You may first want to read Why use free software?.
This page explains how to switch from proprietary software to free software. This how-to is not reserved to skilled computer users, and it uses a progressive approach by explaining you how to switch to free software starting with the easiest and ending with the most difficult. Unskilled users may not be able to do the last steps without help (like "Switch to Linux") but will be able to do the first and will be warned when things become more difficult. Note that the 'order' of the steps has nothing official, it is just the author's idea. This how-to is intended mostly for Windows users, but is also valid for MacOS X users.
We think that the easiest program to start with is your browser, because changing it does not require converting any files, and does not require to switch "one day forever" at some point. If you are already using Mozilla Firefox, go to the next step. The browser we recommend is Mozilla Firefox, which, more than being free software, is a high-quality, standards-respecting and performant browser. Firefox is developped by the Mozilla Foundation, which also produces Thunderbird (a powerfull free mail client). It is easy to switch to Firefox, because you don't need to do it at a precise moment, you can continue to use your old browser (maybe Internet Explorer?) when you want and Firefox when you want. There is no need to switch brutally and permanently from your old browser to Firefox. You can download Firefox here: http://www.mozilla.com/. Once installed, Firefox will allow you to automatically import your bookmarks from Internet Explorer (if you used this browser) or from another browser if the import is available.
Wikipedia is a free (with the same meaning as in free software) encyclopedia that you can read online: http://wikipedia.org/.
OpenOffice.org is an office suite with a word processor, a spreadsheet editor, a presentation creator and a drawing program. OpenOffice.org can read and write documents in Microsoft Office formats (Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents) as well as its native document format called OpenDocument. Even if you continue to use Word, Excel and Powerpoint, it is still a good idea to at least install OpenOffice.org, because it makes it possible for people using OpenOffice.org (or another office suite using the OpenDocument format, like KOffice) to send you documents in the OpenDocument format. You can use Microsoft Office programs and OpenOffice.org in parallel on your computer, so just as with Firefox, you can alternately use both. You can download OpenOffice.org at: http://www.openoffice.org/.
An open file format is a format whose specification is freely available (royalty-free) so that anyone can implement it. More information on Wikipedia: Open format. In particular, with closed formats, free software developers sometimes cannot implement formats because their specification is unavailable (or is available at a high cost). It is then better to use open formats for your files as they can be implemented in both free and proprietary software, which makes it sure that people will be able to open your files without specific proprietary software.
Here are some open formats you should prefer to the closed/patented ones. In this list, the open equivalent offers the same function or better than the closed one.
You might be interested by these free programs:
Mozilla Thunderbird is a mail client, like the proprietary Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express or Eudora. Thunderbird is developped by the Mozilla Foundation, which also produces Firefox. If you read yours mails only with a webmail, you are not concerned by Thunderbird. If you read your mails with a program (like those mentioned above), you may be using POP or IMAP. If you only read your mails with IMAP but without downloading them (they stay on the server), then you can use Thunderbird and your old mail client alternately. But if you download your mail using POP (which is more likely if you don't know), then it means all your already downloaded mails are "in" your current mail client (instead of staying on the mail server). To switch to Thunderbird, you will need to import your current mails into Thunderbird. And you won't be able to use alternately Thunderbird and your old mail client because if you old mail client downloads mail they won't be in Thunderbird, and the new mails downloaded by Thunderbird won't be in your old mail client.
To switch to Thunderbird, follow these steps:
GNU/Linux is a complete free operating system (OS) that can replace Windows or MacOS X on your computer. If you switch to Linux, you won't be able to use your Windows or MacOS software. It means that under Linux you will have no other choice than using Firefox, Thunderbird and OpenOffice.org. This is why it is a very good thing if you are now familiar with these 3 programs. In fact, under Linux, you can use other free browsers, mail clients and office suites, but these 3 are "common" to Windows/MacOS X and Linux and so allow you to change of OS without learning all new software in one time.
Changing of OS is a difficult process, but you have 2 things to help you:
As you have seen, this step is called "Try Linux with a live CD", a live CD is a CD you burn using an "ISO image" downloaded from the Internet and containing a special Linux. You then put the CD in you CD-ROM drive and start the computer, it will boot on the CD and you will be able to use Linux from the CD, as well as all the software that goes with the Linux CD. We are sorry for the Macintosh users, because these instructions are specific to PCs. It does not mean Linux will not run on your computer, if you use a Macintosh, you can go to the next step.
Here is how start the live CD:
Switching to Linux is the ultimate step, because after that your computer with run with 100% of free software. We don't provide installation instructions for Linux, the best is that you be helped by someone that knows Linux. If you want to install Linux yourself, you will find information here: http://www.getgnulinux.org/.
$Id: switch.cgi 193 2008-04-25 13:07:29Z almacha $
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