A Software showdown

Windows. Mac OS X. Linux. Solaris. For geeks (like me) these have something in common — they are operating systems and for those who are just laymen, either Windows and/or Mac OS X is familiar to you. First, Windows and Mac OS X are catergorized as Proprietary Software. Whilst Linux and Solaris is categorized as Open Source Software. Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org. StarOffice. IBM Lotus. These are Office Productivity Software. OpenOffice.org and StarOffice are Open Source Softwares. Whilst, MS Office and IBM Lotus are Proprietary Softwares. If you are talking about the latest beta (btw, Beta is a prerelease software Alpha is also a prerelease software), Lotus Symphony, Lotus Symphony maybe considered an Open Source Software because it is now based on the source code of OpenOffice.org. The classification of software depends on the EULA’s (EULA stands for End-User License Agreement) content. According to Wikipedia.org Open source software is computer software which source code is available under a license (or arrangement such as the public domain) that meets the Open source definition. This permits users to use, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form. It is often developed in a public, collaborative manner. Open Source software is the most prominent example of open source development and often compared to user generated content. According also to Wikipedia.org Proprietary software (also called non-free software or closed-source software) is software with restrictions on using, copying and modifying as enforced by the proprietor. Restrictions on use, modification and copying are sought by either legal or technical means and sometimes both. Technical means include releasing machine-readable binaries to users and withholding the human-readable source code. Legal means can involve software licensing, copyright, and patent law.

So what software shall I use, you ask? It depends to YOU and to the software itself. How do you use the software? Do you prefer a simplified interface or a complex interface? Does the company/group offer good support for the software? Do the software you use run on the OS? Do you have enough cash for you to buy the software, if applicable. Before you choose an open source software, I suggest that you do any/all of the following

(1)Try them at a computer

(2)Ask users of the aplication/s

(3) Consult the internet

(4)Google it.

Some Open Source software may have a poor UI and runs best on command line. For me Ubuntu Linux, has a poor interface, I had a hard time using it’s UI, I only had better time using the command-line. Depending on the Linux distribution, Linux may or may not offer a good UI. Some distributions would still be able to run on a Pentium II Processor (If you happen to still have one! ). Solaris is a powerful software for software developers. It’s steep hardware requrements might be a deal braker for some people. My laptop does no even pass it’s requirements. Some of the deal-brakers in using Open Source Software are:

-Some Open Source Software does not support 100% of the games and hardware that supports Windows.

-UI is poor and first time users can’t use it because it is complex

-There is no UI

With regards to games, some Open Source Software could run games that are Windows-only by installing virtualization software. How do you that? Well, you simply need a Windows installer (either a physical copy or .ISO file). First, configure the virtual PC (Setting the RAM, Virual Hard Disk Capacity) then insert the installer disk or mount .ISO file and allow the virtual machine to ‘boot’ into the installer. It is like installing Windows in your Hard Disk. The advantage of this is you do not have to reboot your PC just to play your fave game.

Windows on the other hand have disadvantages also, depending on the version. Windows XP Professional has these disadvantages:

-It’s out-of-the box configuration is not secure enough (You need to tweak it).

-Tweaking and configuring it may require minutes or hours.

Personally, I do not recommend XP Home to users. Why? Because the configuration of XP Home is not secure (i.e. Viruses exploit the configurations to harm the data.). This will be the end for this article. I will discuss more about software in my incoming articles