Directrix Computer Solutions

Client Alternative Applications

Alternative to what? Over-priced mainstream applications, of course!

What are these programs?

This is a collection of Open Source applications that we frequently use and recommend, and the best part is that they are all free.

Generally, when people hear the word “free” in conjunction with software, they cower in fear. Rightfully so when dealing with typical Windows applications. These, however are completely different. All of these applications are Open Source (you can learn more about it here.), which means they are generally maintained by the public, and because there isn’t anyone seeking to profit off of them, they’re free. These two factors make a world of difference in the fact that security vulnerabilities and bugs that are found are usually fixed very quickly, as opposed to most Windows applications which take at least a month to be fixed.

So, have no fear with these applications. They are all tried and true, and are excellent applications.

• Firefox Web Browser
  • “Take back the web” is their catch phrase, and that’s just what they’re doing. With over 75 million downloads since November 9, 2004, Firefox has proven itself as a viable alternative to Internet Explorer.It’s features include tabbed browsing (keep all of your websites inside of one window, rather than multiple), web standards compliance, and the ability to add third-party plugins which provide many new and customizable features. It is also considered far more secure than Internet Explorer, so the chances of spyware and malware being secretly installed on your PC is slim.Caveats: Firefox does not natively support Active-X controls, so there will be issues when trying to use online-applications like Windows Update and many online virus scanners. Also, because of the many proprietary features in Internet Explorer, some websites may appear “broken.” There are plugins available that can rectify these issues, however.
• Thunderbird Email Client
  • Produced by the same group as Firefox, Thunderbird is an excellent replacement for the Outlook and Outlook Express. Just as with Firefox, many of the vulnerabilities found in Outlook and Outlook Express are non-existant in Thunderbird.Thunderbird’s features greatly surpass those of Outlook Express, as well as the e-mail features of Outlook. It, too, has the ability to add third-party plugins which expand it’s functionality.Caveats: If you rely on Outlook’s calendar and task functions, Thunderbird is definitely not for you. It also does not feature Palm or Pocket PC synchronization. Unlike Firefox, Thunderbird is not as viable an alternative if you need these features.
• FileZilla FTP Client
  • An excellent FTP client that is equivalent with many of it’s for-money competitors.FileZilla is capable of resuming file transfers, SSL, SFTP, Drag and Drop file transfers, and fully customizable firewall options. When it comes down to it, FileZilla is a great FTP client, with few limitations.Caveats: None. It is a solid application with no major issues.
• Gaim Instant Messager
  • Gaim is a multi-protocol Instant Messaging suite that is capable of connecting to every major messaging networks (and many more less-popular ones, too) through one simple interface. Rather than running three separate programs for AIM, MSN, and Yahoo, Gaim allows you to run them all from one client, without any hassle.Gaim supports nearly everything that the other messaging clients offer, including file transfers, buddy icons, smilies, and customizable sounds. Like so many other applications, Gaim has an array of plugins that give added functionality that cannot be found in the mainstream clients. It also allows you to keep your chat sessions in tabs, which means they are all contained within one window, saving you from clutter on your taskbar.Caveats: At this time, Gaim does not support VoIP/Speech functions that AIM, MSN, Yahoo and Jabber offer, but it is in the works. Gaim is also not as “flashy” and superficially “pretty” like the others, so, if a curvy colorful interface is your thing, Gaim won’t make you happy.

• Open Office Productivity Suite
  • Open Office is a fully functional office suite, on par with the popular Microsoft Office. It offers word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and drawing applications that are compatable with MS Office documents. The fact that the state of Massachusetts is requiring all government offices to use Open Office by 2007 is proof of it’s reliability and compatability.Open Office is an excellent alternative to the overpriced Microsoft Office suite. It’s applications can open and save to Microsofts various formats without difficulty, as well as boasting the ability to save files as PDFs. The interfaces are similar enough that a user accustomed to Microsoft Office can easily begin working with it. Many functions are different, but not so much that there is a giant learning curveCaveats: Open Office does not support Microsoft’s Visual Basic scripts which may be embedded in some files. In most cases, this will not pose an issue, but it is something to be aware of. Also, some advanced formatting techniques used by MS Office will not transfer into Open Office. Again, this is not an overly common issue, but it should be expected. Both of these issues go in the opposite direction, also; in other words, advanced functions and formatting in Open Office may not appear correctly in Microsoft Office. It should also be known that MS Office cannot read the default Open Office file formats, but this is easily avoided by saving documents in the appropriate Microsoft formats.
• The GIMP Image Manipulation Application
  • The GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program) is a great alternative to the pricey Windows graphics applications. It is equivalent in functionality to Adobe Photoshop and Corel PhotoPaint.The GIMP has many of the features found in Photoshop, and a wealth of free plugins available to make up for what it inherently lacks. It is also able to edit and save Photoshop files.Caveats: While The GIMP is an excellent Photoshop alternative, most people who are proficient with Photoshop find GIMP exceedingly hard to use. The GIMP’s interface is not the greatest, but they are working hard to rectify this. If you are new to these types of applications, the learning curve is much easier. The GIMP also lacks many of the effects filters that make Photoshop so popular, but with some effort the effects can be recreated using the existing filters. The GIMP also requires the GTK+ library to be installed, but this is a trivial task. There have also been noted instances where The GIMP’s ability to edit/save .psd files was limited, and errors occurred.Side Note:As a tangible example of it’s capabilities, our website was designed using The GIMP.

• The Open CD
  • The Open CD is a downloadable collection of software for Windows that includes most of the applications listed here, plus a few more. The idea is to present Windows users with alternatives to their currently insecure applications.

Remote Connect Client

• This is the application we use to remotely connect to a client’s computer. Do not download and install this application unless otherwise instructed by a Directrix Representative.