How to Migrate to Open Source Software

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Try out LibreOffice or OpenOffice

   They come with a word processor, spreadsheet, a presenter (akin to PowerPoint), an illustrator, and a database manager.
   
   Alternatively, if you only need a word processor and spreadsheet application, AbiWord is a fast and lightweight word processor and Gnumeric is its counterpart spreadsheet program.
   
   LibreOffice comes installed on many Linux distributions.
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   Step 2: open source office suites which are available for many platforms (including Windows).

   It works on Windows.
   
   Another e-mail client to consider is Mozilla Thunderbird.
   
   Mozilla Lightning and Sunbird provide shared calendars, and Evolution, also available for Windows, is a "groupware" application that works with Novell GroupWise and some versions of Microsoft Exchange Server. , Firefox is a free, cross-platform web browser that offers greater privacy and prevents pop-ups, spyware and viruses.
   
   It is also customizable to large degrees.
   
   Google's Chrome browser renders pages very fast, though it includes some proprietary (non-open-source) components.
   
   Try out Chromium, which is an open-source version of Chrome. ,, It is available for Windows as well as Unix-like systems.
   
   There are many GIMP tutorials available on the Web; LifeGuide Hub has a category devoted to this. ,,,, You don't need to know any HTML, PHP, or any other language to manage your own websites.
   
   There are plenty of free themes and add-ons available on the Web for these, too. ,, It works on Windows, Unix and Linux. , This is one area in which open source still has not beaten the proprietary software world.
   
   Nevertheless, there are still some excellent and fun projects out there.
   
   Sauerbraten is an incredibly fast-paced, fun and compact first person shooter (and AssaultCube is a genetically-related, slower-paced version with more "realistic" weapons), and Freeciv is an empire-building strategy game.
   
   Nexuiz is a big download, but also a great first-person shooter.
   
   BZFlag, a multi-player tank game, is one of the most downloaded games on SourceForge.net with a very active community. , These days, it is a very viable alternative to Windows and runs on almost all hardware out there, including obsolete hardware on which current versions of Windows will run poorly or not at all.
   
   There are also the various open source BSD projects.
   
   Also, Google's Android smartphone and tablet operating system is, and its upcoming Chrome operating system will be, open source.
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   Step 3: If you have been using Microsoft Outlook for a while

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   Step 4: there is an e-mail client called Zimbra that you can consider having and it supports almost all of the e-mail providers.

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   Step 5: Switch to an open source web browser.

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   Step 6: If you are after an FTP client

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   Step 7: FireFTP (a Firefox add-on) will do the trick within your browser; FileZilla is a cross-platform FTP client with many features.

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   Step 8: Use the GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) which is a free alternative to costly raster image processing and editing programs.

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   Step 9: Install Inkscape if you want a full-featured and easy-to-use alternative to the likes of CorelDraw.

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    Step 10: Make use of the VLC media player

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    Step 11: which plays almost all common formats of videos without the need for downloading additional codecs.

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    Step 12: Install CDex if you need an excellent and easy-to-use

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    Step 13: although Windows-only

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    Step 14: CD ripping program.

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    Step 15: Use Content Management Systems like Drupal

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    Step 16: Joomla

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    Step 17: and WordPress for starting your own web sites.

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    Step 18: Install CamStudio to record your computer screen and save the results as AVI or SWF files.

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    Step 19: Install Pidgin that is a messenger client that connects multiple chat networks.

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    Step 20: Install some open source games.

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    Step 21: If you're ready to take the plunge

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    Step 22: you might want to check out the world's most famous open source product: the Linux operating system.

Detailed Guide

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