tool that I use frequently while typing in Microsoft word is available
on Linux's word processor. For example, on the top left toolbar,
where the most common links are, include: new page, open, save, and an
interesting one that I don't remember seeing on Microsoft office,
which is "document as email." The name is self-explanatory, but it an
interesting idea, especially for people who don't have spell check on
their emailing program. Also, using this word processing program,
users have the ability to save the page as a pdf just by clicking a
button rather than saving the file and changing its format. Unlike
Microsoft word, the Linux word processor does not have all the
different types and styles that Word '07 has. For example, users have
to manually change their paragraph and spacing by choosing alignment
and spacing, whereas in Word '07, the user can click on one of the
displayed settings and the page will automatically format to whichever
format the user chose. All in all, the Linux word processor can do
everything the average person will ever need. The interface looks a
little outdated, almost similar to an older version of Microsoft Word,
but for free, I would most certainly recommend it.
The Linux spreadsheet program also proved very useful. The main
difference I found was in the field of conditional formatting. Yes,
the Linux program does have conditional formatting, however, it is
nowhere near as comprehensive as that of Microsoft Excel. Instead of
having a seemingly unlimited amount of different formats to choose
from, the Linux spreadsheet program only has a few different types of
headers to choose from. So instead of having different colors, icons,
and texts using Microsoft Excel, a user only has a choice of a few
different headers. Also, the graphical options of the Linux
spreadsheet are nowhere near as detailed, aesthetically pleasing, or
inventive as those of Microsoft Excel. Users have the option of pie,
line, and bar graphs using the Linux application, but once the graph
is made, options of changing it are very limited compared to Microsoft
Excel. However, for free, the Linux spreadsheet program is very
practical and can do everything that the average user will need.
As far as user interface goes, I feel Windows delivers a very
user-friendly product. Windows is easy to navigate, aesthetically
pleasing, and has been around for long enough for programmers to sort out
almost any problem that could occur. However, the interface found
while using Linux is comparable. It reminds me of an older version of
Mac OSX, which is the os found on MacBooks. It took me a while to get
used to this interface, but just like anything else, I got used to it
and found that it exceeded any Microsoft os. Who knows, if I
continued to use Linux, I may find that I prefer it over Microsoft as well.
The file organization system is very similar to either windows or
mac. There is a hierarchical organization system with a home section
with separate files that contain other files or information. The
names of each file are different, but they stand for the same things.
For example, instead of saving something in /c/windows on a pc, a file
can be saved as /home/demo using Linux. Again, this is not a drawback
to using Linux, it is just something different that users will have to
get used to.
A problem that I did find with Linux, however, is that I had a very
difficult time trying to open my Excel project. I tried to find it by
opening the sda1 file as root and couldn't because no files came up.
After trying that, I saved the spreadsheet on a flash drive then
tried to open it with the Linux spreadsheet, but it didn't work. I
tried many different ways to open it as different kinds or archives,
but I couldn't figure it out. However, if a person had created the
spreadsheet using Linux from the beginning, they would not have run
into this problem.
I will say that it is very likely that if people are properly informed
about both operating systems, they will choose Linux. The first and
most attractive of Linux is that it is free. That is the first thing
buyers will look at; they will be more apt to buy a $200 computer that
runs on a different os than they will be to spend considerably more on
a computer that runs on an os that costs hundreds of dollars. All the
user has to do it get comfortable with the interface, and considering
I have been playing with it for about an hour and am already
comfortable with how to do many things, it will not be very hard for
users to familiarize themselves with this open source operating
system. Even though I have been brought up using Windows and OSX, I
will definitely consider buying a Linux based computer the next time
I am looking to buy a computer.
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