Moving to Free Software

Moving to Free Software

by Marcel Gagné
Released December 2006
Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional
ISBN: 9780321423436

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Book description

Stop paying for Windows software! There are free alternatives that are just as good . . . even better!

In Moving to Free Software, world-renowned open source software expert Marcel Gagne tours the little-known world of free Windows software, uncovering today's best packages for everything you'll ever want to do with your PC! You'll discover amazing tools for everything from Web browsing to instant messaging, office productivity to gaming, and even Windows security. You won't see this software advertised in fancy magazines, or on TV . . . it's the best kept secret in computing!

  • Surf the Web safer, faster, and smarter with Firefox

  • Get free Spam filtering and advanced email security with Thunderbird

  • Discover OpenOffice.org 2.0, today's super-powered office productivity suite

  • Get free instant messaging that talks to AOL, ICQ, Yahoo!, and MSN

  • Make free calls anywhere on Earth, with Skype

  • Create podcasts (and more) with Audacity . . . or download podcasts with Juice

  • Build your own Web site with NVU

  • Create and edit digital art with Inkscape and The GIMP

  • Protect your Windows computer with Spybot and ClamWin

  • Discover great free games, including Flightgear, the better flight simulator

    • There's more--from handy utilities like CD Ripper to pro-quality desktop publishing software for all your newsletters and brochures. This book gives you software the way it's supposed to be--powerful, friendly, and free!

    Table of contents

    1. Copyright
      1. Dedication
    2. Acknowledgments
    3. 1. Introduction to Free Software
      1. Really Free?
      2. All You Need Is...
      3. About the Money...
      4. Has Marcel Gone Mad?
      5. Transitional Software
      6. Installing Programs
      7. Finding Even More Free Software
      8. What About Support?
      9. Linux! The Ultimate Free Software
        1. A Truly Free Operating System
        2. Any Other Reasons?
      10. Full Steam Ahead
      11. Resources
    4. 2. Surfing the Web with Firefox
      1. Mozilla versus Firefox
        1. Working from Home
        2. Keeping Tabs on the Web, Firefox Style
        3. Go for the Big Screen
        4. Ban the Pop-Up Ads, Forever!
        5. Yummy . . . Cookies
        6. The Firefox Sidebar
      2. Addicted to News: Firefox Does RSS
        1. Firefox, Collect My News, Please
      3. Extending Firefox
      4. Resources
    5. 3. Thunderbird: A Safer Email Client
      1. Thunderbird
        1. Sending and Receiving Mail
        2. Your Little Black Book
        3. Mailing Lists
      2. Attached to You...
      3. No More Junk Mail!
        1. So, How Do You Train Thunderbird?
      4. Revisiting RSS
      5. Resources
    6. 4. Gaim: Multiprotocol Instant Messaging, and IRC, Too!
      1. Why Jabber?
      2. Instant Messaging with Gaim
        1. Grouping Your Buddies
      3. IRC: Internet Relay Chat
      4. Using Gaim for IRC
        1. Joining IRC Channels
        2. Learning More About IRC
      5. Resources
    7. 5. Skype: Free Long Distance, Anyone?
      1. Creating a Skype Account
      2. “Is this thing working?” Testing Your Connection
      3. Search Me! Adding Friends to Your Contact List
      4. Come Here, Watson! Making Calls on Skype
        1. Conference Calls
        2. Instant Messaging with Skype
      5. SkypeOut and SkypeIn
        1. What About SkypeIn?
      6. Face to Face with Skype: Using a Webcam
      7. Getting a Little Privacy
      8. Resources
    8. 6. Creating Documents with OpenOffice.org Writer (It Was a Dark and Stormy Night . . .)
      1. OpenOffice.org Writer
      2. Write Now!
        1. The Hunt for Typos
        2. What Language Is That?
        3. Saving Your Work
        4. Printing Your Document
        5. Toolbars of Every Kind...
      3. Help!
      4. To Word or Not to Word?
      5. Personalizing Your Environment
      6. A Wizard of Words
      7. Navigating Style
        1. Navigating the Rivers of Text
      8. Speaking of Document Elements...
      9. More! Give Me More!
      10. Resources
    9. 7. Using OpenOffice.org Calc for Spreadsheets (Tables You Can Count On)
      1. Starting a New Spreadsheet and Entering Data
        1. Basic Math
        2. Saving Your Work
        3. Complex Charts and Graphs, Oh My!
      2. Magical Totals
      3. Nice, Colorful, Impressive, and Dynamic Graphs
      4. Final Touches
        1. A Beautiful Thing!
      5. Resources
    10. 8. Presentations with OpenOffice.org Impress (When You Need to Impress Someone)
      1. Getting Ready to Impress
        1. Inserting Slides
        2. Adding Color
        3. Printing Your Presentation
      2. Instant Web Presentations
      3. How About a Little Flash? Shocking!
      4. Extra! Extra!
      5. Resources
    11. 9. Personal Databases: OpenOffice.org Base
      1. The Beginning: Creating a New Database
      2. Setting the Table
        1. No Wizards for Me!
      3. Creating Mailing Labels
      4. Further Exploring
      5. Resources
    12. 10. CDex: An All-Purpose CD Ripper and Audio Converter
      1. Intermezzo: Digital Audio Formats
      2. Introducing CDex
        1. Configuring CDex
      3. Ripping Music to Your PC
      4. Ripping Just a Little
      5. Simple Music Player
      6. Resources
    13. 11. Audio Magic with Audacity
      1. Installation Notes
      2. Touring Audacity’s Interface
      3. Let’s Record Something
        1. Saving Your Project
      4. Editing Audio
      5. Fade to Special Effects
      6. Creating Podcasts with Audacity
        1. Exporting to MP3
      7. Resources
    14. 12. The Juice: A Podcast Aggregator
      1. The Juice on the Juice
        1. Subscribing to a Podcast
        2. Selecting and Downloading Podcasts
        3. Tweaking the Juice
      2. Running on Automatic
      3. Cleaning Up
      4. Locating More Podcasts
      5. Resources
    15. 13. Nvu: A Graphical Web Site Design Tool
      1. Installation Notes
        1. Touring Nvu
        2. Editing a Web Page
        3. Bulleted Lists
      2. Saving Your Work
      3. Creating Subsequent Pages
        1. Adding Images
        2. Linking to Your Other Pages
      4. Publishing Your Web Site
      5. It’s a Beautiful Thing
      6. Resources
    16. 14. Inkscape: A Vector Drawing Program
      1. A Friendly Introduction
        1. Moving and Zooming Around
        2. Doodle Away
      2. Drawing Tools
        1. The Selector Tool
        2. Node Tool
        3. Zoom!
        4. The Rectangle Tool
        5. Ellipse Tool
        6. Star Tool
        7. Spiral Tool
      3. Fill and Stroke Genius
        1. Stroke! Stroke!
      4. Drawing Tools, Part Deux
        1. The Freehand Tool (The Pencil)
        2. Bezier Curves and the Pen Tool
        3. The Calligraphy Tool
        4. Text Me!
        5. Creating Connectors
        6. The Gradient Tool
        7. The Eye Dropper
      5. The Full Meal Deal
      6. Saving Your Work
      7. Resources
    17. 15. Digital Art with the GIMP
      1. Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your GIMP
        1. Easy Logos with the GIMP
        2. Saving and Opening Your Work
      2. Printing Your Masterpiece
      3. Tools, Tools, and More Tools
        1. Now, on to the Tool Icons
        2. Touching Up Photographs
        3. So What Is Script-Fu?
      4. You Mentioned Gimpshop?
      5. Resources
    18. 16. 7-Zip Is Decompression Heaven
      1. Installation and Setup
      2. Touring the Interface
      3. Unpacking a File
      4. Creating an Archive
        1. Pack Up Your Data
      5. Self-Extracting Archives
      6. Resources
    19. 17. Spybot: Protecting You from Spyware
      1. Getting Started with Spybot
      2. Keeping Up-to-Date
      3. The Hunt for Spyware
      4. Fixing Problems
      5. Immunization Prevents Further Infection
      6. It Never Ends...
      7. Resources
    20. 18. ClamWin: Free Antivirus Protection
      1. Always On versus Scheduled
        1. Scanning Your Files
      2. What to Do with the Viruses
      3. Scheduling Virus Checks
      4. Keeping ClamWin Up-to-Date
      5. Limitations and Other Choices
      6. Resources
    21. 19. Scribus: Free Desktop Publishing
      1. Installation Notes
      2. Frames, Bristol Board, and Projects
      3. Getting Started with Scribus
        1. Moving Around, Tool Bar Icons, and More
      4. Text Frames and Properties
      5. Working with Images
        1. Images of the Second and Third Kind
      6. Printing Your Document
      7. A Scribus Calendar
      8. Personalizing Scribus
      9. Getting More Help
      10. Resources
    22. 20. Endless Free Fun and Games
      1. PlanetPenguin Racer
      2. Freedroid RPG
      3. Armagetron Advanced
      4. SuperTux
      5. Tanks for the Memories: BZFlag
      6. Fish Fillets Next Generation
      7. Neverball and Neverputt
      8. SolarWolf
      9. FlightGear
      10. Penguins . . .
      11. Resources
    23. 21. The Ultimate Free Software: Linux
      1. Burning the CD Image
        1. Ready to Try Ubuntu Linux?
      2. Help!
        1. Boot-Level Options
      3. Taking a Tour of Ubuntu Linux
      4. Famous Places on the Menu
        1. Administering and Personalizing Your System
      5. Installing the Ubuntu Live CD
      6. Remember to Share
      7. Resources

    Product information

    • Title: Moving to Free Software
    • Author(s): Marcel Gagné
    • Release date: December 2006
    • Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional
    • ISBN: 9780321423436