As part of my "Exam Revision Avoidance Strategy(tm)" I've come up with a challenge for myself - I want to go without using Microsoft Windows for 30 days. More than that, I want to avoid paid software altogether, and focus on open source alternatives instead.
I'll be using Ubuntu, a free, open source version of Linux. Ubuntu comes with all the tools most people need to replace Windows: Office software (word processor, spreadsheet, easy database, etc), image editing software, music players, internet browser, solitaire, etc.
I'll be keeping a blog in the hope that it'll encourage more people to use Linux (or other open source OSs). This blog will be mainly aimed at Windows users, whether they are experienced users or new to computers and didn't know there was an alternative to Windows.
Background:
I've been using Linux for about 2 years now, ever since we started using it in university. I'd always known about it, but never really found a way to get my foot in the door. It is only really recently that Linux has become user friendly enough for home users, especially with the new Ubuntu releases.
What really sparked this all off was the new Ubuntu 9.04 release, which I think equals or surpasses Windows XP in many features, including user friendlyness. I've had trouble setting up printers, dual monitors and my mobile broadband modem before, but these were all set up automatically when I installed 9.04
I'd like to point out now that I'm not a Microsoft hater. I was, in my more naive days, but Microsoft do make good products. In fact, as a Heriot Watt student I'm entitled to free licenses for MS Windows and MS Office, but I still prefer to use open source stuff.
Preparation:
The reason I'm calling this Day 0 is because I'll still be using Windows to make sure I have access to everything I'll need for the next month. This includes my calendars, contacts, music on my iPhone, etc.
Step 1 - Install Linux
As mentioned before, I'll be using Ubuntu 9.04. I've had this installed since the day after 9.04 came out, so I was already prepared on this front. I've set my computer up to dual-boot, which means when I restart my computer I can decide whether to go into Windows or Linux. This makes swapping between the two to set things up a lot easier (there are many, maaaany tutorials online about how to dual-boot Windows and Ubuntu).
Step 2 - Jailbreak iPhone
Syncing an iPhone in Linux is possible, but you generally need to jailbreak it. This has to be done in either Windows or Mac OS, and I don't have Mac OS, so Windows it was. I used QuickPwn by the iphone dev team, great software.
Step 3 - Have a shower
This step wasn't really necessary for the preparation, but I'm trying to be as accurate as possible
Step 4 - Say goodbye to Windows, say hello to Linux
If like me you're dual-booting with Windows, you'll already know that Ubuntu can still read all your files straight off your Windows hard disk (although Windows usually can't read files stored on a Linux hard disk). This means I don't even need to move my files around for them to be available to me
For the last time in a month, I've shut down Windows and booted into Ubuntu.
I'll be using Ubuntu, a free, open source version of Linux. Ubuntu comes with all the tools most people need to replace Windows: Office software (word processor, spreadsheet, easy database, etc), image editing software, music players, internet browser, solitaire, etc.
I'll be keeping a blog in the hope that it'll encourage more people to use Linux (or other open source OSs). This blog will be mainly aimed at Windows users, whether they are experienced users or new to computers and didn't know there was an alternative to Windows.
Background:
I've been using Linux for about 2 years now, ever since we started using it in university. I'd always known about it, but never really found a way to get my foot in the door. It is only really recently that Linux has become user friendly enough for home users, especially with the new Ubuntu releases.
What really sparked this all off was the new Ubuntu 9.04 release, which I think equals or surpasses Windows XP in many features, including user friendlyness. I've had trouble setting up printers, dual monitors and my mobile broadband modem before, but these were all set up automatically when I installed 9.04
I'd like to point out now that I'm not a Microsoft hater. I was, in my more naive days, but Microsoft do make good products. In fact, as a Heriot Watt student I'm entitled to free licenses for MS Windows and MS Office, but I still prefer to use open source stuff.
Preparation:
The reason I'm calling this Day 0 is because I'll still be using Windows to make sure I have access to everything I'll need for the next month. This includes my calendars, contacts, music on my iPhone, etc.
Step 1 - Install Linux
As mentioned before, I'll be using Ubuntu 9.04. I've had this installed since the day after 9.04 came out, so I was already prepared on this front. I've set my computer up to dual-boot, which means when I restart my computer I can decide whether to go into Windows or Linux. This makes swapping between the two to set things up a lot easier (there are many, maaaany tutorials online about how to dual-boot Windows and Ubuntu).
Step 2 - Jailbreak iPhone
Syncing an iPhone in Linux is possible, but you generally need to jailbreak it. This has to be done in either Windows or Mac OS, and I don't have Mac OS, so Windows it was. I used QuickPwn by the iphone dev team, great software.
Step 3 - Have a shower
This step wasn't really necessary for the preparation, but I'm trying to be as accurate as possible
Step 4 - Say goodbye to Windows, say hello to Linux
If like me you're dual-booting with Windows, you'll already know that Ubuntu can still read all your files straight off your Windows hard disk (although Windows usually can't read files stored on a Linux hard disk). This means I don't even need to move my files around for them to be available to me
For the last time in a month, I've shut down Windows and booted into Ubuntu.
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