Freedom from Microsoft Day!

[zridling]

Today, 25 October 2007, is Freedom from Microsoft Day for me! I've replaced every formerly used Microsoft app with an equal or better one, based on my needs. While I haven't used hardly any apps outside of the MS Office family, since 2003 I've fully switched from:

• Microsoft Office to OpenOffice
  
• Expression Web to KompoZer
  
• Internet Explorer to Opera
  
• Windows Vista/XP to GNU/Linux (Zenwalk for now)
  

In return I've left behind a steadily increasing number of hassles that Microsoft has deployed, having made it too difficult for legal users to bother with the increased time, cost, and hassles of using Microsoft software. WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) has essentially become Microsoft's rootkit. Now I enjoy:

• No activation;
  
• No automatic updates;
  
• No validation;
  
• No DRM;
  
• No data format lock-in;
  
• No failed WGA servers that invalidate your license, locking you out of your system;
  
• No "Trusted Computing";
  
• No more licensing costs! (After more than 20 years of buying Microsoft software, I deserve a break.)
  
• I can change and upgrade my hardware at will without having to buy another OS license, or having my license invalidated;
  
• I don't need a killer system to run my OS, thus saving me significant cost over time;
  
• No real worry of viruses and trojans on my system.

I could go on, but you get the gist. While I've become agnostic on OS choice —  an operating system should do what you want it do when you want to do it — man, I feel really good about being Microsoft-free!

[Lashiec]

Well, congratulations! I wouldn't go as far as to put into practice the fourth point, but it's good to know that if you did the change, everyone can do it.

My real worry now is what will happen to The Great Software List . Any plans to focus it in Linux, or will it be platform agnostic as well?

[zridling]

I've considered shutting it down. Vista has really thrown a wrench into a lot of the best software out there. It's difficult to specify what works well on XP but not Vista, Vista but XP, 32-bit but not 64-bit, and so on. I'd never focus it solely on Linux software; there's just too many apps, most of which can't even be considered good, much less great.

Maybe focusing on cross-platform software is a future angle, indeed.

[mouser]

shutting it down!!! 
worst case scenario just mark it as not being updated
and start a new one for open source software.

The Great (OPEN SOURCE) Software List

[Armando]

shutting it down might be a bit radical, and the "worst case scenario to just mark it as not being updated" is, well, much more acceptable. 

The Great (OPEN SOURCE) Software List

-mouser (October 25, 2007, 09:53 PM)

And to start a new list for open source software -- or, even more specifically, Linux? Yes, that would be lovely... 

Switching to Linux would still be a bit too painful for me. Maybe in a couple years... (I've updated my Ubuntu installation yesterday, just for fun : nice!)

[zridling]

2007 has been a down year for software... for Vista. And believe me, I'm looking for something every day. Most things run on Vista, but they're no different than XP. By moving from XP, I could probably drop half the software on The Great Software List. For example, with Vista all the tweaking apps can be done manually for free with ease since there's not a lot of tweaking to do unlike XP. And nothing's been developed that specifically takes advantage of Vista's power yet. I won't shut it down, but it will expand to include more online apps (which I'm suspicious of unless they give me a local version) which are not platform-specific. The first thing to take advantage of this in a big way was the OASIS OpenDocument (ODF) format. By liberating software (formats, drivers) from a mono-platform dependency, it creates user choice, increases competition, and extends the life of the software itself. I haven't spent enough time with GNU/Linux software to know what's great. Few of my favorite apps are (text editors, newsreaders, file managers) even decent on GNU/Linux. Others seem better and faster, e.g., OpenOffice, Firefox, and Opera.

As mouser reminds us, every OS has its problems and limitations. It's just which ones you're willing to live with!

[Edvard]

I'm with you Zaine, been MS-free for a while now, but what I wouldn't do for a Linux equivalent of xplorer^2...

I've been wondering though, why would MS release an OS that is so (for lack of better terms...) BAD?
From everything I read, reactions range from "it looks so perty, how come it's so annoying?" to "god-awful trainwreck of an OS".
Perhaps this is all a big conspiracy. 
Ideas?

[Lashiec]

The reports about Vista are greatly exaggerated. Either is the best Microsoft OS ever devised (all people I know who runs it say this to me), or it's the worst piece of shit ever to come out from Redmond (99% of the people on the interwebs say this). This is weird... we have two explanations: the first group is smoking something, or the second group is overreacting to minor problems.

I suppose it's all about personal experience, luck and expertise.