Open Source Alternatives to Popular Windows Apps

By Scott Nesbitt – Sunday, July 26, 2009

When you think of Open Source software, the first thing that comes to mind is probably Linux or maybe Mozilla Firefox. One not uncommon misconception about Open Source is that the software, except for certain applications, is only available for Linux.

Obviously, that's not true. There are countless Open Source applications for Windows (and Mac OS, too). It sounds strange creating free software for an operating system that's not free but Open Source gives Windows users a lot of flexibility and a number of solid alternatives to popular Windows apps.

This TechTip looks at a few alternatives to some popular Windows applications. These alternatives can save you money while giving you the features and functions that that you need to get things done.

Microsoft Office

It's no secret that Microsoft Office is the de-facto standard for productivity applications. Office is also quite expensive. If you want to buy a copy for your desktop computer  or laptop computer, you can expect to shell out around $150 for the home version and about $400 for the full version. The funny thing about Microsoft Office is that, for many users, it contains more features and functions than they'll ever use.

The main Open Source competitor to Microsoft Office is OpenOffice.org. It's a complete suite of productivity applications — a word processor (think Microsoft Word), a spreadsheet (think Excel), a presentation program (think PowerPoint), a drawing application, and a database. Each component is easy to use — although it will take a bit of time to get used to the user interface — and packs some features that Microsoft Office lacks, like the ability to output PDF files. OpenOffice.org can import and export Microsoft Office formats, although the quality of the results will depend on how complex the file is.

One interesting feature of OpenOffice.org is that you can expand it by using extensions. The extensions add a number of features, including an array of templates, the ability to connect to exchange files with Google Docs, enhance the charting capabilities, and more.

What happens if you only need a word processor? Then you should give AbiWord a look. It's small, it's fast, and it packs just about every feature that you'd need. Like what? How about columns, headers and footers, tables, mail merge, endnotes and footnotes. AbiWord also has a collaboration feature, which enables you to work on a document with others either on a local network or over the Web.

And like OpenOffice.org, you can extend AbiWord with plugins. A bunch come bundled with it — ones for translation, connecting to online dictionaries and Wikipedia, doing a search with Google, and more. On top of that, AbiWord has decent support for Word files and can import and export to the format used by OpenOffice.org's word processor.

If, on the other hand, you want a simple but powerful spreadsheet then give Gnumerica look. Like Microsoft Excel, it supports a variety of mathematical functions (about 520of them) and graphing. There are also a number of tools in Gnumeric for doing mathematical analysis, and it can import and/or export over 20 other file formats including Excel.. The only major function of Excel that Gnumeric lacks is pivot tables. That's on the list of priorities for the developers, though.

Outlook

There's no arguing that Microsoft Outlook is the most popular email application on the Windows desktop — whether in its full version or as Outlook Express, which does viagra make you last longer ships with Windows. While there are a large number of email clients on the Open Source side of the fence, only one can compete with Outlook in the areas of features and functions. And that application is Mozilla Thunderbird.

Thunderbird is one of those applications that really packs a lot, but isn't really slowed down by all that bulk. Much like Outlook, you can use Thunderbird to connect to multiple email accounts and to send either plain text or HTML emails. Thunderbird also enables you to connect to Web-based email services like Gmail and Yahoo! Mail. You can download messages from your Web-based accounts, and send them using whatever email address you want.

Another feature that brings a bit more flexibility to Thunderbird is that, like Outlook, it supports both POP and IMAP email. IMAP support makes it easier to synchronize Thunderbird with the messages on an email server.

Thunderbird also has a number of other useful features, like the ability to tag messages. By defining tags, you can label your messages by their importance and by their function — for example: Work, Personal, Writing.

You can make up for any deficit in Thunderbird's features by using add-ons. And there are a lot of them — several hundred, in fact. The available add-ons expand the ways in which you read messages and work with contacts, turn the app into an RSS feed reader, enhance Thunderbird's privacy and security features, and even add a flexible calendar. You can also install themes to change the look and feel of the application.

Windows Media Player

Back in the old days of computing, Windows Media Player was a lean and fast little audio and video app. But it got way too big for its boots. It's now a DVD player, an iTunes wannabe, a CD ripper, an interface to MP3 players. Just to name a few. Many people I know complain that it's slow, bloated, and buggy. Why settle for more when you can something a little smaller? That's where these two Open Source alternatives come in.

VLC (short for Video LAN Client) is a wonderfully compact, yet powerful audio and video player. It supports a large number of formats — far more than any other media player that I've used. In fact, VLC has been able to play media files that other players — including Windows Media Player — have balked at. With some media files, like Windows AVI, VLC even repairs damaged files. Not always, but often better than any other desktop media player I've tried.

In addition to audio and video files that are on your hard drive or home network, VLC can also play CDs, DVDs, and streaming audio and video from the Web. With streaming media, you can use VLC to either stream audio or video on to a network or save a stream to a file.

Editing photos and drawing

No matter who you are, there comes a time (usually more than one) when you need to edit a photo taken with a digital camera or create a diagram for a school paper or for work. The big commercial software players in that space are Adobe's Photoshop and Illustrator, and Microsoft Visio. Again, for the majority of users the Open Source alternatives can more than hold their own.

Editing photos

The best-known Open Source photo and image editor is The GIMP(GNU Image Manipulation Program). With The GIMP, you can retouch photos, manipulate them in a variety of ways — from resizing and cropping to flipping them on their axes — and convert images to other formats. The GIMP comes with a large number of filters for applying effects to an image. And it comes with over 40 tools for modifying and just plain messing with photos and graphics. All in all, it's a more than fairly complete editing package.

More than a couple of people have whined that The GIMP doesn't look like Photoshop!That's where GIMPshop comes in. GIMPshop changes the look of The GIMP and even the names of the menus and their items to better match those of Photoshop. Note, though, that GIMPshop doesn't support the wide array of (frankly wicked) Photoshop plugins. However, it can use The GIMP's plugins.

Don't forget the diagrams

Photos aren't the only type of images that people work with. Whether you're a student or a professional, diagrams and flowcharts are also very important. Instead of putting a dent in your bank account to the tune of several hundred dollars for Illustrator or Visio, give these Open Source apps a try.

First up, Inkscape. Inkscape is a vector drawing tool. Whereas photos and other graphics are made up of little blocks, vector drawings consist of lines and curves. This makes software like Inkscape perfect for creating diagrams or line drawings.

Using Inkscape, you can combine lines and curves, and add text or even import bitmap graphics to enhance a drawing. It's not just black and white, either. You can add color or fill portions of a diagram with a specific color. You can also use Inkscape to create 3D images. Inkscape user have created a variety of different graphics with it, ranging from icons to backgrounds for Web pages to book covers. In fact, Inkscape includes a wizard the enables you to generate the template for a book layout based on the number of pages in that book.

Inkscape's native file format is SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). However, you can export an Inkscape file to various bitmap graphic formats like PNG, BMP, JPG, and PDF. Very useful if you want to pull the your drawings into another program.

Dia, on the other hand, is designed for creating flow charts and technical diagrams. Like Microsoft Visio, Dia uses shapes and lines to build a diagram or flow chart. It's not a pretty application, but it's easy to use and gets the job done nicely.

As you might expect, Dia comes with a library of shapes (called objects). Most of them are aimed at programmers, engineers, and network administrators. That said, you can use the object and Dia itself for any purpose. I know people who use it to create organizational charts and to do basic information architecture for Web sites.

As with Inkscape, you can save Dia diagrams in various bitmap graphics formats including EPS, SVG, and PDF.

Wrapping up

Open Source isn't just for Linux. Windows users can take advantage of the offerings from the Open Source ecosystem, too. Look around. You never know what you might find. In fact, you might just turn up a replacement for a favorite Windows application.

DRM: Here Today, (Hopefully) Gone Tomorrow?

By Scott Nesbitt – Sunday, July 19, 2009

It's your birthday. Someone gives you a DVD of your favorite movie. In anticipation of a long train ride you're going to be taking soon, you decide to make a copy of the DVD that you can download to your MP4 digital media player.

You pop the DVD in your desktop computer and try to rip it. But it doesn't work. The DVD plays on your DVD player and on your computer.

Welcome to the world of DRM, one of the most contentious issues in the digital world today. Say you don't know what DRM is? Read on.

What is DRM?

DRM is short for Digital Rights Management (although some say it means Digital Restrictions Management). It's a set of technologies that's restricts how you can use digital content like music, video, and software. DRM is designed to stop or limit you from copying, converting, or accessing digital media.

DRM can block you from viewing something like an ebook on a device other than your ebook reader. It can stop you from ripping a CD or converting an audio file from one format to another. Or, it can prevent you from installing software (like games) on multiple computers.

How it works is fairly simple. DRM applies encryption, in the form of a digital signature, to a file or a piece of software. The signature is like a unique stamp, telling the hardware or operating system software that whether or not it's OK for them to play together.

If the device or operating system on your desktop computer or laptop computer doesn't mesh with the digital signature of the file, then the file will be useless to you or you won't be able to install the software. Often, DRM is tied to one piece of hardware. If, for example, you have an MP3 file with DRM applied to it, that file might only play on one computer or MP3 do you need a prescription for viagra player.

There are, and have been, a number of DRM schemes. Some of the more widely-used ones are Windows Media DRM and Apple's FairPlay. You can read more about some of the better-known DRM schemes here.

Examples of DRM

As mentioned a few paragraphs ago, DRM can be applied to any digital file. Like what? How about an electronic book. Most ebook readers and reader software for computers have a unique ID. Some ebook sellers require you to register the IDs of those devices when you buy an ebook. A digital signature is applied to the ebook before you download it, and you can only read the ebook on those devices.

With digital television, many transmissions have a form of DRM called a broadcast flag applied to them. The broadcast flag indicates whether or not you can record the digital transmission and, if you can, what restrictions there are on recording it.

Microsoft Office (2003 and later) allows business users to apply DRM to word processor and spreadsheet files. If the business is running Microsoft Windows Server 2003, all that Office users need to do is click a toolbar icon to restrict permissions on a file. If anyone wants to read the file, they'll need to get the author's permission and get an add-on for Internet Explorer.

Why use DRM?

The folks who advocate DRM, like record companies and publishers, do so to enforce copyright and to protect their revenue. I'm sure that everyone remembers Napster. It was a file sharing service, one that really opened a huge can of worms as far as DRM and copyright went by allowing people to share digital music over the Internet.

The musicians and, especially, the record companies complained that they weren't getting royalties for this. It wasn't a new problem, just a new twist on an old one. Instead of people trading cassette tapes and burned CDs with family and friends, file sharing services like Napster enabled them to exchange huge numbers of files with strangers from around the world.

It's a matter of trust

The content providers that advocate and use DRM technologies will tell you that they're protecting their interests. They argue that every book, movie, or MP3 that's copied is one less book, movie, or MP3 that they can sell.

DRM restrictions, though, treat consumers like potential thieves. That's not a healthy relationship, and overlooks the value of viral marketing. Case in point: last year, a friend passed me a couple of MP3 files by a musician named Zoe Keating. I loaded the MP3s on my media player, and listened to the music while commuting. I was so impressed that I went out and bought another of Keating's albums. If the MP3 files that my friend passed my way had DRM applied to them, then I might not have ever heard Zoe Keating or bought one of her discs.

A number of writers and other artists are against DRM. One of the most vocal opponents of DRM is author and blogger Cory Doctorow.Whenever one of Doctorow's books is published, he makes it available for download (for free) from his Web site. All with the permission of his publisher. While some people mock Doctorow for doing this, he claims that doing this actually increases the sales of his books.

Another proponent of a world without DRM is author and comic writer Neil Gaiman. He's all for people sharing electronic copies of his work. Why? Gaiman likens it to people lending their friends a book or a CD. It exposes those friends to a new artist, and often spurs them to buy another of the artist's work.

Even a once staunch supporter of DRM, the band Metallica, has begun to change its tune (so to speak). In 2008, the band made DRM-free music available on its Web site.

Dealing with DRM

That's definitely a contentious issue. Much like DRM itself. Many consumers don't care whether their music or movies or software has DRM applied to it. As long as they can watch, listen, and use everything is fine.

That said, there's a growing anti-DRM movement. More and more people are speaking out against DRM, and working against it with their wallets.

So, what are your options? You can accept DRM. Or, you can choose to not buy movies, music, and software that has DRM applied to it. Both the Apple iTunes Store and Amazon.com offer DRM-free downloads of thousands of songs. (Amazon, though, is bi-polar in this regard: ebooks for the Kindle are locked down with a form of DRM.). Or, you can turn off formats that support DRM altogether, and go with Open Source formats like Ogg Theora and Ogg Vorbis.

Summing up

DRM is definitely a contentious subject. At the heart of the arguments for and against DRM is the issue of rights. The rights of the people producing and marketing content, and the rights of the consumers of that content. It's going to be a long time before both sides can find an acceptable middle ground, assuming there is one.

What are your thoughts about DRM? Feel free to leave a comment.

"I Signed Up For FaceBook"…NOW WHAT?!

By Bryan Lambert – Sunday, July 5, 2009

These days it seems that Facebook, the social networking site, has become the “new MySpace” – a place where people and their friends can get together and have a good time. In fact, you more than likely have a Facebook account (over 200 million do) and if you don’t then get one, they’re free! If you’re a Facebook veteran you no doubt know about many of the cool things you can do with Facebook, however if you’re new to the Facebook community, then this Tech Tip is for you! We'll look at some MUST DO things to do while on Facebook!

First things first

The first thing that you’d want to do after setting up your Facebook profile and finding friends is to set the privacy settings (under “settings” in the upper right hand corner). This will control who can “see you” and the things you post. You may want to broadcast your activities to the whole world or you may want to let “only friends” see them. Many of the fields are highly customizable, so you can actually drill down specific people who “cannot” see you.

Another really interesting aspect of the settings is that it allows you to actually “link” other accounts from other websites (such as MySpace) allowing Facebook to become your “social network hub” (so to speak). Note that not all linkable websites are listed here; some (such as Twitter) need to be added through the “search” and then “add application” function.

A word about your profile

When you first sign up, you are asked to fill in a few things about yourself. This is OK as you can set who actually can see what you input (remember that privacy thing – though it won’t help you much on the ads, they key in on you). The more info you put, the easier your page will be for your current friends and family and many NEW FRIENDS to find you. Who knew that you had such an affinity for Watership Down! Be sure to update your status and then head on over to the search button to see what you can find.

Bring on the GAMES!

We all like to play games on our notebook computers and on our console game systems of choice, but Facebook 'gaming' is a bit different to say the least. It is one of the “funner” (ok, not a word, but fun to use) aspects of Facebook. To “find” the games simply put in a search for what game you are looking for and then click on the applications tab. Here you have a vast selection from classic casino such as blackjack, poker, etc., to role playing games such as Mafia Wars, simulators such as FarmTown & loads of other games (such as Bejeweled Blitz, Chain Rxn, Guess the Sketch, Lexulous, etc.) Beware, they ARE addicting!

One of the terrific aspects of Facebook is the ability to become a “fan” of various things (such as the iPhone, In-and-Out Burgers, Geeks.com or even your hometown). Simply perform a search for your interest (upper right hand corner) and if they have set up a Facebook page you can become a fan, or you can also click on the groups tab in the results page for common interest groups that you’d may want to join. If you haven't already become a FAN of the BEST Fan Page on Facebook: –> Geeks.com!! (Where you will find Facebook only promotions and giveaways!)

Quizzes, Notes, Photos and other things

Not to be passed up is the fun you can have taking quizzes, passing on notes and using the photo album tool built into Facebook.. The quizzes range from the silly to the interesting and you can even create your own quizzes as well – these are loads of “quiztacular” fun! Notes are interesting in that no one seems to start them, but they seem to get passed on ad infinitum. Basically a note is just that, a note that you can “tag” to other friends to read. Many times the notes are personal questionnaires that people can erase your answers, and input theirs to keep passing the note along. A warning with notes however is that you may get more information on your "friends" then you ever wanted to know. The photo area is a terrific area to visit just simply for the fact that you can easily and quickly share photos with family and friends online. Lots of pages do this, but with Facebook your friends see them instantly! One of the “other things” that Facebook allows now is the ability to have a personalized URL (web address) for your Facebook account. Simply go to http://www.facebook.com/username to get this done (note, they may want to “verify” your account by sending you a text message to a mobile phone).

“Friending’ and “Fanning” the famous (or semi-famous)

Do you have a favorite author, chef, or maybe local radio personality – why not see if they have a Facebook page. You’ll be surprised who has one and they are usually more than happy to friend total (non-stalking) strangers. More famous celebrities, bands, etc. instead allow “fans” rather than “friends” (of course, many of the pages for celebrities are set up by fans themselves) – but they are just as fun to join.

discount viagra canada border=”0″ alt=”phonrd” hspace=”4″ width=”140″ height=”170″ align=”right” />The fun goes on

Facebook has grown by leaps and bounds, especially since it has become open to “everyone,” not just students. Add to this the fact that many cheap cell phones as well as smart phones now have Facebook applications which keep some users connected 24/7. Bottom line is Facebook has become a vastly entertaining, highly useful, and somewhat addicting website when used properly and to it's full extent.