Difference between revisions of "How Do I Do That?"

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There are lots of tasks that may seem relatively simple in Windows, but may be a bit more difficult to do in Linux.  This page presents a variety of these tasks, and the best ways to solve them using tools in Linux.  Wherever possible, we'll try to notate when a solution is presented using Free software, and when a solution requires the use of proprietary software in Linux.
 
There are lots of tasks that may seem relatively simple in Windows, but may be a bit more difficult to do in Linux.  This page presents a variety of these tasks, and the best ways to solve them using tools in Linux.  Wherever possible, we'll try to notate when a solution is presented using Free software, and when a solution requires the use of proprietary software in Linux.
  
−
If you have other ideas, feel free to add them to this table, if you're not comfortable editing the HTML in this table, then add them to [[#I.27d_like_to_see_how_to_do_that.21|the list]] at the end of this page called '''I'd like to see how to do that!'''.
+
If you have other ideas, feel free to add them to this table, if you're not comfortable editing the HTML in this table, then add them to the list at the end of this page.  If you can answer an issue, add it to this table and make a note that you can do it.
  
−
If you can answer an issue, please [[#I.27d_like_to_demonstrate_how_to_do_that.21|sign up below]] under '''I'd like to demonstrate how to do that!''' with the details.
+
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
−
 
+
|+'''How do I do that?'''
−
 
+
! colspan="3" style="background:#ffdead;" | Multimedia
−
== Multimedia ==
+
−
{|border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
+
−
!class="coloredTH" | Issue
+
−
!class="coloredTH" | In Windows I'd Use...
+
−
!class="coloredTH" | In Linux I'd Use...
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Burn a CD/DVD
+
| '''Issue'''
−
|
+
| '''In Windows I'd Use...'''
−
* Roxio Toast
+
| '''In Linux I'd Use...'''
−
* Nero
+
|-
−
|
+
| Burn a CD
−
* Nautilus, the file manager for [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME] has integrated burning of ISO backup images images.
+
|-
−
* [http://www.k3b.org/ k3b] is a robust CD/DVD burner for the KDE desktop.
+
| Burn a DVD
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Rip a CD
 
| Rip a CD
−
|
 
−
* iTunes
 
−
* MediaMonkey
 
−
* Nero
 
−
|
 
−
* Sound Juicer is part of the GNOME desktop and automatically fetches the metadata for the songs including artist and track name.  It can rip tracks to mp3, ogg, flac, and almost any other format you desire.
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Rip a DVD
 
| Rip a DVD
−
| colspan="2" | Ripping video DVDs implies breaking of the CSS copy protection/encryption present on the disc.  Although this system is very weak, it is a violation of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act to do so.  As such, while it's easy to take a '''DVD''' and use a '''decrypter''' to copy the DVD, and even then later take the '''DVD''' image and '''shrink''' it to fit on a cheap 4.7GB disk, we can't tell you how to do it.  But, we're sure Google could.
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Record live television
 
| Record live television
−
|
+
| SageTV  
−
* SageTV  
+
−
* BeyondTV
+
−
* Windows Media Center Edition
+
 
|  
 
|  
−
* [http://www.mythtv.org/ MythTV] - Supports a wide variety of both standard definition and high definition tuner cards, including firewire cable boxes and the HD Homerun Ethernet attached HDTV tuner.  Allows for pausing of live television, themable user interfaces, automatic commercial cutting, and more.  [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]]
+
* [http://www.mythtv.org/ MythTV] - Supports a wide variety of both standard definition and high definition tuner cards, including firewire cable boxes and the HD Homerun Ethernet attached HDTV tuner.  Allows for pausing of live television, themable user interfaces, automatic commercial cutting, and more.  [[User:Pwagstro]]
 
* [http://freevo.sourceforge.net Freevo] - while Freevo is much easier to setup than MythTV, it is not nearly as robust of a solution.  It does not allow viewing of television until after the complete recording is done, and is lacking support for a wide variety of hardware.
 
* [http://freevo.sourceforge.net Freevo] - while Freevo is much easier to setup than MythTV, it is not nearly as robust of a solution.  It does not allow viewing of television until after the complete recording is done, and is lacking support for a wide variety of hardware.
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Transfer photos off a camera
+
! colspan="3" style="background:#ffdead;" | Office Tasks
−
| Whatever software came with your camera
+
−
|
+
−
* The GNOME desktop should automatically detect when you've plugged your camera in and ask if you'd like to download the photos.  A word of warning for compulsive organizers, the import functionality provided directly by the desktop automatically rotates your images, creating a discontinuity between the image and its exif tags.
+
−
* [http://www.f-spot.org/ F-Spot] has facilities to automatically import from a camera. [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]]
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Organize photos
+
| '''Issue'''
−
|
+
| '''In Windows I'd Use...'''
−
* Picasa
+
| '''In Linux I'd Use...'''
−
* Adobe Album
+
−
|
+
−
* [http://www.f-spot.org/ F-Spot] works much like Adobe Album and the interface will be pretty simple to navigate for those experienced with Adobe Album.   It also has the ability to tag the images for easier categorization of the images. [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]]
+
−
* [http://picasa.google.com/linux Picasa] is also available for Linux.  It's a fine example of utilizing Wine to easily port an existing Windows application. Its very nice for automatically touching up photos. <font color="red">not open source</font>
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Publish photos to a website
+
| Write a letter
−
|
+
| Microsoft Word
−
* Picasa
+
−
|
+
−
* [http://www.f-spot.org/ F-Spot] can publish photos to a wide variety of websites including [http://www.flickr.com/ flickr] and Picasa albums.  It also can create static HTML output, and if you're really adventurous, your own mini version of Flickr using [http://pennave.sf.net/ PennAve].
+
−
* [http://picasa.google.com/linux Picasa] can publish photos from Linux and windows.  <font color="red">not open source</font>
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Play a movie
+
| Design a presentation
−
| Windows Media Player
+
| Microsoft Powerpoint
−
|
+
−
* Totem
+
−
* [http://www.mplayerhq.hu/ Mplayer] can play almost any type of media, provided you have the correct codecs.  Most installations of Mplayer also ship with Mencoder which allows you create and change the format of video and audio tracks.
+
−
* [http://www.gstreamer.org/ GStreamer] is a flexible multimedia pipeline that can be used to do all sorts of wacky things with video.  For a one shot effort, check out the gst-launch program.
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Organize and manage MP3s
+
| Create a small database
−
|
+
| Microsoft Access
−
* iTunes
+
−
* MediaMonkey
+
−
|
+
−
* RhythmBox
+
−
* [http://www.banshee-project.org/ Banshee] is a C# application for GNOME that manages your music and more thanks to its intelligent plugin structure. [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]]
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Sync to an iPod
+
| Design a spreadsheet
−
|  
+
| Microsoft Excel
−
* iTunes
+
−
|
+
−
* [http://www.banshee-project.org/ Banshee] supports syncing your music library to iPods, Creative Nomads, and a variety of other devices.  It also is able to do on the fly transcoding of those files. [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]]
+
−
* GTKPod
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Edit ID3 Tags
+
| Collaborate using groupware
−
|  
+
| Microsoft Outlook
−
* MediaMonkey
+
−
|
+
−
* [http://more-cowbell.org/ Cowbell] is a graphical ID3 and Vorbis tag editing program for GNOME.
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Edit Video
+
| Balance a checkbook
−
|
+
| Quicken
−
* Adobe Premiere
+
−
* Microsoft Movie Maker
+
−
|
+
−
* [http://lives.sourceforge.net/ LIVES] is a robust and actively developed video editing solution.
+
−
* [http://heroinewarrior.com/cinelerra.php3 Cineralla] is the 50 ton behemoth of video editing in Linux.  Don't expect an easy to use solution here, but if you're looking for something that can max 6 channel 24 bit audio and full 1920x1080p video into the hottest H.264 output, this is the tool to use.  If all that makes no sense, then Cinerella is probably not the tool for you.
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Edit a photograph
+
| Manage business finances
−
|
+
| Quickbooks
−
* Adobe Photoshop
+
−
* Picasa
+
−
|
+
−
* [http://www.gimp.org/ The Gimp] is the canonical graphics manipulation program for Linux systems.  It is shipped with most versions of Linux and provides enough features to keep an amature photographer happy for quite some time.  However, the Gimp is starting to show its age and is lacking features that advanced users may find helpful, such as color masks and 32 bit image depth.  <font color="green">also availalble for Windows</font> [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]]
+
−
* [http://www.koffice.org/krita/ Krita] is a graphics editor for KDE systems that has seen rapid development in the past few years and is shaping up to be a true contender in the field of graphics.
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Create a vector graphic
+
| Fill out tax forms
−
|
+
| TurboTax, TaxCut
−
* Adobe Illustrator
+
−
* OpenOffice.Org for WIN
+
−
|
+
−
* [http://www.inkscape.org/ Inkscape] is a powerful cross platform vector graphics editor that natively handles SVG images.  <font color="green">also available for windows</font>[[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]]
+
−
* [http://www.koffice.org/karbon/ Karbon14] is a vector graphics editor for KDE
+
−
|}
+
−
 
+
−
== Office Tasks ==
+
−
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
+
−
!class="coloredTH" | Issue
+
−
!class="coloredTH" | In Windows I'd Use...
+
−
!class="coloredTH" | In Linux I'd Use...
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Write a letter
+
| Create a PDF File
−
|  
+
| Adobe Acrobat
−
* Microsoft Word
+
 
|
 
|
−
* OpenOffice.org [http://www.openoffice.org/product/writer.html Writer] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Windows and Mac</span>
+
* Most Linux programs can print to PostScript, check the "Print to File" option if it's not available.  Then use the ps2pdf program to translate.
−
* [http://koffice.org/kword/ KWord] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Mac</span>
+
* OpenOffice.org has a feature to save directly to a PDF file
−
* [http://www.abisource.com/ AbiWord] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Windows and Mac</span>
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Design a presentation
+
! colspan="3" style="background:#ffdead;" | Internet Communications
−
|  
+
|-
−
* Microsoft Powerpoint
+
| '''Issue'''
 +
| '''In Windows I'd Use...'''
 +
| '''In Linux I'd Use...'''
 +
|-
 +
| Browse the web
 +
| Internet Explorer
 
|
 
|
−
* OpenOffice.org [http://www.openoffice.org/product/impress.html Impress] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Windows and Mac</span>
+
* [http://www.mozilla.com/ Mozilla Firefox]
−
* [http://koffice.org/kpresenter/ KPresenter] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Mac</span>
+
* [http://www.opera.com/ Opera] - this lightweight and fully standards compliant browser is available for a huge variety of operating systems.  <font color="red">not open source</font>
 +
* [http://www.gnome.org/projects/epiphany Epiphany] - the fully GNOME integrated web browser
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Create a small database
+
| Send an email
−
|  
+
| Microsoft Outlook
−
* Microsoft Access
+
 
|
 
|
−
* OpenOffice.org [http://www.openoffice.org/product/base.html Base] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Windows and Mac</span>
+
* [http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird Mozilla Thunderbird]
−
* [http://koffice.org/kexi/ Kexi] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Windows and Mac</span>
+
* [http://www.gnome.org/projects/evolution Evolution]
−
* [http://thekompany.com/products/rekall/ Rekall] (front end only, requires a separate database installation)
+
* [http://www.mutt.org/ Mutt] - console mode email client that goes by the slogan "all mail clients suck, this one just sucks less"
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Design a spreadsheet
+
| Send instant messages
 
|  
 
|  
−
* Microsoft Excel
+
* Microsoft Live Messenger
 +
* AOL Instant Messenger
 +
* Yahoo Instant Messenger
 +
* Google Talk
 
|
 
|
−
* OpenOffice.org [http://www.openoffice.org/product/calc.html Calc] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Windows and Mac</span>
+
* [http://gaim.sourceforge.net/ GAIM] - a multi-protocol, multi-platform instant messenger client that can connect to almost any instant messenger client. <font color="green">also available for Windows</font>
−
* [http://koffice.org/kspread/ KSpread] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Mac</span>
+
* [http://developer.imendio.com/projects/gossip Gossip] - a jabber focused instant messenger client, that now supports a huge variety of networks thanks to integration with [http://telepathy.freedesktop.org/wiki/ Telepathy] - [[User:Pwagstro]]
−
* [http://www.gnome.org/projects/gnumeric/ Gnumeric] <span class="alsoWindows">Also available for Windows</span>
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Collaborate using groupware
+
| Participate in Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
−
|  
+
| mIRC
−
* Microsoft Outlook
+
 
|
 
|
−
* [http://www.gnome.org/projects/evolution Evolution] has some capabilities for groupware interaction and shared calendaring.  In particular, it plays nicely with Microsoft Exchange servers.
+
* X-Chat
 +
* Irssi
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Balance a checkbook
+
! colspan="3" style="background:#ffdead;" | Server Tasks
−
|  
+
|-
−
* Quicken
+
| '''Issue'''
−
* Microsoft Money
+
| '''In Windows I'd Use...'''
 +
| '''In Linux I'd Use...'''
 +
|-
 +
| Run a large scale database
 +
| Microsoft SQL Server
 
|
 
|
−
* [http://www.gnucash.org/ GNUCash] has matured into a very mature piece of financial software.  It has some support for OFX transactions to download account information directly from your bank or credit card.  The program has come a long way in the past few years, so if you remember it from the days when everything was in Scheme, you may want to check out the newest version.
+
* [http://www.postgresql.org/ PostgreSQL] - known as the workhorse of the OpenSource Database field.  PostgreSQL supports a variety of languages for stored procedures, foreign keys, has interfaces to many programming languages, and runs on a variety of systems.[[User:Pwagstro]]
−
* [http://jgnash.sourceforge.net/ JGnash] is the program that WPLUG uses to manage their accounts.  It's significantly simpler to run that GNUCash, but as  a result, it lacks much of the flexibility inherent in GNUCash.  This program is written in Java so it will run on most platforms. <span class="alsoWindows">also available for Windows</span>
+
* [http://www.mysql.com/ MySQL] - is a very fast SQL server that is easy to setup and scales fairly well.  Despite it's earlier faults, MySQL is now a fully functional relational database program.[[User:Pwagstro]]
−
* [http://www.moneydance.com/ Moneydance] is a very flexible and powerful personal finance package written in Java.  It has built in support for many banks and online account services, such as IRAs, credit cards, etc.  The visualization tools have come a long way and the budgeting tools help you make sure you're not spending too much money. Moneydance is commercial software and costs $29.99.  <span class="notFOSS">not open source</span> <span class="alsoWindows">also available for Windows</span> [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]]
+
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Manage business finances
+
| Provide email services
−
|  
+
| Microsoft Exchange
−
* Quickbooks
+
 
|
 
|
−
* [http://www.sql-ledger.org/ SQL-Ledger ERP] Client/Server application written in PERL.
+
* Postfix
−
* [http://www.ledgersmb.org/ LedgerSMB] Fork of SQL-Ledger, GPLv2.
+
* Sendmail
 +
* Hula
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Fill out tax forms
+
| Serve web pages
−
|  
+
| Microsoft IIS
−
* TurboTax
+
−
* TaxCut
+
 
|
 
|
−
* [https://sidney.solutionsforprogress.com/ Sidney] from [http://www.solutionsforprogress.com/ Solutions for Progress] is a web based system for doing your taxes.  At the current rate it has limited support for state taxes (Pennsylvania is included), has an income cap of $52,000, and is limited to the first 75,000 users.  This program is written by one of the contributors to the Metacity window manager for [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME].
+
* Apache
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Create a PDF file
+
| Customer Relationship Management
−
|  
+
| Microsoft CRM
−
* Adobe Acrobat
+
 
|
 
|
−
* Most Linux programs can print to PostScript, check the "Print to File" option if it's not available.  Then use the ps2pdf program to translate.
+
* [http://www.sugarcrm.com/ SugarCRM] - markets itself as "Commercial Open Source".  A very high quality package of CRM tools to manage all aspects of business relations.
−
* OpenOffice.org has a feature to save directly to a PDF file
+
|-
 +
! colspan="3" style="background:#ffdead;" | System Maintenance
 +
|-
 +
| '''Issue'''
 +
| '''In Windows I'd Use...'''
 +
| '''In Linux I'd Use...'''
 
|-
 
|-
−
| View a PDF file
+
| Scan for viruses
 +
| Symantec AntiVirus
 +
|-
 +
| Scan for malware/spyware
 +
|-
 +
| Scan for rootkits
 +
|-
 +
| Backup my hard disk
 
|
 
|
−
* Adobe Reader
 
−
* Adobe Acrobat
 
 
|
 
|
−
* Evince is part of GNOME and supports most PDF functions.
+
* [http://www.bacula.org/ Bacula] is a very robust network based backup system.
−
* KPDF is a very robust PDF viewer for KDE
+
|}
−
* [http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=10
+
 
 +
 
 +
== I'd like to see how to do that! ==
 +
Add your questions to this list!
 +
*

Revision as of 05:33, 14 January 2007

There are lots of tasks that may seem relatively simple in Windows, but may be a bit more difficult to do in Linux. This page presents a variety of these tasks, and the best ways to solve them using tools in Linux. Wherever possible, we'll try to notate when a solution is presented using Free software, and when a solution requires the use of proprietary software in Linux.

If you have other ideas, feel free to add them to this table, if you're not comfortable editing the HTML in this table, then add them to the list at the end of this page. If you can answer an issue, add it to this table and make a note that you can do it.

How do I do that?
Multimedia
Issue In Windows I'd Use... In Linux I'd Use...
Burn a CD
Burn a DVD
Rip a CD
Rip a DVD
Record live television SageTV
  • MythTV - Supports a wide variety of both standard definition and high definition tuner cards, including firewire cable boxes and the HD Homerun Ethernet attached HDTV tuner. Allows for pausing of live television, themable user interfaces, automatic commercial cutting, and more. User:Pwagstro
  • Freevo - while Freevo is much easier to setup than MythTV, it is not nearly as robust of a solution. It does not allow viewing of television until after the complete recording is done, and is lacking support for a wide variety of hardware.
Office Tasks
Issue In Windows I'd Use... In Linux I'd Use...
Write a letter Microsoft Word
Design a presentation Microsoft Powerpoint
Create a small database Microsoft Access
Design a spreadsheet Microsoft Excel
Collaborate using groupware Microsoft Outlook
Balance a checkbook Quicken
Manage business finances Quickbooks
Fill out tax forms TurboTax, TaxCut
Create a PDF File Adobe Acrobat
  • Most Linux programs can print to PostScript, check the "Print to File" option if it's not available. Then use the ps2pdf program to translate.
  • OpenOffice.org has a feature to save directly to a PDF file
Internet Communications
Issue In Windows I'd Use... In Linux I'd Use...
Browse the web Internet Explorer
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Opera - this lightweight and fully standards compliant browser is available for a huge variety of operating systems. not open source
  • Epiphany - the fully GNOME integrated web browser
Send an email Microsoft Outlook
Send instant messages
  • Microsoft Live Messenger
  • AOL Instant Messenger
  • Yahoo Instant Messenger
  • Google Talk
  • GAIM - a multi-protocol, multi-platform instant messenger client that can connect to almost any instant messenger client. also available for Windows
  • Gossip - a jabber focused instant messenger client, that now supports a huge variety of networks thanks to integration with Telepathy - User:Pwagstro
Participate in Internet Relay Chat (IRC) mIRC
  • X-Chat
  • Irssi
Server Tasks
Issue In Windows I'd Use... In Linux I'd Use...
Run a large scale database Microsoft SQL Server
  • PostgreSQL - known as the workhorse of the OpenSource Database field. PostgreSQL supports a variety of languages for stored procedures, foreign keys, has interfaces to many programming languages, and runs on a variety of systems.User:Pwagstro
  • MySQL - is a very fast SQL server that is easy to setup and scales fairly well. Despite it's earlier faults, MySQL is now a fully functional relational database program.User:Pwagstro
Provide email services Microsoft Exchange
  • Postfix
  • Sendmail
  • Hula
Serve web pages Microsoft IIS
  • Apache
Customer Relationship Management Microsoft CRM
  • SugarCRM - markets itself as "Commercial Open Source". A very high quality package of CRM tools to manage all aspects of business relations.
System Maintenance
Issue In Windows I'd Use... In Linux I'd Use...
Scan for viruses Symantec AntiVirus
Scan for malware/spyware
Scan for rootkits
Backup my hard disk
  • Bacula is a very robust network based backup system.


I'd like to see how to do that!

Add your questions to this list!

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