Just Say No To Microsoft: How to Ditch Microsoft and Why It's Not So Hard as You Think |
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Tony Bove
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Pages: 264 (Paperback)
ISBN: 159327064X
Pub: NO STARCH PRESS
Pub date: 2005-11-01
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 675692
Reader Reviews:
Goodbye, Microsoft - yes, it's possible (and fun!) (4/4 people found this helpful)
I read this book a year or two ago, at a time when I just didn't think it was possible for me to ever say goodbye to Microsoft.
I'd tried various versions of Linux over the years. Either they just didn't work for me, or they were clanky and awful, and in one memorable case I totally wrecked my computer system trying to install it!
And yet I kept getting more and more fed up with the way Microsoft imposed more and more restrictions on what I could and couldn't do with my own computer, and having to get their 'permission' to reinstall my legally purchased software.
So I bought this book, and read it as if it was a page-turning thriller. It's not just about Linux - the Macintosh is covered too (In fact, at times I got the feeling that the author was more of a Mac fan than a Linux fan.)
This very entertaining book covers its subject from all sorts of angles - starting with why you might want to ditch Microsoft in the first place, both because of the system's technical and security flaws and the whole 'monopoly' philosophy behind it. For all the main types of software you might need (word processing, web browsing, etc), he shows a range of the (mostly free) non-Microsoft programs that are available. Since many of these are available in Windows versions, it's possible to make the move from Microsoft gradually and easily.
The book is an interesting and entertaining read even if you have no intention of ever ditching Microsoft products. As the blurb on the back cover says, "You are about to read one of the most interesting overviews of modern desktop computing history that's ever been written."
Things move quickly in the computer world, and this book is now about 2 years old. Is it still relevant? Yes, perhaps more so than ever. Windows Vista has been around for about a year now, and many people still don't like it and are requesting that XP be installed when they buy a new machine. And Linux has made vast, VAST steps forward from the days when I wrecked my computer trying to install it. These days you can run it straight from a CD or USB pen-drive, without changing a single thing on your PC, then only install it when you're sure everything works.
And Linux (finally!!!) has reached a stage where it provides a great graphical desktop interface and is no longer the sole domain of command-line geeks!
The book is relevant, readable, and deserves to be read regardless of whether you love or hate Windows, Linux, or the Mac.
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