoffice.org/product/writer.html Writer] < | + | * OpenOffice.org [http://www.openoffice.org/product/writer.html Writer] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Windows and Mac</span> |
− | * [http://koffice.org/kword/ KWord] < | + | * [http://koffice.org/kword/ KWord] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Mac</span> |
− | * [http://www.abisource.com/ AbiWord] < | + | * [http://www.abisource.com/ AbiWord] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Windows and Mac</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| Design a presentation | | Design a presentation | ||
− | | Microsoft Powerpoint | + | | |
+ | * Microsoft Powerpoint | ||
| | | | ||
− | * OpenOffice.org [http://www.openoffice.org/product/impress.html Impress] < | + | * OpenOffice.org [http://www.openoffice.org/product/impress.html Impress] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Windows and Mac</span> |
− | * [http://koffice.org/kpresenter/ KPresenter] < | + | * [http://koffice.org/kpresenter/ KPresenter] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Mac</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| Create a small database | | Create a small database | ||
− | | Microsoft Access | + | | |
+ | * Microsoft Access | ||
| | | | ||
− | * OpenOffice.org [http://www.openoffice.org/product/base.html Base] < | + | * OpenOffice.org [http://www.openoffice.org/product/base.html Base] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Windows and Mac</span> |
− | * [http://koffice.org/kexi/ Kexi] < | + | * [http://koffice.org/kexi/ Kexi] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Windows and Mac</span> |
* [http://thekompany.com/products/rekall/ Rekall] (front end only, requires a separate database installation) | * [http://thekompany.com/products/rekall/ Rekall] (front end only, requires a separate database installation) | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Design a spreadsheet | | Design a spreadsheet | ||
− | | Microsoft Excel | + | | |
+ | * Microsoft Excel | ||
| | | | ||
− | * OpenOffice.org [http://www.openoffice.org/product/calc.html Calc] < | + | * OpenOffice.org [http://www.openoffice.org/product/calc.html Calc] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Windows and Mac</span> |
− | * [http://koffice.org/kspread/ KSpread] < | + | * [http://koffice.org/kspread/ KSpread] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Mac</span> |
− | * [http://www.gnome.org/projects/gnumeric/ Gnumeric] < | + | * [http://www.gnome.org/projects/gnumeric/ Gnumeric] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Windows</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| Collaborate using groupware | | Collaborate using groupware | ||
− | | Microsoft Outlook | + | | |
+ | * Microsoft Outlook | ||
+ | | | ||
+ | * [http://www.gnome.org/projects/evolution Evolution] has some capabilities for groupware interaction and shared calendaring. In particular, it plays nicely with Microsoft Exchange servers. | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Balance a checkbook | | Balance a checkbook | ||
Line 149: | Line 163: | ||
| | | | ||
* [http://www.gnucash.org/ GNUCash] has matured into a very mature piece of financial software. It has some support for OFX transactions to download account information directly from your bank or credit card. The program has come a long way in the past few years, so if you remember it from the days when everything was in Scheme, you may want to check out the newest version. | * [http://www.gnucash.org/ GNUCash] has matured into a very mature piece of financial software. It has some support for OFX transactions to download account information directly from your bank or credit card. The program has come a long way in the past few years, so if you remember it from the days when everything was in Scheme, you may want to check out the newest version. | ||
− | * [http://jgnash.sourceforge.net/ JGnash] is the program that WPLUG uses to manage their accounts. It's significantly simpler to run that GNUCash, but as a result, it lacks much of the flexibility inherent in GNUCash. This program is written in Java so it will run on most platforms. < | + | * [http://jgnash.sourceforge.net/ JGnash] is the program that WPLUG uses to manage their accounts. It's significantly simpler to run that GNUCash, but as a result, it lacks much of the flexibility inherent in GNUCash. This program is written in Java so it will run on most platforms. <span class="alsoWindows">also available for Windows</span> |
− | * [http://www.moneydance.com/ Moneydance] is a very flexible and powerful personal finance package written in Java. It has built in support for many banks and online account services, such as IRAs, credit cards, etc. The visualization tools have come a long way and the budgeting tools help you make sure you're not spending too much money. Moneydance is commercial software and costs $29.99. < | + | * [http://www.moneydance.com/ Moneydance] is a very flexible and powerful personal finance package written in Java. It has built in support for many banks and online account services, such as IRAs, credit cards, etc. The visualization tools have come a long way and the budgeting tools help you make sure you're not spending too much money. Moneydance is commercial software and costs $29.99. <span class="notFOSS">not open source</span> <span class="alsoWindows">also available for Windows</span> [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]] |
|- | |- | ||
| Manage business finances | | Manage business finances | ||
− | | Quickbooks | + | | |
+ | * Quickbooks | ||
+ | | | ||
+ | * [http://www.sql-ledger.org/ SQL-Ledger ERP] Client/Server application written in PERL. | ||
+ | * [http://www.ledgersmb.org/ LedgerSMB] Fork of SQL-Ledger, GPLv2. | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Fill out tax forms | | Fill out tax forms | ||
− | | TurboTax | + | | |
+ | * TurboTax | ||
+ | * TaxCut | ||
| | | | ||
* [https://sidney.solutionsforprogress.com/ Sidney] from [http://www.solutionsforprogress.com/ Solutions for Progress] is a web based system for doing your taxes. At the current rate it has limited support for state taxes (Pennsylvania is included), has an income cap of $52,000, and is limited to the first 75,000 users. This program is written by one of the contributors to the Metacity window manager for [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME]. | * [https://sidney.solutionsforprogress.com/ Sidney] from [http://www.solutionsforprogress.com/ Solutions for Progress] is a web based system for doing your taxes. At the current rate it has limited support for state taxes (Pennsylvania is included), has an income cap of $52,000, and is limited to the first 75,000 users. This program is written by one of the contributors to the Metacity window manager for [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME]. | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Create a PDF file | | Create a PDF file | ||
− | | Adobe Acrobat | + | | |
+ | * Adobe Acrobat | ||
| | | | ||
* Most Linux programs can print to PostScript, check the "Print to File" option if it's not available. Then use the ps2pdf program to translate. | * Most Linux programs can print to PostScript, check the "Print to File" option if it's not available. Then use the ps2pdf program to translate. | ||
Line 173: | Line 194: | ||
* Evince is part of GNOME and supports most PDF functions. | * Evince is part of GNOME and supports most PDF functions. | ||
* KPDF is a very robust PDF viewer for KDE | * KPDF is a very robust PDF viewer for KDE | ||
− | * [http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=10 | + | * [http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=10 |
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + |
Latest revision as of 23:30, 12 July 2007
There are lots of tasks that may seem relatively simple in Windows, but may be a bit more difficult to do in Linux. This page presents a variety of these tasks, and the best ways to solve them using tools in Linux. Wherever possible, we'll try to notate when a solution is presented using Free software, and when a solution requires the use of proprietary software in Linux.
If you have other ideas, feel free to add them to this table, if you're not comfortable editing the HTML in this table, then add them to the list at the end of this page called I'd like to see how to do that!.
If you can answer an issue, please sign up below under I'd like to demonstrate how to do that! with the details.
Multimedia[edit]
Issue | In Windows I'd Use... | In Linux I'd Use... |
---|---|---|
Burn a CD/DVD |
|
|
Rip a CD |
|
|
Rip a DVD | Ripping video DVDs implies breaking of the CSS copy protection/encryption present on the disc. Although this system is very weak, it is a violation of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act to do so. As such, while it's easy to take a DVD and use a decrypter to copy the DVD, and even then later take the DVD image and shrink it to fit on a cheap 4.7GB disk, we can't tell you how to do it. But, we're sure Google could. | |
Record live television |
|
|
Transfer photos off a camera | Whatever software came with your camera |
|
Organize photos |
|
|
Publish photos to a website |
|
|
Play a movie | Windows Media Player |
|
Organize and manage MP3s |
|
|
Sync to an iPod |
|
|
Edit ID3 Tags |
|
|
Edit Video |
|
|
Edit a photograph |
|
|
Create a vector graphic |
|
|
Office Tasks[edit]
Issue | In Windows I'd Use... | In Linux I'd Use... |
---|---|---|
Write a letter |
|
|
Design a presentation |
|
|
Create a small database |
|
|
Design a spreadsheet |
|
|
Collaborate using groupware |
|
|
Balance a checkbook |
|
|
Manage business finances |
|
|
Fill out tax forms |
|
|
Create a PDF file |
|
|
View a PDF file |
|
|