Easier switch to Linux

[zab]

I've noticed that many people here make the mistake of trying to install linux without getting used to the programs that come with the usual distros first.

Many of the programs that come with a linux distribution also run on windows. It will be much easier for you to get used to linux if you've used these programs before:


Most linux distros come with Mozilla as the default browser. Mozilla runs under windows too and looks exactly the same way, so you can download it and check it out right away.

For instant messaging, there is a program called gaim that works with icq, msn, aim and few others. Again, it looks and works exactly the same way under windows as under linux.

For irc, the x-chat program is available both under windows and linux.

For movies, mplayer can work under windows and linux, although its pretty hard to install under both!

For mp3s, xmms looks exactly the same way as winamp, and it is possible (but difficult) to install winamp under linux too.

For filesharing:

* all java progs look and work the same : limewire, freenet, etc.
* emule and xmule look and work the same
* the official bittorrent client looks the same, but is a little harder to install under linux

[Theinfamousone]

What do you mean by "harder to install"?

[Sho0tyz]

There's also OpenOffice.org which can be installed on Windows as the replacement for MS Office. With that being said, I don't know how much this really helps. I don't think much of the difficulty of Linux is the applications.... I've never heard of anyone who installed Linux and was upset because they couldn't figure out how to use Mozilla. The applications are quite similar. More of the difficulty is dealing with the system itself... How to install/remove software? How to change settings? What to do when something goes wrong? What do all the commands mean?

There is definitely some learning required if you've never dealt with a UNIX-like system before.

[Sho0tyz]

What do you mean by "harder to install"?

Well, when you download bittorrent for linux, these are the instructions that come with it.

install Python, version 2.0 or later - http://python.org/

install wxPython - http://wxpython.org/

(under debian, you can currently get the above using 
apt-get install libwxgtk2.2-python 
from testing and use python 2.1)

untar and put a line in /etc/mailcap which is similar to the 
following, only replace the path to 
/usr/bin/btdownloadgui.py with the one it's actually in.

application/x-bittorrent; /usr/bin/btdownloadgui.py %s; test=test -n "$DISPLAY"

You may have to restart your web browser for it to start 
using BitTorrent.

If you're using a web browser which doesn't respect 
/etc/mailcap you can go into the mimetype configuration for 
your web browser and manually associate application/x-bittorrent 
with btdownloadgui.py (with the appropriate path, of course.)

Souns difficult right? I've never installed this on Windows, but I imagine all you do is click on a button or two. And I will be the first to admit that this type of stuff keeps a lot of people from running Linux.

It is probably easier than it sounds though. Most likely python was automatically installed with your distribution. wxPython is easy to install as well. The rest is just following instructions. You don't even need to do it this way if you don't want to. All of this stuff is for the graphical interface. You can always simply copy the URL of the torrent file and download from the command line.

[Azathoth]

Here's a link to D/L OpenOffice.org as well as other GNU progs for windows:
GNUWin II

[keyshawn]

infamousone,

'harder to install' on linux means that often, you have to compile the source of the program, - through the terminal [aka command line]
Very rarely, will a linux program be installed through a GUI.
Also, the pre-fab shortcuts on start menu and the desktop aren't made during a linux install...
Is it more challenging ? sometimes, yeah.
It does give a sense of more control, customibility, and that your sticking it to Mr. Gates :D

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

That list of linux-to-windows equivalents is the largest i've seen so far, and pretty accurate. :)