Microsoft would have you believe they have the only computer operating system in the world. But nothing could be further from the truth. There are much more capable OS's out there than Windows. More capable in every way.

People move away from Microsoft Windows for many reasons, and they're all good ones. I have made the move away from the endless security updates, virus scanning, failed promises, poor performance, lockups and all the other problems that are endemic to a Windows world. There are so many better options than a Microsoft operating system and the world is starting to realise this.

I thought I'd share the strategy I used to move away from Windows, which is also the one I recommend to my friends.

Step 1 - Find open source equivalents to the windows software that you use

This is actually a very easy step. I have blogged about some of the open source software on this site but there is so much more. First of all I made a list of the windows software I used and went hunting for replacements. It also helps if you have an idea of which OS you think you'd like to move toward. I wasn't sure but figured it would be Linux of some flavour but also considered MAC OS X, so the software I went looking for ideally would work on all three platforms. Once you have your list you can now install your Open Source software on Windows so you become familiar with it and ensure that it meets your needs.

OpenOffice replaces Microsoft Office
This is an easy one for me. I'd been using OpenOffice for a while and already new about the product before I decided to make the move. Thanks to the Novell/Microsoft agreement, you are guaranteed that documents created in on will work in the other.

Thunderbird replaces Outlook
Thunderbird is a worthy replacement for Outlook. It has most of the bells and whistles and all the features you need in an email client. It's also available for Windows, Linux and OS X.

Firefox replaces Internet Explorer
This is a no-brainer. If you're not using this Web Browser already, you should be. Firefox has been available for Windows for a long time, and is usually where Microsoft gets their improvements for IE from. Just look at the Tabbed interface. Firefox also has a built in pop-up blocker and enhanced security features that are lacking in IE. Even if you decide to stay with Windows, you should be using this browser.

RealPlayer replaces Windows media player
Not much to add here, they both play media files.

The GIMP replaces ...MS Paint????
Yes, you noticed this too.. Windows doesn't have a half-decent image editing application. The GIMP is a powerful Open Source image editing package. It has a lot of the features of the VERY costly Adobe Photoshop, and if you're not in the image editing area this is still worth a look. All those digital photos you take and store on your computer can be touched up beautifully with this application.

There are many other applications, and I'll let you find them. Remember, GOOGLE is your friend. You might also wish to have a look at www.theopendisc.com

Step 2 - Practice
Now that you have your software, spend a good 6 months getting used to it and how they work. Learn how they work, how to back them up and restore them. Now is also the time to look at the hardware you use. Start researching support for your devices under other Operating systems. Search for drivers and software to support your devices. 6 months may seem a long time and it will depend on the individual. Only you will know when you're ready.

Step 3 - Testing the waters of a new Operating System
This step is the most exciting one and it's fortunate that Linux especially has many options that boot from a "Live CD". A Live CD is a bootable CD/DVD that contains the operating system. You can boot from it and load up the OS into memory without effecting your installed OS. This enables you to test the waters without actually taking the plunge. Ubuntu is my favourite choice for Linux, for the home user. Novell's SuSe Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) is also an excellent choice but doesn't come as a Live CD. All Linux distributions are essentially the same under the hood. So you could trial one but select another.
Another option is to download the Free VMWARE player software or Microsoft Virtual PC software. These applications allow you to create a virtual workstation on your Windows computer and use it like any other application. You could trial every OS you wanted this way and get comfortable with how they work.
You should be using the Internet to good effect. There are uncountable support forums for every OS available. All of them are filled with people just waiting to help you out and answer your questions. Make good use of these resources, ask lots of questions.

Step 4 - Ripping out that hapless water-buffalo
You're now ready. You're comfortable with your new software suites and you have all the drivers for your hardware (bare in mind that recent OS's have nearly all the drivers built in). Backup your data to an external drive. If you've decided to go with a version of Linux that comes on a Live CD then all you need to do is double click on the install icon and you're away. Otherwise, follow the install instructions that come with the version you've chosen.
If you've decided to go Mac OS X then you've bought yourself a new bit of kit. Either way, have fun and start enjoying the world without Windows.

Conclusion:
There is no reason to stay with Microsoft Windows. Unless of course you want to.. but that couldn't possibly be the case. Why would you want to pay large amounts of money for all the bits and pieces you need to maintain a Windows OS? The saying "It just works" doesn't really apply anymore to Windows (not that it ever did).

Anyway.. this is the process I followed. I ended up going to both Linux and Mac OS X. There were two reasons for this and the first was Adobe Photoshop. I use it rather heavily for photography and well, Adobe don't release Photoshop for Linux...yet. The other was I had only just bought a new Dell PC and so I went Linux on it. I've been happily Windows free for nearly 12 months. During this time, Vista was released, but there is nothing that I've read that could tempt me back. I haven't missed Windows at all.

Tags: Linux, mac, OS X