Mepis 8 Replaces 7 – A Good Plan

I wasn’t planning on making the switch quite yet, but it worked out just right, anyway. Simply Mepis (SM) has been my Linux distribution of choice for a long time now, and it’s getting closer to going gold all the time. The anticipation is growing in the Mepis community, but we can wait (I think).

My HP6449US laptop was working quite nicely when I decided to do some modification to the Simply Mepis beta I had installed a couple of months ago. That beta shared the hard drive with Simply Mepis 7 and Vista, for a choice of three in my multi-boot set up. SM 7 was the first item in my grub menu, followed by Vista and then SM 7.9.95-rc2. Actually, I had been spending most of my time with the SM release candidate, and rarely ever booted into SM 7 anymore. Vista just takes up room, and I don’t know why HP even elects putting that OS on a good laptop.

For some strange reason, about a week ago, I began installing the latest Openoffice.org on the SM 7.9 partition, and it just wasn’t working the way it was supposed to. There’s a couple of posts about Openoffice in my home office here and here. I always install from the OOo site after removing the one that comes with a SM install. It’s just better for me this way; but most people are probably fine with the Debian version Warren provides. If sound would work, and I could get MySQL to play nicely with the SM version, it would just be part of my basic install.

Anyway, moving along with the story, after several attempts at installing OOo, and it not working, I decided it was time to do a fresh install, so out comes the latest Live CD. It was going to happen sooner or later, so I just installed over my SM 7 partition, keeping my home directory intact. As usual, Warren has done an outstanding job with this soon-to-be full-blown Simply Mepis 8 version; I couldn’t be happier. Well, that’s not altogether the whole picture as getting the web cam to work would be a nice touch. I digress, though.

The install went as planned and now the rc is on two partitions: the one SM 7 used to occupy, and the one that had been used for SM 8 from beta through rc. Cool! I can now boot into the rc, the rc or Vista. After setting up the older rc install just the way I wanted, it time to set up my primary Linux partition – the one where SM 7 use to be. Remember, I kept the /home directory intact, and that had me concerned just a little. As it turns out, there weren’t very many changes that had to be made even switching to SM 8-rc from SM 7. A tweak here and a tweak there got things up and running in no time at all.

I can’t begin to tell you how pleased I am with this release candidate. Everything of interest to me works flawlessly. Wireless has been made quite painless, and installing 3D acceleration could not have been easier. Several of the Lenny apps work much better than their Etch counterparts, such as gtkpod and gPodder. One of my favorite apps, BibleTime is a gem to use here, too. Some of the people from the MEPISlover’s forum have created a repository of apps they’ve built for both SM 7 and SM 8 – they’ve done an outstanding job, too. One of the apps they worked on is WINE, and that’s on this install, too. I use it to run a few Windows programs, and they work very well. BTW, this version of WINE has even got sound working. Good job, guys!

Simply Mepis 9.9.95-rc2 is now my main Linux install, and there are no regrets. I’m thankful OOo was giving me a hard time installing, because that was the fuel needed to press on with the new setup. I suppose my next project will be to install SM 8 -64 on the older SM partition to see how well it works. Many of the people who frequent MEPISlovers tell me they are please with it; we’ll have to wait and see.

Lastly, I recently had an experience with a local office supply store, and wrote a post on MEPISlovers. If you would like to read about it, you would be most welcome.

Now that the Simply Mepis 8 is nearly final, do you think you will give it a try? It wouldn’t hurt downloading the Live CD and giving it a spin.

Simply Mepis 8 Keeps Getting Better

There are two computers in my office, and I use both of them pretty regularly. Admittedly, the laptop has been taken over by two little girls who absolutely must see how the Littlest Pet Shop and Barbie are doing. Pappy doesn’t mind, though. At least they are not stuck using some virus-infected computer, and pop-up ads don’t rear their ugly heads while they’re playing, either.

Linux powers both of my computers, and Simply Mepis is the distribution of choice for many reasons. I have been using Simply Mepis several years, and and have no desire to even test other distros; there were some brief stints with Linux Mint and PCLOS, but Mepis is my OS – final answer. I’ve never understood the need or desire to hop around, trying every flavor of Linux under the sun that hits the Distrowatch list. Again, I’ve tried a few, but always come back to Mepis.

My HP 6449US laptop is loaded with Vista (why, I’ll never know), Simply Mepis 7.0 and Simply Mepis 7.9.90-beta3. The latter is updated through Synaptic, and includes everything that has come down the pike. There have been no major hiccups to report, and hardly any minor ones, either. This is another well-planned and exectued distro put together by Warren Woodford. The Mepis community has helped on several levels with this release, and their work certainly shows in the improved artwork.

Over the last several days many updates have appeared in the Synaptic package manager, and I’ve been diligently keeping my system current. Everything has worked flawlessly, from my nVidia video card to wireless. Updates have been painless and, again, without event. This has been a pleasurable experience to date, and I see no reason not to use the beta as my main system now, even before it goes gold; it’s running that well.

After reading about the new 2.6.27-1 Mepis kernel, I decided to install it this morning. Sometimes there’s problems with this type of upgrade, so after firing up Synaptic and checking a few packages, it was time to hit the “let’s do this” button. After only a few minutes the packages were installed and ready for a test. Some testers at the MEPISlover’s Forum reported kernel panic after the upgrade , so there was some trepidation about the procedure on my end. There was no reason to be alarmed, though, because everything went well without a hitch.

After a quick reboot, I was greeted with my KDM manager and then into my desktop. Impressive, to say the least. Even the nVidia kernel upgrade went smoothly, and that hasn’t always been easy. I am pleased with how easy the upgrades have been, and have no doubt the rest of the process will be the same.

From my post entitled Simply Mepis 8 is Looking Good, here’s a partial list of packages included with Mepis:

• Openoffice.org – an MS Office replacement. I removed the stock OOo and replaced it with the new 3.0 release. After doing some research and removing all traces of the OOo beta, I have a shiny new release on my laptop.
• Firefox – Browser My preference is Swiftweasel, so that gets used instead
  
• Thunderbird – e-mail client
• GIMP – Image editor
• Amarok – Music player My preference for streaming audio is XMMS, and after enabling Etch repos, I was able to install this little package.
  
• digiKam – Photo management
• Kopete – Instant messeger
• Akregator – RSS feed reader
• Kontact – Personal information manager
• Kino – Video editor
• KPDF – PDF viewer
• More programs than you could possibly use

It’s not all peachy, though. There were no schemes included with KPowersave, so it was impossible to configure. Thankfully, Brooko, one of the brains at MEPISlovers, compiled a .deb and offered it for testing in the SM 8-beta. It works flawlessly on my laptop, and I’m quite sure before version 8 goes gold, this issue will be fixed.

One more item to address relates to the net. I opted to install WICD Network Manager instead of the standard Network Manager-KDE. I had to add the WICD repo to my /etc/apt/sources.list, but that was easy enough. It installed without a hitch and I even have an icon in the system tray first time – no muss, no fuss.

The following quote is from the afore mentioned post Simply Mepis 8 is Looking Good:

This is not meant to be a complete review of Simply Mepis Linux, just a quick overview of the upcoming full release. Mepis 8 appears to working on most cylinders, but, according to the MEPISlovers Forums, there are some bugs. This is completely natural; after all, we are talking about a beta release. On my equipment, this beta is working exceptionally well, and I would not hesitate making it my main system right now. I will wait until Mepis 8 goes gold, which is not that far off anyway.

You should give Linux a try. If you are currently using MS Windows, you should download the .iso image, burn it to a CD, stick it in your optical drive and reboot the computer. You won’t have to install right away, unless you want. This way you can look at Linux and see what it’s all about. There’s more information here. Give it a shot and you’ll probably like what you see.

When it’s all said and done, I would not hesitate one minute to make this beta the workhorse on my laptop. Everything I care about is working flawlessly, and Simply Mepis 8 just keeps getting better. Warren has done a masterful job in preparing this beta, and he will certainly be rewarded with at least one of the best systems around when it’s finally released as SM 8.0; it will definitely be a standard others will have to catch up to.

Simply Mepis Linux and My Office – Part Two

In my work as pastor of a small church, I have many tools at my disposal. The most important book in my library is the Bible, God’s eternal Word. Like most students of the holy writ, my shelf has several copies in various colors, sizes, bindings and translations. The Bible I both read, study and preach from the majority of the time is the King James Version (KJV). It is my preference; the particular Bible I use is found here.

If you have read my Linux posts, you know Simply Mepis happens to be my preference out of the hundreds available. I have been happily using Mepis for many years, and have no plans to go elsewhere. It’s easy to install, maintain and customize. That’s a great combination.

One of the things I like about Linux so much is the freedom of choice we users have. It’s easy to customize the desktop to fit individual personalities and tastes. I know this can be done to a certain extent in Windows, but not as easily as in Linux. In Mepis, customizing can be done in a matter of moments using the Control Center. You can change the appearance to your heart’s desire.

You might ask “what does that have to do with your office?” That’s a fair question. If any of you work in an office, isn’t it nice to change things around to suit you? I realize not everyone has that luxury, but this is my office, and I have the ability to change the looks to make a more pleasing computing experience.

As I mentioned before, I use several software packages to do some of my work in my home office. OpenOffice.org (OOo), BibleTime and some Internet sites are all part of the process of studying and sermon preparation. In another post, I mentioned a wonderful Windows program called e-Sword, which works quite well in Linux by using WINE.

One area that Linux excels in is multimedia. Our church records nearly all our services; we also have a CD/DVD duplicator so people can purchase copies. This year’s Mother’s Day message was well attended, and several people wanted to purchase copies of the service. Ordinarily, that would not have been a problem, but for some unknown reason, it was this time. My sound technician recorded the service just like any other time, then handed the master CD to another technician so she could make the appropriate number of copies. Didn’t happen, and several attempts were made; still no copies could be made.

My sound man then tried making a copy using the Windows computer in the sound booth. That didn’t work, either. He took the master CD home and tried making copies from his home computer; still nothing doing. It is no secret around our church the pastor is a Linux guy. After trying for several days to make copies, my sound man came to me, wearing a sheepish grin. “Can you do something with this?” he asked.

I took the master CD home, popped it into the optical drive, fired up k3b then proceeded to make a copy. The first attempt failed, so I fired up another Linux package, did some tweaking, then burned the reworked image onto a blank CD. After that little bit of work, we were able to make as many copies on our duplicator as we needed. Even though Linux is not installed on any computer in the church, Mepis was instrumental in taking care of a ministry need. Linux to the rescue again.

Communications have changed dramatically over the years; some say for the better, while others offer a different opinion. I collect and use fountain pens to do 99% of my writing with, if I use paper, that is. There is just something wonderful about putting your thoughts down on paper while using a finely crafted writing instrument. To most people, those days are long gone or have never been.

Sending and receiving e-mails is a part of our lives if we use our computers very often. This form of communication has taken the place of a vast number of letters and notes written on paper. It has become a very important part of my life, too. I communicate with members of my church, state and international headquarters, and a host of other, too. How did we ever get along without e-mail before now?

My favorite e-mail client is Thunderbird. It is easy to set up, and updates are just a couple of clicks away. I manage three accounts on my Linux desktop, and have the ability to do the same on my laptop. Just like with any other aspect of personalizing the desktop environment, Thunderbird can be changed, too. There are themes and extensions galore to choose from if you are so inclined.

Finally, printing is essential in my office. I print everything from sermon notes to revival posters. I have two HP printers, and each one works perfectly in the Linux environment. What I really like is the fact I can take the laptop anywhere in the house and print from there. There was no special wireless printer adapter to buy, just install the printers on my desktop computer. When I installed both Mepis 7.0 and 7.9.7-beta on my laptop, the two printers were automatically picked up. That was nice.

There is more to write about, but I think you get the idea of how valuable Linux is to me. Warren Woodford and Simply Mepis make the computing experience a pleasure and efficient, too. Give Linux a spin and I think you will be tempted to stay.

Simply Mepis Linux and My Office

Computers can be great sources of headaches or they can be useful tools in people’s lives. My profession, my life and calling is wrapped up in the word pastor. My wife and I have been at our current church as pastors for almost five and a half years. To some, that’s a long time; others think it’s just getting started.

I do a lot of work on my home computers; one is a desktop, and the other is a laptop. Both of them are running Simply Mepis Linux, and are working very well. The desktop has Simply Mepis 7.0 as its main operating system, while the laptop has both Mepis 7.0 and 7.9.80-beta2 running on it at full speed. Honestly, I don’t know which one I like better.

Both of my systems are set up to dual-boot, but it is a rare thing for me to ever boot into that other OS – MS Windows. I am so thankful 99.9% of my work can be done in the safe, virus-free, hassle-free Linux environment. This post is not being written to ridicule Windows as that environment is capable of doing that all by itself.

What do I use Linux for in my office? Virtually anything that’s needed. I’m not trying to be cute, but it’s still the truth. I’ll attempt detailing some things I routinely use Linux for in my duties as pastor of a small church.

SERMON PREPARATION:
My office software of choice is OpenOffice.org (OOo), though I only use a couple of its several modules. Sermon preparation is done using Writer, BibleTime and a few internet Bible study sites. It’s easy to find the scriptures in need, then copy and paste them into my sermon template. I find Writer is extremely easy to use, and meets all my word processing needs.

Several years ago, I was trying to set up a sermon template, but ran into lots of difficulties because I just didn’t know what I was doing. A couple of trips to the OOo forum had me up and running in no time at all. That’s a great group of people over there, and were willing to spend lots of time with a newbie; that’s a great help for someone who was struggling with a simple task.

The sermon template is structured for ease of use. When I fire it up, I am greeted with a nearly blank page; it only has the date and morning service showing. I type the message title, then arrow down below the date. As soon as I enter the scripture text, formatting is applied automatically. I then enter the body of the message, and when scriptures are included, I just use my pre-made style to change the text’s formatting; this is done using the Styles and Formatting module.

Beginning with page two, the header displays the message title, page count/number of pages, written by [my name]; all of this done automatically because of the template’s design. This may seem simple and insignificant, but spending time setting up this template saves a great deal of time in the long run.

Template Page 1

Sermon Page 1

Sermon Page 2

MEMBER AND VISITOR LISTS:
Several years ago, before switching to Linux, I used OpenOffice on my Windows machine, and it worked just fine. I wanted to keep track of visitors and members in my church, so I set out to learn the best way to handle the situation. Once again, I found myself at the OOo forum asking the gurus how to best take care of the task at hand. I got several good answers, but the one which appealed to me the most was to set up an external database and use OOo as the front-end. Sounded simple enough, but the plan was wrought with one headache after another. MySQL and OOo didn’t play very well in that environment, but I found an article that walked me through the details, and I soon had a complete package going.

In Linux, the task is much easier. Setting up MySQL in Mepis is easy: “apt-get install mysql mysql-server mysql-admin” does the trick. Everything that’s needed is pulled in for the install. You also need “libmysql-java”, so get that while you’re at it. One more thing that’s needed is “mysql-connector-java-3.1.12” which you can get from the MySQL site. I’m quite sure the latest connector is newer than the one I’m using, though. This is not meant to detail every step, just to give an overview.

Create your database in MySQL and create your tables in OOo. Now, you experts will probably have lots to say about my method, but this works very well for me, and it takes care of all my database needs. There are plenty of Linux programs to do what I’ve set up on my computer, but I have found this works best for me. Linux is great to offer several choices.

What I’ve described is a sample of tasks I get done using OOo and Linux. There’s much more to tell, but it will have to wait for another time. I am no expert on Linux, MySQL or OOo, but use them to take care of part of what I do in ministry. If you use Linux, you know it to be a safe and solid operating system. It’s nice to get my work done and not have to be concerned with all the headaches associated with Windows maintenance.

Simply Mepis 8 is Looking Good

As some of you know, Linux is what my computers run on, and Simply Mepis is the particular distribution. I have been using Simply Mepis for a number of years, and would not go backwards into a Windows environment for anything. There is no need to, really, as all my computing needs are met in Linux: safe, secure, virus free, and easy to use. For more on Linux, you can read my post Linux – Is It For You?

I have been using the 32-bit version since December 2007, and have been extremely pleased with it. The base install is great, but limited in a few areas. It comes with enough software to get most people up and running in about 20 minutes or so, unless you have to do some partitioning work. If I ever have to reinstall, the whole process is only about 10 minutes or so.

Warren Woodford, the creator of Mepis, has been working hard on the next version of his incredible distribution. Currently, I have version 7.9.8 beta installed on my laptop, and couldn’t be happier with what I see. Everything is working very well, with the exception of the built-in webcam, which I have never used. Sound, wireless, 3-D graphics and more are working just right. Keep in mind, this is still a beta version; when this becomes gold, it will be Mepis 8 and rock solid as usual. Warren knows how to put a Linux distribution together.

Here’s a partial list of programs included with Mepis:

• Openoffice.org – a MS Office replacement
• Firefox – Browser
• Thunderbird – e-mail client
• GIMP – Image editor
• Amarok – Music player
• digiKam – Photo management
• Kopete – Instant messeger
• Akregator – RSS feed reader
• Kontact – Personal information manager
• Kino – Video editor
• KPDF – PDF viewer
• More programs than you could possibly use

Linux is highly customizable, too. Switching desktop backgrounds couldn’t be easier. Changing the look and feel is just a matter of firing up the KDE Control Center and changing settings to your heart’s content. I must say, the guys who worked so tirelessly on the new art for the upcoming release of Mepis 8, did an outstanding job. Here’s what the desktop looks like. Don’t like that look? It’s not a problem, as I already mentioned. Change the looks to what you want.

For those of you who have one of the newer iPod Classics, Nanos, iPod Touch or iPhones, you have little recourse for their use in the Linux world. Mepis 8 works well with these devices, though, as I already know first-hand. All I had to do was install a few packages (programs), answer some questions, and now I’m happily using my iPod Classic 80GB Silver, knowing I don’t have to use iTunes or fire up Windows to get the job done. BTW, the two packages are gtkpod and gPodder, which is a media aggregator or podcast receiver/catcher.

I use a package called BibleTime, which is Bible study software. It’s extremely easy to use, and installing is a breeze. If you want to read more about it, look at my post entitled Bible Software for Linux. Admittedly, this is not my favorite software, but it works very well for my purposes. I wish Bible software makers would port some of their excellent products to Linux; that would make me a very happy camper.

This is not meant to be a complete review of Simply Mepis Linux, just a quick overview of the upcoming full release. Mepis 8 appears to working on most cylinders, but, according to the MEPISlovers Forums, there are some bugs. This is completely natural; after all, we are talking about a beta release. On my equipment, this beta is working exceptionally well, and I would not hesitate making it my main system right now. I will wait until Mepis 8 goes gold, which is not that far off anyway.

You should give Linux a try. If you are currently using MS Windows, you should download the .iso image, burn it to a CD, stick it in your optical drive and reboot the computer. You won’t have to install right away, unless you want. This way you can look at Linux and see what it’s all about. There’s more information here. Give it a shot and you’ll probably like what you see.

Show Off Your Desktop

Preacherpen's Desktop

Just for grins, how would you describe your desktop? My OS happens to be Linux, and the distribution is Simply Mepis 7.0, which I’ve been using for several years. Albert, the Florida Gator mascot is prominently displayed for all to see and enjoy.

I have two SuperKaramba themes (widgets, sort of) running at all times. The one on the left is called ubermon, and it’s one of my favorites. I see information about RAM usage, up time, various partitions, one-click access to some of my favorite web sites, and media player buttons.

The theme on the right is Liquid Weather ++ (version 15.0), which keeps me posted about weather in my little town. There’s a 5-day forecast, too.

I’ve got lots of icons showing my most used programs: BibleTime, StarOffice, OpenOffice, Swiftweasel (Firefox for Linux), Opera, Thunderbird, gtkpod (manipulates media for iPod Classic so I don’t have to boot into M$ Windows) and gPodder (podcast catcher for Linux).

So, what about your desktop?

The ESV and my iPod Classic

Technology is wonderful and useful in more ways than this post can effectively address.  I did something today I have wanted to do for quite a while, but just didn’t take the time to tackle the task.  Now that it’s done, I’m wondering why it took me so long to take care of business.

Now that you’re interest has been piqued, I will continue with the story. There has to be some background, first, though.  Last year, our Pastoral Covenant Group (PCG) met for our annual retreat, and one of the pastors was watching some teaching videos on an iPod Classic 80GB.  That was very interesting to me, as I had never used one of those devices before, and the thought of putting videos on a portable device like the one he showed me was intriguing.

iPod Classic Silver 80GB

My wife bought me one for Christmas, and I immediately booted into M$ Windows in order to use iTunes.  Honestly, I didn’t know any better; I was under the impression you either had to use iTunes in Windows or Mac in order to populate this new Classic. Well, I quickly grew weary of booting into an inferior operating system just to put music on my iPod Classic.  In case you’re wondering, my operating system (OS) of choice is Linux, and Simply Mepis in particular.

Here’s where the story gets interesting.  Not long after booting back into the safe confines of my Linux OS, I decided it was time to add some more music and videos to my shiny new iPod Classic.  Well, I plugged it, and opened an application that should have handled the task with relative ease – Amarok.  The link for Amarok takes you to a wonderful article about basically the same situation as the one I’m writing about. The problem is, Apple added a checksum to the database so you have to either use iTunes for Windows or Apple, as I previously pointed out. Linux is great, though, and Softpedia has an article explaining the problem and includes some answers, too.

I managed to blow up my iTunes database several times while in Linux before Apple’s insidious behavior was discovered by me.  Others in the Linux community had already run into the problem and had begun to vigorously pursue a resolution.  It wasn’t long until the solution was found, as the article at Softpedia explains.  To make a longer story short, I installed a few packages in my Linux machine, and now I am happy to report yet another reason to stay away from M$ Windows.

Now that you know my iPod Classic 80GB works in Linux, let me get on with the rest of the story. Mark Bertrand at the Bible Design & Binding Blog writes about high-end Bibles, and has several articles about the English Standard Version (ESV).  I had never heard of that version until reading Mark’s excellent blog.  After doing some research and reading several passages for myself, I began to be quite taken by the beauty of this new version.  BTW, I’m looking to acquire an ESV made by what some people consider to be the finest publisher on the planet, R. L. Allan and Sons, in Glasgow, Scotland.  If you want to buy the Bible in the US, the sole distributor is Evangelicalbible.com.

While browsing today, I came across podBible.org. In case you don’t already know, it offers the ESV as a download so you can put on your iPod.  The site offers versions for Windows or Mac, so I chose Windows and followed the instructions.  It wasn’t long before the ESV NT was put on my Classic, and I began to enjoy reading this wonderful version of God’s Holy Word.  For further reading pleasure, you could see Mark Bertrand’s article about The ESV on an Apple iPhone.  Enjoy.

Linux – Is It For You?

Do any of you use Linux as your primary operating system? I have been dual-booting Linux and Windows for about five years now, though it’s a rare thing, indeed, for me to use the latter for anything. I know whatever you decide to use is entirely up to you, unless you are stuck using someone else’s computer.

For me, the decision wasn’t very difficult. Let me tell you a story, the very reason I’m using Linux today. Several years ago, I had begun using open source software, such as Firefox, Thunderbird and a few other Windows programs, too. Let me not forget OpenOffice (OOo), which became my main office suite, even though the software was fairly new. Everything I tried just seemed to work very well for all my needs.

I especially liked OpenOffice, because it was easy to set up sermon templates, with the help of some very nice people on the OOo forum. I quickly became comfortable with the software, and even learned how to use it together with MySQL to take care of my database needs. That was, and is, a great combination.

One day I received an e-mail from a friend, and thought nothing of the negative consequences of opening the attachment. I just knew Firefox would open, and I could view to my heart’s content. Well, that didn’t happen at all, and five minutes later, I was infected with some nasty computer viruses, which took me about a week to clean out. That was not a pleasant experience.

Somehow the subject came out while looking through the OOo forum, and I sent a question regarding what I had read. Well, it wasn’t long until I had downloaded a version of Linux, rebooted my computer, and had it dual-booting. To my dismay, I could do everything in this new operating system I could do in Windows, but in a safe, virus-free environment. With more questions in hand, some kind soul on the OOo forum steered me to Simply Mepis Linux, and I’ve been using that distribution ever since. The Mepis Lovers Forum contains a wealth of information about this great distribution. Has everything gone smoothly? Absolutely not, but neither did Windows offer a completely smooth ride.

Don Parris, pastor of Matheteuo Christian Fellowship, Charlotte NC is quite an interesting man. He has written a wonderful book about using open source software in a church environment. “Penguin in the Pew” does a far better job than I could in detailing the importance of Linux and open source software in the church and office. There are two versions of the book, and both are readily available on the net. If you have questions about Linux, this is a great source of information.

Now, why should anyone use Linux? If you search the net for the answer to that question, you will find quite a bit of material. Here’s an interesting site that clearly explains why you should begin using Linux. Now you will be able to see there are many more reasons to switch to Linux, and stop supporting Microsoft, but you’ll have to make that determination yourselves.

Linux software equivalent to Windows software from LinuxQuestions.org is another source of information for you to browse. What often confuses people migrating from Windows to the Linux environment is the lack of knowledge about comparable programs. This table should give you some insight into what is available to Linux users.

Hopefully, this article will stir your interest and cause you to do some research on your own. Personally, I rarely ever boot into Windows, and can’t remember the last time I did. If you ever try Linux, especially Simply Mepis, you might find yourselves hooked just like me.