I’m glad I made a post about the programs I use after a recent reformat (a biannual thing for Windows users), as it gave me a good view of the stuff that’s necessary for me to function, and to determine which ones I’d have to find an open source alternative for.
It’s not that easy. I’m a tech writer, and much of the action (especially in gaming) is on the Win platform. People rely on me for Win tech-support, and there’re also the gadgets I’d need to work with, 100% of which provide drivers and software only for Win and Mac. Then there’s the familiarity issue, especially with tools like Photoshop, Homesite and FTP client Filezilla, whose keyboard shortcuts I memorize by heart. Photoshop keyboard shortcuts are vital to cutting your work time by half or more. Giving up Photoshop will be a pain (sob).
But then, I gotta try. I’m not happy with Windows, and I want to see what open source as a desktop offers, in spite of the fact I’ll be making a few Microsoft write-ups in the coming weeks for PDI, and inspite also, of the fact that open source mailing lists seem to have lost their focus.
At any rate, ultimately going full-on linux is fodder for a tech-writer as it should provide a wealth of new experiences to write about. At the very least, I should finally determine for myself whether the desktop linux switch is worth it, (sans zealous devotion and/or bias either for or against open source or MS), and try to translate that to the ordinary folks out there who read the lifestyle section. This is possible only via total immersion.
Re 2x booting, i’ve tried that several times, and it’s seldom worked as I’d start sticking to one. Can you blame me? Once you’ve installed your OS, you have to buckle down to work and you’ve no time anymore to fiddle and second guess yourself, so nix to that.
So I’ve downloaded the ubuntu torrent yesterday, and I’ll start early part of next week. I’ll give it a month, then let’s see if my life improves (and yes, it has to have an impact on my life. That should be the way we review technoloy.)
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Awesome :)
Yeah, immersion. I wonder how it would be for you. Each person has different needs and sometimes it is difficult to find the right app for you. I am currently using Abiword more often than not for my blog entry drafts. Scite for more html and css editing :D
oooh hey thanks for the app suggestions I’ll need those! I’ll definitely journal the whole experience on this here blog. I really want to – at the end – have an educated answer when someone asks if the migration is worth it.