For those of you who are tired of Microsoft with the continuing problems it has especially "Locking Up, Virus Attacks and More" here's an alternative.... Try Linux ... It's FREE yes FREE. and comes with everything you need, or if not all you need, you can find it on the web.. somewhere for FREE! I partitioned my hard drive with Partition Magic so now I have 2 OS on my computer. I personally use Fedora Core ver 3 as of (1/05) it uses GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment (pronounced "guh-nome") or KDE (K Desktop Environment) desktops. I have a dual boot system on my laptop computer but I have only Fedora on my desktop

In the coming months I am going to add some HOW-TOs that have really helped me being a NEWBIE to using LINUX and setting up stuff to be comprable to Windoz, I refer to as "The Dark Side". But If you install Fedora Core 3 you won't need quite a few of these "how-tos"

Linux Software:

Fedora and the older versions of Red Hat Linux come with:

Emacs is the extensible,  customizable, self-documenting real-time display editor. I use it a lot to edit my webpages.

Edutainment some neat educational programs. Want to learn a new word try the KHangMan

GNOME Terminal is a terminal emulation application
Office productivity software comparable to Microsoft's Office.

JPilot syncs my Palm m500 - palm pilot

Glade Interface Designer I use this to upload my webpages.

gphoto2 - I use this to get photos off of my Canon Power Shot A60
from the command shell in root type: gphoto2 --get-all-files (make sure 1st that you are in the directory you want the photos put into before typing command)

Since I installed Fedora Core 3 I also installed a "XP 9 in 1 combination smart media reader/writer" which has made getting the photos off of on my camera so much more easier. I'm still using the Canon A60 so I pop my CompactFlash in the reader upload the pictures to my computer and open GQview to view and delete unwanted pictures.

Text Editor like notepad

PDF Viewer

GNOME Calculator a mathematical and scientific calculator that includes arithmatic, trigonometric and logarithmic functions

Dictionary enables you to look up an online dictionary for definitions and correct spellings of words

KTouch - A typing tutor

Character Map

File Roller a graphical application for viewing, unpacking and creating archived files

GNOME Pilot syncs with palm pilots

KColorEdit palette files editor

gtKam digital camera tool

Eye of GNOME allows you to view image files.

another program to view image files I have found this to be very usefull when looking at a directory of pictures for editing, deleting or whatever

GNOME Ghostview enables you to view PostScript and PDF files.

KIconEdit creates icons

KuickShow image viewer

KPaint simple bitmap program

Kooka KDE program

GRIP CD player and ripper works with (that I have used):

Mozilla - Web browser that I used years ago

XMMS An MP3 player that is tricky to set up.. you can't use the one that comes with Fedora you have to totally remove it and install RH9 version of XMMS to work for now (11/12/04)

Extras you can add:

Real Player

GAIM An instant messenger, allows you to set up various accounts with places like Yahoo, AIM, IRC, MSN and others. The GAIM that comes with Fedora Core 2 I couldn't get to work till I did "Available Updates"

- Note (3/24/2004) I was having problems with Netscape 7.1 (which had some neat new features) but I put 7.0 on and have had less problems.

- Web browser that I have started to use (11/15/04)

- Email program -

- for UNIX

GRAMPS - (Genealogical Research and Analysis Management Programming System) an open source genealogy program that works in Linux newest update ver 1.0.8 as of 11/9/04

- another FREE genealogy program for Linux

Usefull links:

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