Over the past few years at silverorange we have become more interested in and more aware of free and open source software. The interest started on the server side, where the open-source revolution was well underway with the growth of the Apache/Linux web server and then of PHP and other web scripting languages. Since then, however, our interest and experience in open source software has spilled over on to our desktops and laptops.
Since open source software doesn’t have a PR firm to tell the world that a small business like ours can run linux on a majority of desktop machines, I thought we could share a bit of information about the open source software projects we use and follow.
The Linux Desktop
Perhaps since the creative side of our company is more often in the limelight, people often expect that silverorange might be a Mac-based company - not so. We have a couple of (very happy) Mac users, and a few Windows users, but they are in the minority. In a company of 11 people, we are now running linux on the majority of our personal computers. Most of these machines are laptops, with a few desktops in the mix. The typical machine is now running the Fedora Core Linux distribution with the Gnome desktop platform (though we do have a happy KDE desktop user too).
The key internet applications that most of us run are as follows:
OpenOffice.org office suite: This package handles word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations is a way that is quite similar to Microsoft Office. It offers relatively good compatibility with Microsoft Office formats so you can handle Word, Excel, and PowerPoint attachments from the Windows world. What’s great about OpenOffice.org is that it runs on both Linux and on Windows, so we can share documents between all of us at silverorange, regardless of format.- Firefox web browser: This one is a no-brainer. Works well on Linux, Windows, and Mac OS. Great icon too ;-)
- Thunderbird & Evolution email clients: Thunderbird works well with both IMAP and POP accounts (we use a mix of both) and most importantly, it runs on Linux, Windows, and Mac OS. This has been particularly helpful for those of us transitioning from Windows to Linux. Evolution, the primary Gnome mail client works well for email and is also a complete calendaring application.
Gaim instant messaging client: Works on Windows, works even better on Linux. Works with all kinds of protocols (jabber, which we use primarily at silverorange, MSN, ICQ/AIM, IRC, etc).
Additional Applications
These and a few other packages covers the basic desktop functionality. Beyond these, there are a plenty of other applications we make regular use of.
Wine and Crossover Office let us run some key Windows applications, including Photoshop and Internet Explorer (for browser testing) on Linux. This is not easy or smooth enough to rely on for full-time use, but it does a fine job for occasional or testing use.
A lot of our design work is still done in Photoshop on Windows, Macs, and our Linux desktops (via Wine/Crossover-Office). That said, some of us (including myself) also use Gimp, the unfortunately named image editing application for Linux has an understandable reputation for being difficult to use. That said, Photoshop isn’t too easy when you first get started. It has also improved dramatically and the interface continues to improve in recent releases.
We also use Adobe Illustrator for vector artwork, but the free/open-source SVG editor, Inkscape has started to become quite useful as well.
There are dozens of little apps that each of us use in addition to all of these. Liferea is an RSS reader that many of us use. NetworkManager is a new project from Red Hat that handles wireless networking nicely on our laptops. We have a few wanna-be musicians/radio-stars that use Audacity. It is a surprisingly capable multi-track audio recording and editing package. A few Linux using iPod owners rely on GtkPod to manage their portable music.
On the command-line, several of us swear by Vim as a text editor. Several others swear at it though. For backups of both the servers and our desktops/laptops, rsync constantly running somewhere in the office.
In addition to using free and open source software, we’ve also begun to make some contributions back to several of these projects. We’ve been involved with Mozilla and Firefox for over a year now. We have done both paid contract work for the Mozilla Foundation and free/volunteer contributions to the visual identity of Firefox.
Our own technical director, reluctant weblogger, and resident carpenter, Nathan Fredrickson is the maintainer of GtkSpell. This package provides word-processor-style highlighting and replacement of misspelled words for components of Gtk and Gnome applications. Nathan has also contributed patches to several other projects, including Gaim and Enchant.
Not to mention the servers...
All of this was just covering the desktops, which still have quite a ways to go to catch up with our servers when it comes to using free and open source software. On the server side, we are happy users of
PostreSQL,
Apache,
PHP,
Subversion,
Horde/
IMP, Linux (of course), and others.
Comments
Geof Harries - June 16, 2005 11:48 pm
Just this week I moved to a dual-boot setup on my Powerbook at work - running OS X 10.4 (tiger) on 1 partition and Ubuntu PPC on the other. This is a great list to have - I'll surely follow some of your tips above to get the software I need.
geof
Isaac Grant - June 17, 2005 11:35 am
As one of the happy Mac users (a relatively recent switcher, and programmer to boot) - I have to give a big recommendation for the wonderful IM client that is Adium - open source, and by far the best IM app on the platform (where there are some strong closed source competitors too).
Geof Harries - June 17, 2005 12:50 pm
What are both Inkscape and Gimp like for opening/importing .AI and .PSD files respectively? Conversely, what about exporting to AI or PSD? Any compatibility problems? Our office is standardized, for now at least, on Adobe CS products.
I had no idea there was a good app that parsed the iTunes database. That has been something I've not used on my Linux setup yet. Any tips or insight?
And yes, two thumbs up on Adium. Running v0.81 and love it. Blows MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger right outta there :)
geof
Lee - June 17, 2005 4:38 pm
Excellent post, and a very useful reference for anyone switching for the first time. It did however resurrect some thoughts about Linux that I've had for some time - I've posted more about that here. In summary - the problem with Linux as I see it is the lack of 'clarity' in the offering - the regular user doesn't know enough about whats on offer, or even where to get it. Mozilla did an excellent job in getting the word out, and I believe if someone could follow the Mozilla lead with a Linux offering, more regular users may feel more comfortable switching.
Geof Harries - June 17, 2005 6:38 pm
I concur, Lee.
Please nobody post about Linspire. From what I've seen, their interface and user experience is pretty horrible. They try to be everything to the beginner but it's visually overwhelming.
If the elegance of the Mozilla and Mac OS X experiences could find their way into a full o/s, Linux would be sitting much prettier - pun intended.
geof
Steve Jobs - June 19, 2005 7:52 am
The day you start classifying software as open vs. closed as against good vs. bad, you're in big trouble.
Geof Harries - June 20, 2005 12:35 pm
Who is classifying open/closed and good/bad here? I don't understand your post.
Well, for what it's worth, this weekend I took the plunge. Wiped OS X off my Power Mac and installed Ubuntu 5.0.4 at home, for full-time use by the family. So far, so good. Did some installs via the terminal, messed around with Evolution and have started downloading Inkscape. Thanks for the tips, Steve!
geof
tim - June 20, 2005 9:36 pm
Man, I can't believe you timing. On a whim, I just downloaded a live CD of Ubuntu Linux and am now in the market for a laptop for it.
Quick question if you have a second. Generally what processor speed, RAM, etc. is sufficient to run you OS (Fedora Core) and the common apps you mention? Meaning, do I need a killer expensive laptop, or can I make it with a used (maybe 3 yr old) model?
Thanks,
Tim
Geof Harries - June 21, 2005 12:10 am
Tim,
As above, I am running Ubuntu on an older 2001-02 Power Mac: 733 mhz with 1 GB of RAM. Not the fastest computer for OS X but on Ubuntu it's quite snappy. I imagine you're probably on PC, but thought I'd at least chime in.
geof
Steve Jobs - June 21, 2005 4:33 am
geof...what a greenhorn...u spend a lot of money buying a Powermac and then run Ubuntu on it!
I sure feel sorry for the family. Imagine having to use Ubuntu instead of Mac OS X just because the guy who controls the PC got converted to a new religion!
Double Standards - June 21, 2005 5:28 am
Say, why don't u release the SilverOrange Intranet 3.0 as free and open source? Since you believe so much in it?
tim - June 21, 2005 9:48 am
Actually, I have a Power Mac, but I'm not willing to part with OS X. I'm looking for inexpensive hardware, and as much as I love my Mac, cheap hardware it aint! So I'll be trying to install Linux on maybe an old Dell or something like that. Just want to make sure I'm getting a machine with enough processing power and RAM since I'm cheap :)
Geof Harries - June 21, 2005 3:44 pm
"Steve Jobs",
I've been running OS X full-time since v10.0, so it's been a long road. Ubuntu is quite intuitive and I don't mind doing installs and updates via the terminal. The fam' is quite happy using it so far for email (Evolution) and web (Firefox) - I am enjoying the challenge of something completely different. Don't be so quick to judge...
geof
Steve Jobs - June 28, 2005 1:54 am
Life is not just about choosing between good and evil. It is also about choosing between good and "good enough".
Charles Waddell - June 28, 2005 11:09 pm
To respond to the laptop question. I would say that a IBM T20 would be a good choice. I know that a few people at Silverorange use the the T series of IBM laptops and after my sister managed to get one off Ebay I was also impressed. I have heard stories of people having a tough time getting Linux on the T20s but I am pretty sure that is old news and should no longer be a problem.
I use both Ubuntu 5.04 and Fedora Core 4 and enjoy both of them. Ubuntu is more light-weight, so it can fix on a single CD while Fedora Core has 4 CDs so go for Ubuntu if you want a smaller install. Ubuntu seems a little more user friendly to me and also that apt-get has a GUI is really nice. I am by no means a Linux expert but enjoy the challenge that if offers. I am sorry to disapoint Steve Jobs but I have never had the pleasure of using Mac OSX.
AB - July 11, 2005 8:51 am
I can tell Linux is still for technical people, and not enough user-friendly and marketed to enter the average computer user world. Even more, IMHO, if you're a Mac user doing graphical work (with Photoshop, Fireworks, whatsoever), using only Linux is pure suicide.
Bryan Mitchell - August 12, 2005 6:07 am
I am a little above average in computer knowlege but when I gave SuSe Linux a very good try (on 3 different versions) I found a number of plus points but 2 critical downpoints.
Plus points. Loads of free software. Open Office very good. The OS is very stable compared to Windows 98 and much cheaper to buy! Downpoints; no desktop database to compare with MS Access or Lotus Approach. Worst of all, connecting to the Internet is a nightmare. I only got on by asking a Unix programmer to help me. Until this is fixed, Linux will never replace Windows.
Kevin Gaglianella - August 12, 2005 12:00 pm
I am very nre to Ubuntu 5.04 and I find it very easy to use and useful in my work. But the real power of Ubuntu is the forums. Every technical question I had, (and I am not a "tekkie") was already answered there. The people that participate in that community are great, and exceptionally knowledgeable. Made the transition from XP painless.
Burhan - August 27, 2005 8:37 am
For Bryan, who asked about desktop database software, Open Office 2 comes with an application called Base that is exactly what you are after. You can read more about it here http://www.openoffice.org/product2/base.html
And you are correct, Linux has a long way to go before replacing Windows.
Matt O'Toole - March 30, 2006 12:35 pm
Tim and Charles,
I've been running Ubuntu on a T20 for the last year or so. Faster would be better, but it's definitely fast enough, and everything works.
--Matt
Peter - March 30, 2006 12:42 pm
What do the people who swear at vim use for text editing?
Isaac - March 30, 2006 1:34 pm
I think all our linux users use vim actually (I'm one of the Mac users - and to turn stereotypes around a little, one of the programmers). That said, I swear at vim, and so when I need to edit a file on the command line, I use nano (to much teasing of the vim users).
But I can't speak for others.
MystaMax - March 30, 2006 2:40 pm
Very helpful shortlist. I'd be interested in seeing what applications you guys use for all your web development. As of late, I'm a very big fan of Dreamweaver 8 on Windows, and would be interested to see what you guys use on linux for web development. Eclipse seems like the right choice, but AFAIK its not as full-featured (just yet) for the complete switch. Thanks.
saltharry - March 30, 2006 3:59 pm
There is another good utility for wireless, the product is called wifi-radar and it is available at http://www.bitbuilder.com.
James AkaXakA - March 31, 2006 8:03 am
<i>that use Audacity. It is a surprisingly capable multi-track audio recording and editing package.</i>
It's also surprisingly ugly too however...
Shannon - May 21, 2007 8:15 am
I use a Powermac G5 with OSX. For apps I use Dreamweaver CS3 (has Spry AJAX framework which is nice) and BBedit 8.5. Can't imagine moving to Linux yet, though for some reasons it is tempting.
Dianne - June 6, 2007 8:21 am
Just a note - Ubuntu 7.04 is now out.
I am really disappointed in Adobe's new view of Dreamweaver CS3. Instead of focusing on creating a better web development product they are doing a "Microsoft" by embedding all their own applications, trying to enforce sales of their other applications. Also, many extensions which were a key feature of Dreamweaver, no longer work.
With Linux being the platform of choice on the web, I'm hoping that there are developers out there who are frustrated with this new direction, and are thinking of creating an open source web design/development tool. I'm actually amazed there isn't one already!
I'm a designer who dabbles in database driven applications, so if anyone knows of an open source GUI/WYSIWYG interface/development tool for medium level web applications, please let me know!!
peter mitchell - June 9, 2007 9:10 pm
can anyone help i'm looking any free software that will fix problems in my windows regs but all i can find is free downloads that charge you once they show you how many problems you have
if anybody know of any could you tell me where to find it
petermitchell@hotmail.co.uk
thanks
Mike Gauthier - October 26, 2007 1:02 pm
Peter,
You're asking about free software in a different context of "free". This discussion is about Free/Libre Software, not free of charge software.