- Jul 1, 2011
- 27,739
- 21
Quoted for truth.There are a million and a half PC de-crap-ifying softwares out there, all of which do the same basic thing that someone with almost no know-how can do themselves periodically, and without risking downloading an illegitimate program/trojan.
No, just switch outright.Better yet, consider dual-booting with Linux for general web-browsing needs.
I have tons of files that I need on Excel and Word - does the Linux "Office Suite" have a compatability mode? Also, where is the best place to download Linux and its office suite, and can they be run side by side with Microsoft for testing purposes?Linux is free, it's easy, it has an "Office Suite" for productivity.
It's called LibreOffice. I would think it's comparable but I'm no expert. Here's a good place to start.
Desktop | Linux.com
Vista!??? .. lol
...
As for that specific question, I've never felt a real need to go beyond Firefox since it has such a rich selection of add-ons from here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ . (Seriously, browse through that. Firefox is almost an OS unto itself, there are so many add-ons to perform so many tasks that most people didn't realize could be done from merely a web browser.) Most of the other browsers in the Software Center are either lightweight alternatives or special-purpose browsers....what Internet browser works best with it? As long as I am considering switching I might as well do everything!
Thanks for that. BTW, what Internet browser works best with it? As long as I am considering switching I might as well do everything!
It does. Thanks for all of the detail.OK, if you decide to go with Linux by, say, downloading Ubuntu, the process is pretty simple.
-snip-
Hope this helps.
OK, if you decide to go with Linux by, say, downloading Ubuntu, the process is pretty simple.
Download here: Get Ubuntu | Download | Ubuntu
Follow the instructions.
Done.
Install SAMBA - it connects Linux machines to Windows networks and vice-versa.
There's another option to try Linux (without getting rid of Windows), but booting from a USB stick - YUMI:
YUMI – Multiboot USB Creator
You download the images of Ubuntu, Mint, or whatever flavors of Linux you want to try (available at The LiveCD List ) - and use YUMI to install them onto your USB stick. Once that's done, just boot from the USB stick and you'll get a menu of all the operating systems on the stick - choose one and boot with it. Fast and easy:
I have a 16 Gb USB drive on my car keys and have YUMI installed with a few versions of Linux, Ultimate Boot CD, rescue tools and suchlike in case of emergencies.
Yes, I used it for quite a while (12 through 14, I think). For most users, I'll say it's superior to Ubuntu. However, the last time around (Mint 15) it gave me fits when setting up whole-disk encryption. (And this is coming from the guy who wrote this: Linux Mint Forums ? View topic - Full Disk Encryption (Mint 14) -- using updated installer? ) I eventually gave up and went with Ubuntu, pretty much accepting all the defaults, everywhere.Have you tried Mint Linux?
Yes, I used it for quite a while (12 through 14, I think). For most users, I'll say it's superior to Ubuntu. However, the last time around (Mint 15) it gave me fits when setting up whole-disk encryption. (And this is coming from the guy who wrote this: Linux Mint Forums ? View topic - Full Disk Encryption (Mint 14) -- using updated installer? ) I eventually gave up and went with Ubuntu, pretty much accepting all the defaults, everywhere.
That was a few versions ago. I would prefer to be using Mint. A little research shows they seem to have fixed the problems that blocked me from installing Mint 15. Next time I completely wipe everything and start over, I'm going with Mint.