Any OS is only truly as useful as the applications that run on it. Fortunately, Linux has a plethora of very good open source applications for a variety of needs. In this article, I will list my suggestions for applications in a number of different categories. Of course, since linux is about choice, I will include some alternatives as well.
Web Browser
1) Mozilla Firefox – This to me, is a no brainer. I would recommend this browser to both Linux and Windows users alike. With the implementation of tabbed-browsing, extensions, a built-in(and configurable) search bar, themes, pop-up blocker, etc. this browser is extremely hard to beat regardless of OS.
2) Konquerer – is the default web browser for the KDE desktop. Not only is it a web browser, but it also functions as KDE’s file manager and can be an image viewer as well.
3) Epiphany – is the default web browser for the Gnome desktop based on the gecko engine(same as firefox). This browser includes the use of extensions, as well as tabbed browsing.
4) Recently, Opera changed their approach by removing the ads on their web browser and leaning up the interface. The result is a clean, speedy browser with an email client included.
Email Client
1) Evolution is as close to an Outlook replacement as you can get and since I do use all of the capabilities of Outlook at work, I will make Evolution my email client recommendation. Some of the features of Evolution include: Junk Mail filtering, Search Folders, Calandering, and the capability to talk with an Exchange Server.(a separate plug-in is required)
2) Sylpheed-claws is an excellent lightweight email client/usenet newsreader with a wide featureset including spamassassin integration as well as anti-virus scanning via clamd. This application is my second choice and would be my first if I didnt need Evolution for my work.
3) Though I have not personally tried Thunderbird, it comes highly recommended from some of my more trusted linux users, so I figured I’d put it in.
Office Suite
While both major Desktop environments provide their own office suite, Gnome has gnome-office and KDE has koffice, Openoffice.org2 is the clear standout. This suite is the most complete open source MSOffice replacement available.
Windows Integration
Chances are, you will still have a Windows-based computer somewhere n your network, or you have that one Windows-based app that you absolutely cannot do without. Samba will lessen the pain by allowing you to enable file and print sharing between platforms. Samba is not the easiest application to configure, but with some patience and maybe a quick search around your distribution’s site, you will probably find a HOWTO that will at least get you started. A very detailed HOWTO can be found on the Samba site. Many distributions include samba wth their default install or provide the option to install it. Wine is the tool needed for getting that must-have Windows application running in linux. A user-guide is available on the site.
Graphics Editing
The Gimp… period.
Multimedia
I’m not an expert at this by a longshot, but I happen to have Mplayer installed on my linux box and it serves basically all of my multimedia needs. Others recommend xine and vlc.
Games
While the selection of games for linux is nowhere near as wide as the offerings for Windows, There are still a ton of really good(and bad) open source games to choose from. Not to mention that many big game developing houses have recognized the popularity of linux and are offering linux clients for many of their multiplayer games. Some of these include Neverwinter Nights, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Quake4, and Unreal Tournament.
Security
1) Firestarter is a very good fornt-end to iptables. Iptables is basically firewall functionality already included in the linux kernel.
2) As previously mentioned, clamav is a very good virus scanner.
There are many, many more apps that I could mention ranging from the MythTV project, to Apache’s web server. If there is something specific you are looking for, leave a comment, and I’ll try to reply as soon as I can.
My next article will address the linux directory structure, so stay tuned…
Tags: gnome, Linux, software, Technology
November 15th, 2005 at 10:21 am
Thanks for the app update. I took the plunge and put Ubuntu over my spare XP box. Bye bye Windows. I still want to try Mepis but the ISO burn did not go well.
What about an HTML editor that is comparable to Dreamweaver? That would be handy-dandy!
November 15th, 2005 at 7:47 pm
I think that NVU is the closest to a Dreamweaver replacement that there is(It also runs on Windows). It really depends on the functionality you are looking for. For WYSIWYG editors, you have NVU, and Amaya. If you want just a plain editor that supports syntax highlighting and validation, you could try gphpedit, or screem. Finally you could choose a CMS(Content Management System) which can integrate the different portions of your website(eg: blog/gallery/forum/main page). If you want to look into a CMS, I’d probably look at Joomla first and then maybe Drupal(The same CMS that manages the Firefox site).