You don't need Linux for going open source:
OSS also runs on Windows

Michael C. Barnes

Many people assume that Linux and open source are synonymous. Open source means that the code is publicly available. Programmers can read, distribute and modify the source code for a piece of software. It is possible to run commercial software on Linux and it is possible to run open source software on Microsoft Windows.

In fact, a good way to introduce open source software is to run it on existing Microsoft installations. Once users become more familiar with the available open source applications, then it will be less drastic to shift that user to an open source operating system such as Linux.

Open source software can be freely distributed. That means that in schools, every student, parent and teacher can freely share software. Commercial software would require a different license for each individual.

Open source applications are available for just about every operating system. This even includes open source for PDAs such as Palm OS PDAs , availble here.

A good starting point for people who want to try out open source software on Microsoft Windows is TheOpenCD. TheOpenCD can be downloaded here. This article will describe some of the software available on that CD. These programs are also available as separate downloads.

OpenOffice is one of the most ambitious open source projects. It is a direct replacement for Microsoft Office, and the current version has features not found in Microsoft Office, such as the ability to create PDF files without any commercial software. OpenOffice can read and write the same file formats as Microsoft Office.

OpenOffice is a complete office suite that includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software, drawing package and database tools. Over 16 million copies have been downloaded.

For home or school use, a complete office suite might be more than is needed. Some users may want a lighter weight software package that can run on older hardware, such as a PC with less RAM and hard disk space.

An excellent open source word processor is AbiWord. AbiWord has filters for Microsoft Word documents, WordPerfect documents, Rich Text Format documents and HTML web pages. It is an ideal choice for students who simply need a word processor to do reports or people who are trying to squeeze more life out of aging computers with limited memory and disk space.

OpenOffice includes the ability to create PDF documents. The PDF format is good for exchanging documents that do not have to be edited. Many people use Adobe Acrobat to create PDF files, but an open source package that does a very good job at creating PDF files is PDF Creator. The latest version can be downloaded here.

Mozilla is a good open source alternative to Microsoft Internet Explorer. Some might ask why bother with an open source web browser when Internet Explorer comes with Microsoft Windows for free. Mozilla has a better security track record than Internet Explorer and complies more strictly with web standards. Mozilla is frequently updated and includes integrated spam filters for mail and an integrated popup killer.

ImageMagick is a useful graphics utility. The package has many capabilities but it is also a great tool to have simply to convert from one graphic format to another. ImageMagick can be downloaded here.

A very powerful package that replicates most of the capabilities of Adobe Photoshop is GIMP, and a Windows version is available called WinGimp. In order to run WinGimp, you also have to download GTK. The latest versions of GTK and WinGimp can be downloaded here.

Most of my work is done using open source software. Not only can you save money using, you also can get quick and free updates. Not everyone is ready to take the plunge and transition to Linux. It is much easier to start using open source software on Windows.