[wplug] Need Advice Switching From Windows to Linux

[Justin Smith]

Besides saving money, you'll also retain control of your computer by 
switching from Windows to Linux. The cloud computing envisioned by 
companies like Google and Microsoft sounds great until you realize that it 
takes away all control over your property. You have access to neither the 
source code nor the software itself. You're 100% dependent on the whims 
of a third party.

I recommend starting with Linux Mint's Cinnamon edition. Fedora is 
unstable, and it's geared toward experienced users who know their way 
around Linux already. The Mint community is helpful and will readily answer 
your questions.

If you're looking for something that's specifically designed for the transition 
from Linux to Windows, try ZorinOS. Like Mint, it's a derivative of Ubuntu, 
but its designers have made it look as close to Windows as possible in 
order to make getting acquainted with Linux even easier. 

Regarding a desktop environment, XFCE and KDE represent opposite ends 
of the spectrum. XFCE tries to keep the experience as basic as possible, 
while KDE  gives you every option under the sun. Cinnamon is better for 
your purposes because it strikes a good balance between simplicity and 
customization. Use it for a while and see if you want to go more in one 
direction or the other. I ended up moving to KDE because I wanted 
absolute control over every aspect of the operating system.

The most popular email clients on Linux are Thunderbird, Evolution, and 
Kontact. Of these, Thunderbird is more or less just an email client, while 
Evolution and Kontact try to replicate Outlook's all-in-one functionality. 

Mint includes a customized version of Thunderbird that contains additional 
features such as calendar support. Try that and see how you like it. If you 
need more features, install Evolution. If you're looking for the most 
comprehensive email suite Linux has to offer, look no farther than Kontact.

After Oracle acquired the rights to OpenOffice, most of the community 
developers left and started their own fork called LibreOffice. Use that. 
OpenOffice is still maintained by the Apache Foundation, but it isn't up to 
snuff with LibreOffice. Because of licensing issues, LibreOffice can 
incorporate OpenOffice's improvements but OpenOffice can't do the same 
with LibreOffice's code.

You may be able to run Quicken in Linux using a tool called Wine. Have you 
ever heard of it? Wine is a compatibility program that enables Linux users 
to run Windows applications without having to install Windows. Basically, 
you install Wine and set up a big file that acts as a virtual C drive. Then, 
you just run any Windows .EXE file and proceed as usual to install and use 
it. 

You can look up Wine application compatibility at http://appdb.winehq.org/

If you ever decide to use KDE, do note that some of the applications you 
mentioned here, such as Firefox and OpenOffice/LibreOffice, aren't 
designed to use the same visual interface as KDE, so they may look a little 
strange. OpenSUSE releases special KDE-centric versions of these 
programs. That's why I use OpenSUSE - it's basically "the" KDE distribution.

I hope this helps.

--

*Justin Smith*

"UNIX is basically a simple operating system, but you have to be a genius 
to understand the simplicity."
-Dennis Ritchie


> Hello.  I am new to the mailing list and need some advice about moving 
from
> Windows to Linux.  The reason for the move is to avoid being trapped in 
the
> coming Microsoft plan to change from one-time software purchase to 
monthly
> fees.  I am a bit familiar with Linux having configured a Ubuntu system
> last year as a curiosity,
> 
> My plan for Linux is to find a solid stable configuration and environment
> that I can keep current with a minimum of maintenance and upgrades.
> 
> However, to make the change I need to find equivalently robust 
applications
> on the Linux side.  My key concern is replacing Quicken.  I plan to try
> Gnucash and MoneyDance.  (I know that MoneyDance has a price.)
> 
> My questions are:
> 1. What flavors of Linux ought I to consider?
> For a start, I was planning to look at Fedora 19 and Mint Cinnamon.
> 
> 2. Same question for desktop environments?
> For a start, I was planning to look at KDE and XFCE but am interested in
> looking at any that are effective and different from what I am used to in
> Windows.
> 
> 3. What are good replacements for Outlook?  I like the Outlook email and
> calendar.
> 
> 4. What office programs or suites?
> I use MSOffice for Word, Excel and Access and write a fair amount of VBA
> code.  I assume that OpenOffice will be equivalent in functionality even if
> the implementation is different but have not looked into that yet.
> 
> 5. What is the best replacement for Quicken?  Am I on track with 
Gnucash and
> MoneyDance?
> 
> 6. I already use some apps that should work the same under Linux - 
Firefox,
> VLC, Audacity and TrueCrypt.
> 
> Thank you for any opinions, ideas and suggestions.
> Larry Wolfson
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