Linux offers many alternatives to Windows based softwares. From internet browsers to word processors, almost every area of Windows computing seems to have a Linux counterpart (or maybe it’s the other way around). Anyway, some time last december, i set out looking for a software like Microsoft’s ActiveSync – which is used to connect and synchronize a Pocket PC with a Windows desktop – that could run in a pure Linux environment. Well i must have seen The SynCE Project, since it appears that there are no other projects attempting to develop this particular type of software. But for some reason, i never bookmarked it and forgot all about it.

As a result, i have still not been able to connect my Pocket PCs to a Linux machine directly, and rely instead on a Windows desktop as an intermediary. I guess i thought SynCE was relatively new at the time, but there’s another version out now, SynCE 0.9.1 – which is supposed to include “almost a year’s worth of improvements”. I wanted to try it out but i could only find RPMs for the older version (0.9.0), and i don’t feel like installing from source, so i might just wait a little bit longer. Either way, i’m not going to lose this site again.

SynCE (and related tools/plugins) offer the following capabilities:

• copy files
• list directory contents
• create directories
• move (rename) files
• remove files
• remove an empty directory
• run a program
• display status about remote device
• install a .cab file

Additionally, there are scripts and add-ons that can do stuff like:

• backup files from a Pocket PC to a Linux desktop
• convert PocketWord (.pwi/.psw) documents into OpenOffice (.sxw), html, and plain text
• synchronize PIM data between GNOME-based systems like Evolution and a Pocket PC
• synchronize KDE PIM data, integrating with Konqueror, drag and drop functionality and more

I thought it would be a good idea to make a list that compared Windows to Linux softwares, side-by-side. That way, i could describe the difference between the two operating systems in terms that people were already familiar with. Try Firefox instead of Internet Explorer, Open Office instead of Microsoft Office, Thunderbird instead of Outlook Express.. and so on.

All of these alternative softwares are free to download (there’s a good reason, right?) and can be installed on a system running Windows. The idea was to prepare the person for an eventual switch to Linux. So if those 3 applications are the only ones you even use, go ahead and give them a try. You too could be running a Linux desktop in the near future.

Unfortunately, these days the vast majority of Windows users demand a lot more out of their desktop systems. When comparing softwares for things like sound, gaming, viewing dvds, and different graphics editors – there may not always be a clear Linux alternative. I was relieved to find out that there is a site called Grokdoc that has taken on the challenge of maintaining such a list, so i guess i won’t have to. Lucky me.

If you were looking for a starting point, i would recommend the page entitled: Switching to Linux, which is a very complete step by step for first timers. It does a good job of bringing together info from many different sources. There is also a page called Application Crossover Chart, that does a side-by- side comparison of softwares with links to many Linux alternatives, but there isn’t as much description, so it is more useful to have just as a reference.

I guess i’ll end off by quoting what someone once told me when i first starting asking about Linux:

“Just read a lot.”

I have to remember to keep an eye out for this up and coming Linux Distribution. From the screenshots [ 1 | 2 | 3 ] on their site, it looks really different. It is still only in the alpha stages at this time, and i should probably wait at least until a beta version comes out before i try to install it / test it out.. but who know’s, maybe i’ll try it out sooner.

It kind of reminded me of what i had hoped the Project Looking Glass would be. Looking Glass is an Open Source Operating System described as an innovative 3D environment and is currently being developed by Sun Microsystems.

The Alpha 4 version is supposed to have some major improvements, it is due to be released sometime in july ’05. Will definitely check back soon.

Update: Symphony OS Alpha 4 version is now available for download (as of Aug 3, 2005). New features include: graphical package manager (Synaptic), better search capabilities (Beagle), new configuration tools, and more. Looking forward to the Beta 1 version, which is the next build to be released.