No Windows or Mac for 1 month
For those of you interested in social/personal experiments here's the bare bones of my latest project.
The Rule
For 1 month I will not use a Windows or Apple computer. I will continue to work as a website designer and multimedia artist, I will continue to do all my usual things like downloading and listening to MP3s, producing animations, editing images, surfing the net, blogging, playing games, keeping records of expenses, and producing invoices. But all of this will be done without using a single Windows or Apple product.
How will I do it?
I have installed on my computer a free operating system called Ubuntu. It is installed with a free web browser called Firefox, a free email programme called Evolution Mail, a free website development environment called Quanta, a free photoshop equivalent called Gimp, a free word processor and spreadsheet application package called Open Office. And in case you hadn't got it yet, they are all free, developed by experts and supported commercially.
Extra Advantages (other than being free)
Right now, as I type this Note I am being spell checked. Every single word you write on Ubuntu gets spell checked immediately and, as is the norm, gets underlined in red if not found in the dictionary. You can be using a website, chatting on instant messenger, writing an email or putting text on a poster you are designing, it all gets treated as words that need checking.
Linux systems do not get targeted by virus makers. Hackers (anarchists) have no interest in attacking open source projects because most of them are friends with the developers and recognise the community and products as being non-capitalist. Therefore I have never seen a virus on a Linux system and am not expecting to get one.
Compatibility is not an issue. Open Office can read and save MS Word documents. MP3s are the same on all systems. As are PDFs, JPEGs, AVIs, PHP documents and almost everything else. I can send and receive any file a PC or Mac can.
To Conclude
If over the next month I find myself desperately needing to use a Windows or Apple PC I will make note of the circumstances around that need.
Please do comment your thoughts on this... Feedback is essential to me!
Would you ever consider dropping Windows for a free alternative?