Free Software Applications: Programs for Daily Computer Tasks
Updated 2012-01.
Summary: The objective of this table is to give a list of what Free Software programs can be used to do common computer tasks. The audience is people who are new to using free software ("linux newbie"). The list is far from complete. I hope this helps you get started. For the linux programs, I have usually listed the default program for the Ubuntu Linux distribution first, when applicable, to help you compare with the other options. If you find the software on the linux machine is useful enough for you, then you might consider creating a Linux Home File-Server.
| Task | Windows[1] | Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | ($ Quicken), ($MS Money) | GnuCash |
| Burn a CD or DVD | Windows Media Player, iTunes, Realplayer, Winamp, ($ Nero) | Nautilus Burner, Brasero, K3B, ($ Nero) |
| Convert Sound Files | ? (no research) | SoundConverter Convert Format or Change Bit Rate |
| Databases for Desktops | ($ MS Access), OpenOffice Base | OpenOffice Base, KOffice Kexi |
| Desktop Publishing | ($ Pagemaker), ($ Publisher), Scribus | Scribus |
| Diagram Drawings | ($ Visio), OpenOffice Draw, Dia | OpenOffice Draw, Dia, KOffice Kivio |
| DVD Player | ($ Various), VLC | Totem, VLC |
| Email[2] | Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Gmail[3], Yahoo Mail[3] | Thunderbird, Gmail[3], Yahoo Mail[3], KMail, Evolution |
| File Browsing (local) | Windows Explorer (Computer, My Docs, etc.) | Nautilus (Places, Home Folder, Computer), Konqueror |
| FTP Files | Filezilla | Filezilla, gFTP |
| Internet Browsing | Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Chrome | Firefox, Opera, Chrome, Konqueror, Epiphany |
| Manage Computer Software Updates[4] | Windows Update for O/S only. All other applications separately. | Synaptic Package Manager (Update Manager) for entire distribution. |
| mp3 Edit ID3 Tags | Windows Media Player, Winamp | Easy Tag, Ex Falso |
| Music Player: CD & mp3 | Windows Media Player, iTunes, Realplayer, Songbird, VLC, Winamp | Decibel, Rhythm Box, VLC, Amarok |
| Photo Browsing & Slide Show | Windows Explorer, Flickr[3], Picasa[3], ($ Camera Software) | Nautilus, gThumb, F-Spot, Geeqie, GwenView, Flickr[3], Picasa[3] |
| Photo Editing Advanced Drawing | ($ Photoshop, etc.), GIMP | GIMP |
| Photo Stitching Panoramic Photos | ($ Various), hugin | hugin |
| Presentations for Offices | ($ Powerpoint), OpenOffice Impress | OpenOffice Impress |
| Project Management | ($ MS Project), OpenProj, GanttProject | Planner, OpenProj, GanttProject |
| Programming Editor[5] | PSpad, Eclipse, jedit, emacs | Bluefish, Eclipse, jedit, emacs |
| Rip a CD to mp3, etc. | Windows Media Player, iTunes, Realplayer, Winamp | Asunder, RipperX |
| Spreadsheets | ($ Excel), OpenOffice Calc | OpenOffice Calc, gNumeric, KOffice |
| Vector Drawings | ($ Visio(?)), OpenOffice Draw | OpenOffice Draw, Inkscape, Dia |
| Video RSS Feeds | Miro | Miro |
| Video Multimedia Player | Windows Media Player, VLC, MPlayer, Miro, iTunes, Realplayer | Totem Movie Player, Miro, VLC |
| Write a formatted Letter or Paper[6]. | ($ MS Word), OpenOffice Writer, Abiword | OpenOffice Writer, Abiword, KOffice |
| Write a plain text[7] note. | Notepad, Wordpad | gedit, Kate, emacs |
- [1]There is a lot of Free Software available for the MS Windows operating system.
- [2]I think there are a lot of benefits to using strictly web-based email.
- [3]This is a web-based service, independent of your operating system.
- [4]There is nothing in the Windows world that I know that is comparable. The openess of the linux system allows for complete cooperation in managing the software on your computer.
- [5]Here is a list of Programming Editors. PSpad is the best I've found for Windows.
- [6]These programs can write plain text, but are "overkill" for the task.
- [7]Plain text means no formatting (e.g., bold, italics, tables, etc.)
Here is some useful information for Ubuntu (Debian-based?) linux users: Ubuntu multimedia: mp3, DVD, etc.
