Wednesday, May 12, 2010

What Do You Use?

In all honesty, are there any open source applications that you prefer and would use in exclusion to others? For example, do you like OpenOffice.org more than Microsoft Office or iWork? If so, do you like it enough that you would install OpenOffice.org on any system that you were using (even if your OS were closed source, such as OSX or Windows)? I might could see someone using OpenOffice.org instead of Office 2k7 (as I've met no one who really likes the new ribbon interface), but what about audio programs? Would you use Exaile, Amarok, or Rhythmbox instead of iTunes, Foobar2000, or some other application? I want replies on this.

It has become rather apparent that people are desiring the ability to run software designed for Windows or OSX on Linux. This is double-edged sword. This will of course give Linux an even more expanded library of applications, and applications with which people are familiar. The other side of this is that it does not give developers a reason to write native software for Linux. If we continue on the road toward Windows or OSX compatibility, will it help or hurt Linux?

Personally, I would love to run iWork on Linux. I would love to run iLife on Linux. I would love to run Colloquy on Linux. I would not like to run them in VM seeing as iWork and iLife are larger applications. Running software in a VM also introduces file movement problems, and in the case of iLife and iWork, we also have issues with graphics acceleration being a requirement.

I never have liked any Windows software except for some games. These are usually playable through Cedega, though Steam support is currently broken. I having a feeling that Transgaming will eventually work with a company similar to GameTree and bring Linux most of the games available for Windows. Blizzard will also most likely start churning out games for Linux if Linux were to gain more than 1% to 3% of the market.

All of this, of course, is weighed against my fears that Linux will never gain a large library of commercial software titles to which the vast majority of people are accustomed. I use Thunderbird on nearly any machine. I use KOffice when I have it available (unless I'm on a Macintosh, in which case I use iWork). I use OpenProj, and have never enjoyed any other project management software (though OpenProj is a clone of Microsoft Project). I do like Visio, but I never use it. I usually just use a paint program. But, what do you use?

24 comments:

nem said...

I would prefer to use a walkman than iTunes.

jasonwryan said...

Vim. If it doesn't run vim, it's not an operating system...

Jack said...

Well, look at it this way- people ARE running those applications on Linux already. Through Wine (or VirtualBox, provided you have decent RAM), people are already doing this in more roundabout ways than a native installer. BUT, a lot of these people still value and use open source applications. The fact is, there is a point at which some applications are good enough and can't get outrageously better without a change, and most people would rather not change (Vista is a great example, except it wasn't exactly a change for the better).

So, as soon as Photoshop runs out of new features to have, it's only a matter of time until GIMP has the same features for free. Eventually, I think that games will be the only commercial software taken very seriously, since we're already so close TODAY to replacing everyone's proprietary applications successfully.

Most of it comes down to 'what am I familiar with'? However, in 10 years, no one wants to be using GIMP 2.8 or Photoshop 7. Eventually, there's going to be a break, and the next big OS/Creative Suite, and when that happens, we want them to be on our side, as well.

On another note, Valve is releasing Steam for Linux, so I think one large hindrance to some gamers will finally be removed (then again, this all worked in Wine already, so maybe not so much?)

To be perfectly honest, and I'm not saying this to embellish or sound sensationalist, but I really would use most of my FOSS programs over the equivalent proprietary software. Some examples that were prevalent when I was looking for stuff to put on my friend's new computer for him.

No Banshee for Windows (I love Banshee, I like Rhythmbox okay, and I like them both a lot more than iTunes. Never really liked iTunes- Winamp would probably find a spot next to Banshee, but not replace it). I just feel so much more comfortable in GIMP and with its plugins, I know it sounds weird, but I like being able to toss my toolbox aside and have a full-screen canvas automatically. Also, some tools in GIMP are years ahead of their Photoshop version, like the magnetic lasso equivalent or Resynthesizer. More features available, easier to use. Of course, if you started with PS, this wouldn't seem right at first.

Also, Pidgin is hands-down my favorite IM. GIMP and Pidgin are available for Windows, of course. But other tools, like Brasero, Transmission, SimpleScan, gtk-RecordmyDesktop, OpenOffice (sorry, I never liked Microsoft Office, I suppose I'm biased), I just couldn't live without. That's why I prefer to take Ubuntu Portable with me. >> Just in case.

Of course, my parents and grandparents feel the same way about their Ubuntu installations. They find things simpler, easier, and more fun to learn than they ever found it in Windows. That's not just because of the layout- the programs actually are quite nice.

And hey, sometimes being able to get something for free, legally, does add to its value, despite what else open source stands for. It helped me to get off of pirated software/media for good.

Timothy said...

"Would you use Exaile, Amarok, or Rhythmbox instead of iTunes, Foobar2000, or some other application? I want replies on this."

I use the linux audio applications 24/7.. I dont even know itunes and Foobar2000 that well.

Rawler said...

About Cedega and Steam. I use it under Crossover, and it broke there too, but just changing compatibility to Vista, resolved the problem for me!

Anton Dominique said...

On any platform, I use OpenOffice and my documents are in ODF. I use MPlayer and VLC as my media players. I do use iTunes on OSXto sync my music to my iPod as well.

Patkos Csaba said...

Hi,

In the past 10 years or so I used a lot of different operating systems, but these few applications I always used (whatever OS I had):
- OpenOffice
- Gimp
- Pidgin
- mplayer
- Opera
- Ekiga
- Blender
- and some games like Tremulous.

Chris Osborn said...

The problem with the comparison, is that you are assuming that full-featured is better. If a software has 100+ features that I don't use and just makes it bloated and confusing, why would I choose it over a smaller, functional open-source app.

But, to answer your question:
Firefox over IE, hands down.
Thunderbird over an other email client
Empathy or Pidgin over any ad-driving commercial IM.
In Linux- Okular over Adobe Reader (although I use the full version of Acrobat on my Windows Box)
I haven't found or looked for a commercial version of GCompris.

anthony said...

I have been running linux for over a decade now yet still use XP in a vm for work.
I suppose my needs are fairly limited but for what I do, linux based apps are all I need and or want.

And the XP vm are for the custom apps that I use to interface with the machines that I work on. Aside from that, XP goes unused.

I use OpenOffice spreadsheet the most. It works fine for what I do.
Chrome or Firefox and Thunderbird are more than adequate for what I do on the web.
Rhythmbox for audio and VLC for videos.

When I see the latest MS offerings at customer sites I just cringe. Vista/Win 7 look gaudy and overdone to me. And the Vista machines I have used seem to be slow which I find very annoying.

satsujinka said...

I would much rather have my "linux" apps on Windows or OSX as opposed to what those operating systems have. Which if I did use such OSes I could do, it'd only require a recompile.

The apps I use regularly include: firefox, audacious, mplayer, thunar, wicd, and leafpad/mousepad. With openoffice.org typically claiming my presentation, spreadsheet, fancy document needs; but I've been known to use abiword, gnumeric, or the koffice suite.

Aside from vlc (which I no longer use) and firefox, I didn't take any apps with me when I fled Windows and I don't have any fondness for anything in Windows land either. Mind you, this was well before I learned about open source and the like.

So is a lack of comercial software a problem? Maybe, maybe not. Most Windows users that I know don't buy software, except for the odd gamer I know. They tend to just use what is on their computer and occassionally install things from the internet. I only know 2 people with Macs, 1 of which hates his but can't get rid of it because his school requires it (he uses mostly open source apps when he can get away with it though, I don't think he's aware of the fact though) and the other I don't know what he has on it. So as far as my experience goes, comercial software isn't important. We have programs that people trust and use, it's just a matter of convicing people to care about the underlying OS.

Kevin Klement said...

It has a steep learning curve, but LaTeX is about 100x better than any WordProcessor could ever be when you know what you're doing with it, and while it'll run on Mac or Windows too, the LaTeX editors for linux are by far the widest ranging and richest. (Kile, gummi, AuCTeX/vim-latex, etc.)

PHex said...

Speedcrunch every where.

Alan Moore said...

Chris Osborn hit the nail on the head. I don't care about the "best" application, or the one with the most features. All I care about is that it's adequate for the task and readily available.

Pétur said...

I install Firefox on every single computer i use to access the net. If it's a friends computer and he doesn't have ff yet, i ask for a permission before installing it.

I prefer openoffice over ms-office, so i use oo on windows machines as well. Knowing my documents are stored in a non-proprietary and an open format, ready to be accessed in 20 years is a nice thought.

Thunderbird is the email client i choose, so i set it up as imap on all linux-workstations i use regularly, altho i don't dare to do so on windows machines because there is no way of encryping the "home" directory.

i use gimp to edit images, both on windows and linux. I'm not a professional and i don't need all the filters.

keepassx is a program which i use to manage my password, i keep the database (which is encrypted) in dropbox, so i can access my password easily.

and yea, dropbox i use alot! beeing able to access all my data from anywhere in the world is nice ^^. tho i would NEVER install dropbox on a windows machine (example at school or work) because windows does not allow encrypting the /home/....

Those who want to check out dropbox can use this link, https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTY5MDYxMTA5 to sign up.. will give both of us extra 250MB bonus space. For those who don't know dropbox click the linky anyways.. there's a nice video to explain the ideaology behind it.

Tim said...

I use Chrome on all my computers (webkit at least is open source - I don't know or care whether the browser itself is.)

Kate. I use it even though the windows version is so buggy that it's almost unusable. (almost unusable is still some useable after all and that's more than I can say for DreamWeaver or notepad.)

I would love to use not outlook, but my work is in love with exchange.

The gimp, and inkscape get way more use on my windows box than Photoshop and Illustrator.

I dream of being able to use amarok on windows. It amazes me that iTunes can't even queue songs. On the other hand, I would love to have the iTunes store on Linux.

I've been using Pidgin on all my computers since before Gaim 1.0.0

(for the record, I do like the MS Office Ribbon and wish that something on Linux would adopt it.)

hosseingt said...

what do you mean by committing a criminal act ????

David said...

I use only Linux now so I cannot speak to apps that are cross platform as I am not sure of which are and which are not.

I can say that I use the following applications and would not go back to their commercial alternatives ever if I have a say.

Office Suite: OpenOffice.org
Web Browser: Chrome, FireFox
Photo Editing/Image Manipulation: Gimp
Music/Playlsts: Exaile
CD/DVD Burning: Brasero
Programming: Komodo Edit, CodeBlocks, vim
Text Editor: Komodo Edit, gEdit, vim
IM/Video Conference: Skype
Torrent: KTorrent, Transmission (very light weight)

I have use all of the commercial counterparts extensively as I came from a Windows world and still work in one.

I still prefer these to commercial apps like:

MS Office
IE
Visual Studio
notepad
Photoshop
Roxio DVD Creator/Nero
Media Player/Winamp
Bit Torrent/uTorrent

Also... @jasonwryan:

Yes sir, vim rocks!
:%s/Windows/Linux/g

Corvus Albus said...

Wow. What an incredibly good point. I NEVER thought of it that way. What do I use in Linux that I miss while I'm in Windows?

There are quite a few programs that I use that I HAVE to have Windows for - and that's before I get to gaming. ArcGIS, MsProject, Primavera P6. And gaming? I've given up on Wine for gaming - gag me, it's bad when it works.

But what of the Linux stuff that I miss? I definitely miss Gnome, and I'd settle for KDE as an alternative. The desktop experience is better, by far, once you get fonts resolved. But are they really an app? Gimp? For what little I use it, I can find alternatives in Windows, altho Gimp is better. But it isn't a deal breaker. Solitaire! Yes - my linux install has several solitaire games I prefer to the standard Windows stuff. But we can't allow that to be a deal-breaker, either, now can we?

OO3 is good, very good, only lacking 2-5% of the functionality of MS Office 2003. Just a few small advanced features - that I sometimes use. Calc is fine, but I can do more in Word than OOWriter.

Here's one! Gparted. And Yast (I know, that's opensuse only, but still). Compiz (part of why I miss Gnome). The other thing I miss is something intrisic to the OS - the added security of the OS design, and the transparency of firewall apps. File system management is better - I miss NOT having to defrag. I would really like to see a ZoneAlarm for Linux, so I don't have to try and figure out AppArmor or SELinux. AppArmor and SELinux do a better job, but they are so much harder to use!

Ford said...

@hosseingt,
Censorship laws in those countries could make my blog contraband in those countries.

@others,
These responses were all quite a bit different from what I have heard in the past, and are all very welcome.

unhammer said...

Programs for which there is no better closed-source alternative:

- Firefox
- Emacs
- nethack
- Konsole/gnome-terminal (ugh, Terminal.app sucks)
--- actually, all those shell commands etc.
- pdf readers (ie. the free/open ones I've tried have all been better than Adobe Reader or even Foxit Reader)

unhammer said...

Oh, left out a couple:
- Transmission
- Pidgin
- TeX/LaTeX (seriously, there is no competition. And just try LyX if you're scared of plain text.)

And I'd like to include Status.net although it's a web-app...but it really is better than Twitter (the conversation view and groups are great!)

Georgie Pie said...

For the most part, I tend to favour SSuite Office’s free software. They have a whole range of office suites and business software that are free for download. :)

http://www.ssuitesoft.com/index.htm

Craig said...

On any OS and machine:

OpenOffice.org
Opera
Gimp

Other than that I'm pretty flexible on what I'll use.

OpenOffice because it's free and can do most of what I want (occasionally there is something that I can do in MS office that I can't do in OOo, often I can find a work around)

Opera because it's a great browser, been using it since around 2000-2001

Gimp because it's free and can do what I want. Although some things are as user friendly as they could be

sdm said...

I no longer use Windows, and when I did, it was because I was required to, as a condition of employment. Otherwise I would have been using Linux.

On Windows I used the following in preference to proprietary applications:

Cygwin, including many of the standard GNU utilities.
Firefox
Thunderbird
OpenOffice
GIMP
Inkscape
Dia
Perl
Python
GTK+
VLC
VNC

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