OS Talk: Why Web Developers should use Linux
DarrenM
There are many reasons why working on Linux has advantages, but for web developers, it should be a no-brainer, but just in case you really need reasons here are just a few of the main ones.
The main feature Linux boasts that makes it better suited for web development over any other Operating System is the fact your local apache server has the same setup as your live hosting. Even without this, the benefits of using Linux over Windows or Mac OS are massive. I’ll go through the main advantages with you in this article.
Spending less time worrying about problems
As Web Developers spend a lot of time on the Internet, whether its checking emails, working on twitter or downloading the latest patches for software you use. It’s nice to know your pc, and all the important work on it is save. When using Windows and even a Mac to an extent you can install Antivirus, anti-spyware and anti adware on your computer to have any chance of making sure its safe from the threats that come with using the internet these days. And even then, that is a lot of trust to be putting in the hands of a 3rd party company.
A real life, proper server to test on
When working on a site, many web developers work on a local development server before transferring it over to their live site. This enables them to test everything before it goes live. Any computer with a browser can view locally stored html files, although if you work with php in any form, you’ll need a server with php supported (guess what you can do that locally on the Linux box as well!).
Both Windows and Mac can be setup to run as a local server, although these have totally different setups from over 70% of all online servers, which run on Linux Machines.
When running Linux on your PC you can have a fully functioning web server on your computer with the exact same setup as your live site.
How to install Lamp on Ubuntu
Save Money
You don’t need to spend big bucks to have the latest and best Linux running on your computer. Licencing is non-existent as Linux is Open Source.You’ll be able to easily find a linux distro that will run on nearly any PC made within the last 10 years, possibly more if you really want to.
Instead of spending money on the applications you use, you can get something suitable for free, which can be installed in minutes without any hassle once you get past the relatively easy learning curve. And as Linux is open source it means that anyone who is interested can help out with the code, just like what happens with WordPress!
It’s Yours: Web Developers love Open Source Software
It’s a fact that a majority of our community love Open Source software. Most of US believe that software should not be under proprietary license. So why use a software which is not open source. Linux is open source and you are free to do anything with the code. Change it, rip it, sell it whatever you want to do with it. Just keep it open source. :)
5 great free Linux Web Development Applications
Comes as default with most Linux distributions, is a great simple no frills text editor which its quite popular for coding. Has syntax and tab support.
jEdit
Another text editor, though more advanced. This truly is a programmers text editors.
KompoZer
Kompozer is a great free wysiwyg web editor. Another similar software is Amaya which is a great free Web editor started by the WC3.
Offers a full web development environment producing html, css and JavaScript.
Despite what some people believe browsing on the web using Linux is the exact same (apart from being allot safer). You can use all the big browsers apart from Safari, and I’ll also point out that all the addons work as they should no matter what Operating system you are running.
Lamp (Linux, Apache, MySql & PHP )
One I’ve already mentioned: The package LAMP, an anagram of Linux, Apache, MySql and PHP provides a fully working server which is the same package 90% of all websites run on. Great for offline development too!
Note: I haven’t linked to the above few programmes a I recommend you download them with your system installer.
For a great sized list showing some brilliant Linux Applications head over to Top 100 OpenSource Applications
Designing on Linux
Designing on Linux is also a lot better than what people seem to think. By default many distributions include the programme Gimp, which although not exactly as detailed as Photoshop, it defiantly does pack a punch.
Other programmes that are great for designing are:
An Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.
OpenOffice Draw
From the OpenOffice package offers the ability to draw anything from a quick simple design to detailed complex designs
It’s also possible if you don’t want to use any of the great Linux alternatives to get Photoshop working on Linux using Wine.
Photoshop CS2 on Linux with Wine
And if there is a Windows programme that you can find for Linux then you can more than likely get it installed on Linux using Wine (Free) or Crossover (from €37.00 ) though crossover is more aimed at playing Windows games on Linux.
As an alternative if you do have a reasonably fast PC with sufficient ram you could use a virtual machine (VIRTUAL BOX) and have a couple of flavours of Windows on it (licensing is the issue here, but you are just testing) and then check if IE7 and 8 (and IE6 for about 20% of the web users) can access your site. More importantly you can then see how badly these will mangle your code and what fixes you have to make.
Linux is suitable for everyone
A common misconception is that you need to be a big tech person or geek to use Linux, although this is true with some distributions such as Arch Linux, with the dawn of new distro’s like Ubuntu, you can have a fully working Computer with a few clicks and 15 – 20 mins of your time.
You can even use Wubi: the Ubuntu installer to install Ubuntu with a single click from Windows.
Helpful Readings:
- Offical Ubuntu Installation Guide
- Dual Boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx
- Ubuntu 10.04 Post-Install Guide: What to do and try after installing Lucid Lynx!
- Installing Apps in Ubuntu
Some other great Linux distributions
So there probably isn’t any single reason why you should move to Linux for your Web Development work, though it can drastically make life a lot easier for you. I really recommend you at least give Linux a try, it really is worth the effort.
What’s your opinion on which operating system, web developers should use?
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ertan
Posted 690 days ago 46I’m using ubuntu linux. I turned from vista 6 months ago. LAMP and php are best for me. If I need .net, I can use it in Virtualbox for a litte time.
I am write web application in 10 years.
Darren, you are exactly right :)
Linux is best for web developers.
thanks for article.
ed
Posted 690 days ago 44I think if you’re a kid and don’t want to pay for the photoshop suite and have lots and lots of time to dink around with using Linux as a desktop environment, than more power to you.
Eventually, you get old and grumpy (34) and just want the damn thing to work. So you have your own dedicated box(s), you buy your software (or charge it to a client), and you install Avast (see: that’s free) and go.
I’m not sure that web developers (should) use Linux exclusively, but all in all, you tried to make a decent case. It’s not going to work for a lot of folks though. Keep writing.
Xavier Sythe
Posted 633 days ago 61If you use Linux, you don’t have to buy software, and you don’t have to install an antivirus. It’s trouble-free computing, out-of-the-box.
Austin Pickett
Posted 690 days ago 38awww come on, a real linux web dev would code in vi. ;p
DarrenM
Posted 690 days ago 41I like to be spoilt!
Methos
Posted 395 days ago 70emacs ;)
Chris
Posted 690 days ago 37Never heard such a load of old ****
In the order you have them:
1) Spending less time worrying about problems – I don’t know how badly your PC is set up but it takes 5 minutes to install antivirus and firewall on any computer (PC, Mac, etc…) and it’s done. I can’t remember the last time I had any form of trojan or virus, certainly not one that wasn’t found with the daily scan and easily dealt with. As for anything else with PC, no problems what-so-ever.
2) A real-life server to test on – I’m .net so this one is sort of void as Linux wouldn’t help anyway.
3) Save money – Unless you’re having a computer ONLY for carrying out web design I don’t see how this point stands. I, like I’m sure many others, use my PC for numerous functionalities: watching films, playing games, etc, etc, etc… And you can’t say software is necessarily cheaper as you’d still be installing third party software (Visual Studio, Dreamweaver, etc) or finding something open source which is just as available on other OS’.
4) Open source – I’m not really sure what this ones about. As a web developer I don’t really understand why an open source OS is important to you… Unless you’re talking about php as open source again well in which case not my area anyway so irrelevant.
So Linux for web-developers “a no brainer”, I think you need to rethink your case.
DarrenM
Posted 690 days ago 39“I’m not really sure what this ones about” you should have used that to start of all your points tbh… bar number 2, thats a valid reason, though doesn’t apply to the wider majority of users.
Xavier Sythe
Posted 633 days ago 62You don’t need to install an anti-virus, let alone scan daily. A real-life server to test on? Not everyone uses .NET. (Obviously)
Saving money? There are incredible cost savings with open-source software, particularly the cost of Windows. Open-source? Software missing a feature? YOU can add it. Extensively customizable software solutions.
Methos
Posted 395 days ago 71Actually I believe the open source portion has to do with portability and maintainability of an application. If a particular plug-in doesn’t work for you, then you can modify it as necessary.
As far as not being able to anything other than web development, I think you might want take a look at the latest installations of Ubuntu or Fedora. You can do more on one of these installations than you can with a fresh install of XP, Vista, or Windows7. Try playing a DVD on a fresh install. You can do that right out of the box on FC or Ubuntu. Granted you can install virus or protection software in a quick amount of time on Windows…Then you’d have to wait the minute or two to reboot the system, then another minute or two to load up your services, and couple more minutes for your system to check for updates and be ready for you to play away. So it’ll take you at the minimum ten minutes to install any given complex application, whereas in linux, you load, fire, and forget any app you want from a trusted repo.
Expensive third-party software? It’s all open source or compiled on a repo. Do I want an IDE?, I have my pick of many choices from netbeans to emacs, to a simple text editor. It’s the same for any piece of software for any function.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be able to switch betweeen OSs, I myself develop on Linux, Windows (XP, Vista, and 7), and a mac, but the point is, that Linux gives you the choice to decide how you want to use your computer for a minimal cost and effort, and with the modern distros of Linux, you can get started, with full functionality in less than 20 minutes.
btw, what type of mobile phone do you own? Is it Android or WebOS? You’re running Linux.
sam
Posted 690 days ago 35+1 for Netbeans. Best web development IDE imho
trent
Posted 690 days ago 34Package Manager, Package Manager, Package Manager!
The advantage is this. When you need to install a php extension, or other program, you open up your package manager (synaptic for me), check the little box for php-imagemagik, postgres, or whatever and click apply. The closest thing to that is mac ports, and it is far from that of synaptic. You don’t need to open up php.ini or anything, it handles it for you. And thats not just php extensions, its any program or plugin you can think of.
Designers, you’re right, gimp is not photoshop or fireworks, and inkscape is not Illustrator. But for the programmers its everything you will ever need and more.
switcherdav
Posted 672 days ago 53“inkscape is not Illustrator”, it’s true, inkscape is better ^^
I use mac os to develop web apps and it’s a great, but MAMP is not the best tool, just try to send email from MAMP …… you can’t
Multyshades
Posted 690 days ago 33linux is a much advanced technology and really useful for everyone but unfortunately i am still using windows xp and facing some problems ;( after having a look on this article i think i desperately needed linux, thanks for share this great information with us
aditia
Posted 690 days ago 31if i’m are develop using cross platform language like ruby, php, java, etc, i’m certainly will using linux, but I have a day job that the project using .net so hiks … hiks still using windows, btw maybe you forgot netbeans run in linux too
Pv
Posted 691 days ago 28I’ll just leave this here:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/26/five-reasons-why-designers-are-switching-to-mac/
PXLated
Posted 691 days ago 27Sorry, I disagree — Perfectly happy running my nice little MacBookPro with MAMP installed – Have never had a problem being compatible with my various LAMP hosts (none). And I don’t worry about security at all – Until something hits in the wild verses theory or lab rat experiments I won’t worry about it either.
The advantage the Mac has is I can run any unix variant I want and any version of Windows I need also. No fuss, no muss and whatever native apps I need/want for any of the three platforms.
DarrenM
Posted 690 days ago 40No sweat! alot of it is personal choice / needs anyway. Though don’t forget Linux is up to par if you ever need to change :P
Ross
Posted 691 days ago 25A lot of these are complete straw-man arguments and the entire article is dishonest. Sorry.
Saad Bassi
Posted 691 days ago 26Rather than just raising a use less shout, it would be awesome if you give your points on why u didn’t like the article.
Ricardo Graça
Posted 691 days ago 24I have been using linux based operating systems for the last 4 years. First started with Ubuntu, then Fedora and now I’ve switched my work pc to openSUSE, and I have to say that KDE is superior to Gnome for web development, at least for me. Opensuse includes a fantastic tool (YaST) that makes development work easier, like setting up apache, mysql, etc. Also, opensuse is much prettier than most gnome based distros (ubuntu 10.04 looks really nice though), and stuff usually just works. It seems to be more productive and well organized, and it also feels more professional.
The comments on proprietary files compatibility also aren’t exactly true. I can open office 2007 files fine with openoffice 3.2. AI files also open just fine with inkscape, as do PSD files with GIMP. I tend to find that most things just work, and those that don’t can usually be made to work. Of course, like all OSes linux has it’s quirks, but I can work around them most of the time.
Matthew
Posted 691 days ago 23I’m a budding web developer and I use a combination of Ubuntu and OS X, but Ubuntu definitely has its advantages for what I do. I’m purely a coder, I don’t do Photoshop or WYSIWYG editors so Ubuntu does everything I need. I use Vim as my text editor of choice, and rely on online utilities for the most part if I need to create or edit images, and it’s nice to be able to install the full LAMP stack on my computer quickly and easily. OS X may be Unix, but it’s not quite as good for getting a development server set up, while with Ubuntu it’s just one command to install it, and maybe editing a few files to change the root directory of the web server.
Mladen Panic
Posted 691 days ago 17A more suitable title for this article would be “Why Web Developers should use Linux over Windows”. OSX is insecure? It ain’t 100% secure (nothing is for that matter…), but how many OSX users do you know that ever once had a virus or something of that sort? And also, a whole load of free software is available for OSX.
wong
Posted 691 days ago 16I did use ubuntu to develop before, install only LAMP, the rest, use the default apps :) Much stable and faster than I use a Mac or PC… Anyway, I turned back to Windows 7 as I design too.
By the way, CS2 in Wine is NOT stable, at least for me, Photoshop 7.0 is way stable…
Volomike
Posted 691 days ago 15I booted up for about 6 years on Ubuntu, and then launched a VM for Windows for testing via Oracle Virtualbox. But then I had to get a faster laptop eventually. While Mac aficionados purchased $2500 laptops, I picked my super fast, quiet, really well made eMachines E525 (actually made by Gateway, owned by Acer) for a mere $298. It came with Windows 7. It’s a fantastic buy and I recommend it to everyone. Just ignore the fact it says eMachines on it.
Some other funny things about the eMachines E525 — people were discouraged from buying it because it said the processor was a 900, and they assumed 900 Mhz. No! It’s a 2.7Ghz dual core. It’s a Celeron 900 chipset. Also, they thought the DVD drive was read-only. No! It’s read-write. Also, it never mentioned the battery life on the box, and I found out it’s a decent 4 hours. And the laptop runs cool to the touch — much cooler than other laptops I have used. The video chipset is fantastic and supports 3D effects both in Ubuntu and Windows. But I digress…
I had a choice here — format and boot with the latest Ubuntu, or boot Windows 7 and launch Oracle Virtualbox to load Ubuntu in a VM. I decided to boot Win 7 and then do the Oracle VB + Ubuntu VM thing. The reason? Better support on wireless networks when in hotels while traveling. I mean, sometimes Ubuntu wireless just can’t connect and only a Win or Mac PC can connect — I’ve seen it before. As well, Skype screensharing and other advanced Skype features don’t work inside Ubuntu yet or don’t work well (without crashes). So, I use Skype in Windows and it lets me Skype screenshare not only my browser testing environment but also my Ubuntu VM screen for discussions with my clients. The other reason is better power management. So far, I have seen Win 7 handle power management and fan spin down (or up) far better than Ubuntu still, and so the laptop runs cooler.
As for performance, it’s actually fairly okay. I give 1GB RAM to Windows, and 1GB RAM to Linux. I then divide the hard drive into 2 equal parts.
jas
Posted 690 days ago 36Use the iwconfig, iwlist and wpa_supplicant tools in Linux for greater control in regards to wireless connections. The Wicd connection manager is far superior to the default NetworkManager application in Ubuntu. If you wish to go back to linux that is.
I have been developing (started as a designer) since 1997. At first I thought I needed windows but as time progressed I found myself using linux more and more.
Wine+Photoshop CS2 for any design elements (since I have been using Photochop since version 3), and using the Komodo IDE (not free but great WYSIWYG editor) as well as vmware-server for my various LAMP server needs.
Since Mac OSX Apple went ahead and skinned & customized the Unix FreeBSD operating system so who am I to argue on your choice?
The only drawback I have found using Linux is that I no longer develop any of my web applications for IE
Masternetra
Posted 666 days ago 55Not too big of a lose as IE is the weakest link…its a shame it has so many users. (mostly people who don’t know any better and just use what came with the computer.)
Jorgen
Posted 691 days ago 13Having worked professionally on both Windows and Linux as a web developer I can say both have their (dis)advantages over the other.
There simply is no alternative for Photoshop. Gimp’s support for .psd files is bad, very bad. The same goes with Open Office and Ms Office.
Photoshop, Illustrator and others on Wine isn’t always a viable solution. Ever tried CS3 or CS4 on Wine? Doesn’t play well.
I still prefer doing most my development work my Linux machine. It just works easier, the command line allows me to perform certain tasks quicker and my workspace is completely tailored to my taste and of course my development environment is almost identical to the production environment of my webhost. I can do pretty much the same under Windows as well since the same tools are available and commandline tools can be used with something like GNUWin32. The thing I would really miss are symlinks.
And then there web developers don’t develop in Ruby, PHP, Pyhton, etc. but .NET in that case you’re almost certainly stuck on Windows using Ms tools for your work. In the end it comes down to personal preference and what makes you work most efficient.
Bill
Posted 691 days ago 12Don’t forget winetricks, for easy installing of ie6 or ie7, and virtualbox for running a windows install. It’s hard to get past the fact that most of your users will be on IE6/7/8 on Windows XP/Vista/7.
giedrius majauskas
Posted 691 days ago 10There is one reason not to use Linux (or Mac ) for website development is hands-on testing with IE . Yeah, you can launch IE in a VM box, or test on some websites, but it is not the same. And yes, I have tried. Also, testing in VM box makes you vulnerable to some infections.
Speaking about infections, Neiter Linux nor Macos are immune to them. The difference is that both markets are so small not many viruses exist. But much less user care about antivirus protection of their Mac or Linux either. A properly configured Linux server is secure, though.
Thirdly, I find it the best to have a linux box as development server environment, but I access it through sftp/ssh/ftp. You could even use windows shared folders.
Sergio
Posted 691 days ago 7hey good article agree with all your points, I am web developer and happy Fedora-Debian user, to start I would recommend ubuntu or kubuntu, Mint is a good choice also, later you can to jump to Debian many web server running on it
Michal Kozak
Posted 691 days ago 5Two more things:
1) If a given web developer is also a designer (like myself) they care about how things look. Windows is ugly, no doubt about that, but Linix is not much better. Mac OS is a treat for the eyes. If you don’t care, that’s fine. If you do, then you have a little problem.
2) Most of us need systems which are ready to go from the very first moment you turned them on. I don’t want to spend time playing with setting, customizing and trying to get things I use on daily basis working. Turn it on and use it. With Linux, there’s almost always some compiling, some drivers and components that need to be added or installed. That’s just frustrating. Well, maybe Ubunti is the exepction :).
DarrenM
Posted 691 days ago 19I dont see how you think Linux isnt good looking? Though not all distros are nice looking, most of then are. And its extremely easy to add more eye candy to Linux. I wrote this post a few months ago:
http://gapps.me/apps/linux/linux-lookers-who-says-linux-cant-look-great/
And bar form the odd problem with Ati graphics cards, and the odd wireless driver, Linux is pretty much works out of the box.
Michal Kozak
Posted 691 days ago 21“And its extremely easy to add more eye candy to Linux” – but I don’t want to spend any extra time tweaking it till I finally like it.
Like I said, it should be working from the moment I turn it on for the very first time, and it should be working exactly how I need it right from the start, and it should look so good I won’t want to change it.
Still, like I said at the end of the comment from our previous little discussion – different people have different tastes and needs, so they choose the system that suits them the most and they are happy with.
Chris Johnson
Posted 691 days ago 29Do you even recognize the contradiction of saying that an OS should look so good you won’t want to modify it, then later commenting how different people have different tastes and needs?
Chris Johnson
Posted 691 days ago 30To hear people like you talk you’d think everyone using Linux has to spend 8 hours compiling the kernel to get a command line only server and another 3 days getting X to work. Sure, you could still do that if you’re a masochist or something, but most people would probably prefer putting in the install disk, answering a few questions and having a working OS with GUI (roundy corners and everything!) in less than a half hour.
It’s frustrating because I think the general tone toward operating systems drives people away from Linux unfairly. The one area where Microsoft and Apple far exceed Linux is their brainwashing departments.
Michal Kozak
Posted 690 days ago 32I guess that’s because I remember the times when there were no great or no distributions like that at all (talking about this easy to instal and use distributions).
Despite that, what I said is still true. In terms of ease of use, usability, functionality and productivity Linux is still not close to other systems, and that’s what counts. The truth is, we as developers or designers or other creatives – we’re in the minority. Majority of poeple is just light, simple users with basic needs and basic technical knowledge and understanding of this stuff.
They need to things:
1) a system that they don’t need to tweak in any way to use it
2) a systemm that can easily, out of the box run their favourite programs, whether it’s something they use for fun or for work. You know what I mean, no additional time or knowledge required.
And that’s I guess the biggest issue with Linux based systems.
So if I can’t at all run software I need, especially profesionally for work, or if it requires some additional time or knowledge to set it up – I just won’t use that systems.
And one more thing – there are apps that people use for many years. There not only used to these apps – many times these apps are state of the art (they boost their productivity and are the part of their work) and sadly you won’t find any substitutions that will fill their shoes for them.
Unless someone port them to other platforms + make them work out of the box – people won’t switch.
Chris Johnson
Posted 690 days ago 42First, Linux already has both of those two things for many basic home users (sans gaming). The perfect example is my girlfriend’s mom. She decided she wanted a computer to use at home for just web browsing, playing some games, IM, finding recipese, etc. So, we took an old laptop and put Mint on it for her. It does everything she needs. I’d happily put Gnome/Nautilus, Firefox, Sudoku and gEdit up against Explorer, IE, Solitaire and Notepad for the average basic user any day of the week.
With the exceptions of gaming, gaps in interoperability between OpenOffice and MS Office, and apps or devices that will only work on a single platform, the basic user has everything they need in a Linux system and it’s as easy for them to use as Windows or OS X. I understand that there are users who that isn’t true for, but when you say the platform itself is lacking it implies that it’s lacking for all users, when in fact it’s only a subset.
Second, for those issues I listed (and that you’ve also already outlined) there’s nothing that can be done from the Linux side but to continue with efforts to hack in support for things while trying to convince everyone to use standards for document formatting, release their applications for multiple platforms and build games with OpenGL rather than DirectX.
We may already be in agreement and I’m just misreading it, but your posts sound to me as if you’re blaming Linux’s shortcomings on the platform itself when the problem really is a social issue between the developers and the end users, or really the market on the whole, not a technical one. What I mean by that is that every company or individual who creates an application or game for Windows/Mac only, or uses proprietary formats for their documents, is saying to every potential customer or partner: I choose this set of expensive, proprietary platforms to work on; if you want to work with me or be my costumer, you have to do so as well. And everyone who then uses that software or works with that document is agreeing to those terms. It’s a social contract between the two that has an impact not just on both sides but on the entire industry.
When you’re just deciding “does this work?” that distinction may not seem important, but it really is. Unless you understand the reason there’s a gap in functionality you can’t close it. Pointing at Linux and going “Not good enough” is great if you’re Apple or Microsoft. However, for the rest of the user and development communities it’s important to know why, so that we can fix it. Linux isn’t perfect, which is why people continue to develop it, but in this case the problem is on the other end. As long as we’re blaming Linux for not meeting impossible demands then the situation will never get better. We have to point the blame where it belongs, which is the proprietary platforms, as well as those who build for and use them, for shunning standards and trying to impose their platform decisions on everyone else.
Andrew
Posted 690 days ago 43You are really clueless.
1) Pop in live cd. From here you can boot in to the OS without even installing. To install you click the install icon on the desktop.
2) After install, I can have php mysql apache (with whatever mods I want), my IDE of choice with whatever plugins, gimp, inkscape, my office suite, and whatever app I need with one simple command.
#yum install php mysql apache geane eclipse gimp inkscape
Still too much work, you can use this instead.
#yum groupinstall graphics ‘Web Server’
And you are all set to go..
Sounds like right out of the box to me. There is zero need to compile most applications unless you are trying to build some special custom mod in to a web server (which would require extensive work on any amp setup). You are complaining about linux, while praising a *nix distro with the apple skin….
Johan de Jong
Posted 691 days ago 4Although I agree that Linux is equal (if not better) than Windows and MacOS there’s one major problem: compatibility with clients…
Most clients will send you Word documents, .psd and .ai files, etc which ain’t supported by Linux out-of-the-box.
Ok, it’s possible to emulate most apps with WINE, but this requires some extra knowledge about the distro you’re working with.
DarrenM
Posted 691 days ago 6Hey Johan,
Thanks for commenting Though I don’t know about .ai files it is possible to work with .psd files with Gimp. In the same way Open Office, or indeed Google Docs if you wish can open .doc files. All of which are usually installed out of the box.
Masternetra
Posted 665 days ago 56Yea inkscape can open .ai files or at least i remember it doing so. The problem with psd files can be with the layer effects… simply put most of photoshop’s layer effects just not supported in GIMP (at least not yet.) A simple psd with no layer effects should open without any real trouble.
Chris Pratt
Posted 691 days ago 11Microsoft Office documents aren’t supported by any OS right out of the box, including Windows. You have to have a copy of Microsoft Office. There’s versions for both Windows and Mac, but Linux users can use OpenOffice, which is actually completely cross-platform. This alone is no reason to choose an OS.
Masternetra
Posted 665 days ago 57Actually Windows 7 supports .doc out of the box via word pad. But as for the new .docx, yea you will need the new MS Word app.
João Pedro Pereira
Posted 691 days ago 3I’m WebDeveloper and I use Linux for 6 years, and ’till now I’m very satisfied.
Instead of the IDE’s you came across, I use geany, it’s light but has all the features needed and very customizable through plug-ins. Give it a try ;)
Cheers
DarrenM
Posted 691 days ago 9Glad to hear you’ve used Linux successfully for 6 years. I’ll definably give Geany a try.
Michal Kozak
Posted 691 days ago 2Hey Darren :).
Some great points here, although I can’t agree with two of them.
1) Spending less time worrying about problems
Viruses and security problems – that’s the Windows domain. Don’t indluce Mac OS here.
2) Proper server to test on
First of all, you have to remember one thing: Mac OS is a UNIX based system. And second of all: it has built-in Apache and PHP.
Other than that, I agree with the rest of the points you highlighted in the article.
DarrenM
Posted 691 days ago 8Hey Michal,
Thanks for reading, though I don’t think Windows alone is endanger from virus’s and malware, I think Macs are too, at least somewhat. Apple hasn’t included a lot of protection to their os that Microsoft has. I think you should give the following a quick read:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/09/security-snow-leopard/
http://broadcast.oreilly.com/2008/12/is-apple-os-x-more-secure-than.html
http://lifehacker.com/5518787/famous-hacker-calls-windows-more-secure-than-mac
Though I’m not putting Mac OS down, I do think its users need to be aware their systems aren’t as safe as they might think.
Michal Kozak
Posted 691 days ago 14Oh I’ve read many things about three systems. I have also used each of them :). In fact, I’ve been using Windows for 10 years, and Linux for over a year. I’m not anymore.
See, that’s the thing. It really DOESN’T matter how great security you have or how many protective “shields” you’ve enabled or installed. What matters is – how many times you experience problems, attacks, viruses, system crashes, data losses etc.
Now how many viruses and bugs are there for Windows? How many attacks (and their consequences) Windows useres face every year? Now, compare it to Mac OS.
That’s the thing. You can be happy that you have better security and more protective stuff running on and…? And that’s it, because even though, viruses, bugs and hackers always get you and always will.
I can have smaller security or even no security at all – and how come I’ve never facet anything like that on Mac OS?
So, we can talk and talk, but what matters is the number of viruses, bugs, attacks and the consequences of all these – and you can’t change these numbers and these facts.
So yeah, I’m pretty happy with my less security, and no, I won’t come back to Windows ever again. It’s been 10 years, bye bye :).
DarrenM
Posted 691 days ago 18The thing is how can you know there’s someone is tracking your password input? They certainly don’t pop you an email letting you know. Usually the first sign of this is on your bank statement if you handle any sort of money on your computer. Or is that built into OSX? ;)
Michal Kozak
Posted 691 days ago 20And that doesn’t happen on Windows :) ? Like I said, compare the number of the incidents I listed before. You can neither change it nor deny.
Darren, understand one thing please: I’m not Mac fanboy, I’m also not Windows fanboy and I’m not Linux fanboy.
Like I said befire, I’ve been using all three systems and I finally settled on Mac.
Truth is – there is no way ANYONE can say that this or that system is better. That’s not even comparable.
Everyone chooses the system that suits them the most. Everyone has different needs and tastes.
Tiliche
Posted 691 days ago 22How do you know it running linux? Just because people say is most secure?…. Is the same thing =P!
Victor Hugo
Posted 690 days ago 45Totally agree with Michal Kozak, I also have use the 3 most popular OS, and with linux a few bugs make me go for better productivity, and worried less about OS stuff now, I`m running a osx86 (hackintosh) into 640m dell inspiron, and it runs smooth, also running Virtualbox for explorer testing.
In windows the story is about windows Xp and 7 and the virus, also the license system stuff.
I`m not saying linux is bad, but had some weird behavior I cant work with 2 monitors, the resolution got broken, and a couple more stuff, Apps productivity, I just don’t like to complain a the moment of work, I Like something that make me do the thing and that`s it.
Also good post keep reading and testing.
vabhe
Posted 691 days ago 1check http://bluefish.openoffice.nl/ too