CNet Promotes Essential Open-Source Software to Joe Public 227
Zool writes "A feature is currently running on CNet explicitly promoting open-source software alternatives for typical home users, with programs rated and compared to commercial offerings. Although there's no mention of the Linux advantages to home users, the list is extensive and certainly written with the intention of snagging wider open-source adoption and understanding in the mainstream. 'Why should you care about open source? You should care because the vast majority of common applications, even complex commercial stuff like Adobe Photoshop, Windows Media Player and Microsoft Office, have free, open-source alternatives. And this point is worth reiterating: open-source software is free. No cost. Zero. Zilch.'"
Fluff (Score:4, Informative)
Journalistic integrity, thy name is CNET.
Bigger list (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Gimp vs Photoshop? (Score:3, Informative)
If all you do is crop and polish the occasional JPEG from your digital camera, you might not notice. But if you're any kind of professional, Gimp is a joke.
And even with Photoshop not exactly being a paragon of good interface design, Gimp manages to be much, much worse.
Re:Don't offer bad alternatives (Score:3, Informative)
And.. Java is now bad. It works well in my opinion. Too bad it doesn't work for you.
As a first-hand look at OO, it works for me. Ive used it since it was StarOffice. It always works on their own files and only has problems when you try to open hidden formatted files.
VLC (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Don't offer bad alternatives (Score:4, Informative)
1. You *almost* sound like you were paid to write that.
2. Your statement is inaccurate on many levels.
3. You provide no basis for your opinion. Care to back up your statement with some evidence?
Every experience that I've had with OpenOffice has been a good one. Its fast, provides all the features that I'm looking for without being too bloated, and sometimes handles the Microsoft formats better than even MS Office does. I hazard to suggest that if OpenOffice was as bad as you suggest, that Cannonical would not have picked it as Productivity app of choice for Ubuntu. And I believe a fair number of other distro's provide it as well.
Before posting a bash like that against an open source project on an open source oriented web site, you should probably have something to back up your statements. Otherwise, your just blowing hot air out your arse.
Re:Free as in Beer then Free as in Freedom (Score:1, Informative)
This is a load of patronizing ivory tower crap. I'm not a computer tech/engineer/programmer, and I have no difficulty with the concept of free software versus free beer.