A Room Without Windows is the title of a hopefully interesting project. The Aim of the project is to take a couple of self confessed Microsoft Windows Addicts and place them into a software environment which is to them out of their comfort zone. For 31 Days our two test subjects will use exclusively the open source operating system… Linux

Derek and Blair are both Microsoft Applications Instructors working in the commercial sector, between them they have 30 years of PC experience all of which has been completed using Microsoft Operating Systems. Both have used Microsoft Products from Dos through to the latest operating system Windows 7. It is fair to say our cute little lab rats are completely new to the Linux operating system.

Aim of the Project

This experiment hopes to examine in a concise manner if the Linux operating system is capable of delivering the function and style of delivery that an established Windows user can adapt to easily. Throughout the 31 Days of the Project the participants will blog their experiences on a day to day basis. Precise instructions on the steps that they take to build the operating system, install software and use the applications will be included whilst on our journey.

This project will not attempt to answer that much argued and probably unanswerable question… “Which is best, Linux or Windows”. We already hold the opinion that both operating systems have their strengths and weaknesses

We hope that the project will provide a resource that will aid Windows users who are considering changing to (completely or via dual boot) Linux make an informed choice. We also hope that the content of the articles will offer guidance to those that have decided to jump from the good ship Microsoft in setting up or choosing applications.

Project Parameters

• On Day One of the project, participants will erase their existing Windows installations. Once this is done, all activities normally executed within the Windows environment must be done within an open source environment. (this excludes our computer use during our paid jobs, we are MS applications instructors, it’s kinda hard to teach Word without using erm… Word
• The participants will strive to find alternative applications to replace all of the function that they currently achieve through a Windows environment. Where possible, all applications that are installed on the chosen operating systems will be open source and native to Linux. Non-open source or non-native applications will only be used if Linux applications are unavailable or unable to replicate the function or ease of use supplied by currently used Windows applications. A list of the currently used applications is provided below.
• Existing Data files from the Windows environment will be preserved and we will attempt to access them from our newly installed Linux environment.
• A forum will be provided for followers of the project to participate. As complete newcomers to the Linux operating system, we anticipate we will require support and guidance from more experienced users. Certainly suggestions on which Linux Applications will fit our needs will be most gratefully received.
• Throughout the project we will rate applications we use on Ease of Use, Function and Familiarity (i.e. similarity to Windows). These are not intended to be exhaustive reviews, because we have a lot of ground to cover we don’t expect to be able to examine every detail and function of an application. Familiarity to Windows should not be understood to reflect the quality of an application, rather an indication on how comfortable a Windows user will feel with it’s interface or method of functioning
• We will endeavor to carry on our computing life in as normal a way as possible. Any tasks we currently use our PC’s for will be completed as normal.
• A final conclusion will hopefully be reached on Day 31. If we are uncomfortable reaching a conclusion the project will be extended to a time and date where we are happy to report.

Applications

This is a list of the applications that are currently installed on our Windows operating systems. We will attempt within the 31 day time frame to find and evaluate alternatives to each of these:

Photoshop, Dreamweaver, WinRar, Itunes, IE, Google Sketchup, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Visio, Microsoft Outlook, MSN Messenger, Daemon Tools, GMail Notifier, IIRC, FileZilla, Sketchup, Diptrace, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Live Writer, Paint.Net, Google Desktop, Xobni, 7-Zip, Firefox

Hardware

We will be using EeePC901 sub notebooks for the duration of the project. This decision is an arbitrary one, it just so happens that these are our most frequently used personal computers.

One of the EeePCs has been substantially modified with 2gb Ram, a 32gb Supertalent SSD, and touchscreen. The other holds 2gb ram but otherwise is standard.

Linux Distributions

Currently we are looking at various Linux distributions in the form of live installations. The strongest contender is currently looking to be one (or more) of the Ubuntu based distros. The criteria for choosing the operating system is as follows:

• Similarity to Windows. The aim of this project is to test how easily established Windows users can adapt to Linux, the choice of distribution reflects this goal.
• Command Line Operations. We are looking to use a Linux Distribution that will minimize the use of command line operations. Whilst we appreciate that experienced Linux users may rely heavily and have preferences for command line driven operations, we simply don’t have time within the parameters of this project to learn these.
• Compatibility with applications. In order to assure that we find realistic alternatives to our much loved Windows based applications we wish to use a Linux Distribution that offers a good choice of applications
• Hardware Compatibility. We don’t wish the project to focus on technical issues, Given the timeframe, we wish to sample as much of the alternate applications as is practical, spending nights fighting with drivers is not our thing!

Other Participants are Welcome

If you have been considering trying out another operating system and consider yourself inexperienced with Linux, You are welcome to join in to this project. All we ask is that you are prepared to work within the parameters set above and have time to contribute regularly your experiences in a blog style. If you wish to join in, there are two steps to follow.

• First register as a member of the site. You will find a link to do this on the left hand column.
• Contact me using this form placing the title “A Room Without Windows” somewhere in the subject line. We can then upgrade your membership account to allow you to place items in the Blog.

Please be aware that participants blog entries will be subject to approval before being published.

Project Start Date

The project launch date will be the 1st of June 2009.  Launch time will be 8pm GMT

One thing we do wish is a chance for the internet public to comment before we commence. If you think the project is worthwhile, please take a little time to pass the news on to whoever you think may be interested. That could be an e-mail to a friend, a forum post or by socially bookmarking us. We are open to suggestions, and you may see this document change as new ideas are submitted

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