Chapter 1

How to Use Tons of Powerful,

Free Software — Fast

AL
RI
In This Chapter

TE

Exploring what free software has to offer

Downloading and installing the top free software package

MA

Getting support for your free software

T
D
he Internet offers over 10,000 free software packages available for down-
load. Some of these, of course, stand head and shoulders above the rest.
TE

Programs such as Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, the GIMP, OpenOffice.

org, and others are fantastic tributes to what free software stands for.
GH

In the opinion of your humble author and many others, free software is best
when it is not just free as in zero cost but also free as in freedom. In the case of
software released under the terms of popular free software licenses like the GNU
RI

General Public license, you are free to use the software in any way you want,
including giving it away, improving it, and modifying it however you want or
PY

selling it on a street corner. The only thing you are not free to do under free soft-
ware licenses like the GNU General Public License is restrict someone else’s
freedom to do the same. Needless to say, many programmers love free software,
CO

which is also known as open source. It’s like buying a car they can tinker with
and not having the hood padlocked. And it is the result of modifications made
by businesses and individual programmers that this software grows and
evolves.

There’s considerable controversy in some circles whether “free software” or

“open source software” is a better name for the freely distributable and freely
modifiable software described in this book. I and many others think that free
software is the proper description, because it highlights the philosophical and
ethical value of software freedom. Also, what most people call Linux is actually
only a software kernel that is a central but small part of an operating system
and is usually combined with an array of software from the Free Software
Foundation’s GNU project and from others to create a complete operating sys-
tem. So in this book when I refer to the popular operating system that uses the
Linux kernel, I use what I consider the more accurate name for it, GNU/Linux.
10 Part I: Plunging Into Free Software

The free software packages that I describe in this book are generally as good,
if not better than available proprietary software, and you can expect this free
software soon to outperform any proprietary software competition. This
enormous growth is the history of free software. When the free software pro-
tocols of TCP/IP, http, ftp, and others appeared, the Internet was born and
soon saw the demise of proprietary networks such as Compuserve. Free soft-
ware powers 68 percent of all Web servers. And currently, free software is
gaining a firm foothold in the application software field. Why? Because it
grows through the spirit of giving, which may be one of the most powerful
forces in the universe.

So, why not explore the world of free software? It’s all free, it’s powerful, it’s
secure, and it’s available for everyone to enjoy and improve. And if you’re
concerned about support for your free software, let me assuage your fears:
Support is available, and it’s free, too.

In this book, I do occasionally include some proprietary software that is free

to download, but not to modify. These software applications are mostly listed
in Chapter 24. I also include a chapter on Skype, which is proprietary Internet
telephone software that is given freely (meaning with no charge) to anyone
for non-commercial use.

Exploring the Web with Mozilla Firefox

Why is Mozilla Firefox increasing its market share of Internet browsers practi-
cally on a daily basis, since it appeared in the autumn of 2004? Because explor-
ing the Web with Mozilla Firefox, as shown in Figure 1-1, gives you peace of
mind, due to its increased security features, and lets you work more efficiently,
using the following features:

 Greater security: It disallows viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other

malicious programs from running in Firefox.
 Tabbed browsing: Using tabs makes viewing and managing Web pages
much easier than opening and closing windows.
 Search engines right on the toolbar: What do you like to search?
Google? Yahoo!? eBay? Amazon? Ask Jeeves? Wikipedia? All these search
engines and more can be listed right on the toolbar. Now there’s no need
to go to Google to do all your searching.
 RSS integration: Bookmarks can come alive with RSS integration. Just
like the news headlines at Yahoo!, you can have bookmarks that give you
the latest of whatever you want the latest of — latest news, latest bar-
gains, latest whatever. And it’s easy to setup and use.
 Chapter 1: How to Use Tons of Powerful, Free Software — Fast 11
 Easy bookmarking: Firefox offers easy and powerful bookmark organizing.
 Pop-up-free browsing: You can disallow pop-ups, and Firefox lets you
know when a Web page is trying to open a pop-up. Then you can decide
whether you want to see it or ignore it.
 Best Find feature I’ve ever used: This feature alerts you right away if
what you’re looking for in a Web page is not available — even while you
are typing.

Figure 1-1:
Use Mozilla
Firefox Web
browser
for secure
browsing,
tabs, easy-
access
search
engines,
RSS, and
more.

Downloading and Installing Mozilla

Firefox for Windows, Mac OS X,
and GNU/Linux
To download Mozilla Firefox for Windows or Mac OS X, go to www.mozilla.org
and click on the Free Download link for Firefox, unless you want to download
Firefox in a language other than English, then choose the Other Systems and
Languages link and click the link for your system and language. Save the file
to your hard drive. After the file finishes downloading, Windows users can
follow the instructions in the sidebar, “Installing applications in Windows,”
for installing the program.
12 Part I: Plunging Into Free Software

Installing applications in Windows

Here are the detailed steps that you can A progress bar appears, showing the
follow to install Firefox, as well as virtually any progress of the extracting process. When it
application in Windows: The basic idea is first finishes, a new folder appears in the same
to see if your downloaded file is compressed, folder as the downloaded file, with the same
and if it is then uncompress it. (Need some free name, except the type is a File Folder and
decompressing software? Go to http://www. not a Compressed file.
thefreesite.com/Free_Software/Unzipping_
5. Double-click to open the newly extracted
compression_freeware/ and choose your
folder.
favorite one.) If the file is not compressed, then
you can generally just double-click on it to start Often you may see one application file in the
the Installation wizard. open folder. In some cases, such as
OpenOffice.org, more than one application
To install any application in Windows, you can
file appears, in which case I will let you
do the following:
know what file to double-click on in the next
1. After downloading the file that you want to step.
install, if your browser downloads to the
6. Exit all the programs that you have running
desktop, you may want to move the file into
in Windows.
a folder.
7. Double-click on the application file in the
I have a folder in My Documents called
extracted folder, or if the downloaded file
Downloaded Applications where I move all
was not compressed, then double-click on
of my downloaded programs.
the downloaded file.
2. Open the folder where the downloaded file
The Installation Wizard appears.
resides, if it is not already open, click the
View button, and choose Details. (Don’t 8. Generally, you probably just want to accept
double-click on the downloaded file! Just all the default values of the Installation
open the folder.) Wizard. Sometimes, you may be required to
choose a language and location.
The details of the downloaded files in your
folder appear: Name, Size, Type, and so on. If you want more details about the
Installation Wizard, see the Appendix.
3. If the Type of the downloaded file is
Compressed, then right-click on the file 9. After you complete the Installation Wizard,
and choose Extract Files. Otherwise, go to you can start the program by choosing
Step 6. Start ➪ All Programs ➪ (Program Name).
A dialog box appears with the name and The steps to install any application in Windows
location of the new folder that the file will are virtually the same. The basic idea is first to
extract into. see whether the downloaded file is com-
pressed, and if it is, uncompress it. If it’s not, you
4. Click OK.
can generally just double-click on it to start the
Installation Wizard.
 Chapter 1: How to Use Tons of Powerful, Free Software — Fast 13
Mac OS X users can install Firefox by doing the following:

1. Find the downloaded file with the file format .dmg. (If you can only
find the file that ends with .dmg.gz, double-click on it. Stuff It Expander
unpacks it and creates a file ending with .dmg.)
2. Double-click on the downloaded file ending with .dmg.
3. Drag the Firefox application (the globe with the fox on it) into the
Applications folder.
4. Drag the icon onto the dock, if you want it to be there (which is handy).

GNU/Linux users can download and install Mozilla Firefox using KPackage.
For more details, see the Appendix.

Reading Mail with Mozilla Thunderbird

Mozilla Thunderbird offers the same added security as Mozilla Firefox. No
programs can enter your computer through e-mail and start to run automati-
cally in Mozilla Thunderbird, as they can in other email programs. This fea-
ture provides peace of mind. Mozilla Thunderbird also has other top-notch
features as well:

 Intelligent Junk Mail filtering: Mozilla learns from you, and then you let
it take over the task of getting rid of unwanted messages for you.
 RSS Integration: Subscribe to an RSS feed of your choice and have the
latest information automatically sent to you as e-mails.
 Advanced filtering: Filter e-mail into folders as it arrives, or easily sort
your inbox with a single click.
 Smart address book: This feature fills in addresses automatically as you
type them.
 Saved Search feature: You can search e-mails and save them into folders,
as shown in Figure 1-2.

To download Thunderbird for Windows or Mac OS X, go to www.mozilla.org

and click the Download Thunderbird for Windows, English link under the Get
Thunderbird heading. If you want to download for Mac OS X or GNU/Linux,
go to www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/ and click on the Other
Systems and Languages link under Download Now.

Save the file to the hard drive. Then after it finishes downloading, Windows
users, follow the instructions in the sidebar in the “Exploring the Web with
Mozilla Firefox” section of this chapter to install the program.
14 Part I: Plunging Into Free Software

Mac OS X users can install Thunderbird by doing the following:

1. Find the downloaded file with the file format .dmg. (If you can only
find the file that ends with .dmg.gz, double-click on it; Stuff It Expander
unpacks it and creates a file ending with .dmg.)
2. Double-click on the downloaded file ending with .dmg.
3. Drag the Thunderbird application into the Applications folder.
4. Drag the icon onto the dock, if you want it to be there (which is handy).

GNU/Linux users can download and install Mozilla Thunderbird using

KPackage. For more details, see the Appendix.

Figure 1-2:
Mozilla
Thunderbird
is a
security-
minded mail
client full
of great
features.

Manipulating Images Digitally

Anyone who takes digital photos and wants to improve their look will LOVE
the GIMP. The GIMP, which stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, per-
forms basically the same tasks as Adobe Photoshop. It has a wide array of
features, including tools by which you can retouch images, and filters that
can enhance their colors and look. Using the GIMP, you can do the following:
 Chapter 1: How to Use Tons of Powerful, Free Software — Fast 15
 Select, cut, copy, layer, crop, and scale images.
 Add transparency.
 Use the Clone tool to repair blemishes, as shown in Figure 1-3.
 Draw and paint with a paintbrush, pencil, airbrush, even an eraser,
using more than fifty different types of brushes.
 Filter an image in a multitude of ways. Here are just a few:
• Color filters to enhance the colors of an image
• Edge-detect filters to make an image look like a line drawing
• Light effect filters to add spotlights and other lighting effects
• Cartoon filter to give an image a cartoon look
• Artistic filters to give an image an artistic flair
• Rendering filters for interesting artworks, without the need of any
digital photo

Figure 1-3:
Using the
GIMP’s
Clone tool,
I erased
the horse’s
fence.
16 Part I: Plunging Into Free Software

Downloading and installing

the GIMP for Windows
To download and install the GIMP for Windows, go to http://gimp-win.
sourceforge.net/stable.html. Click on the word Download to download
each of the following programs from this page:

 GTK+ 2 For Windows

 The Gimp For Windows
 GIMP Help 2
 GIMP Animation Package: Optional, for advanced users

Each time you click the Download link, you can choose a mirror site to down-
load the program from. (For more about mirrors, see the Appendix.) Click
in the Download column for a site near you. Save the file to the hard drive.
Click the Back button to return to the page to start the other files download-
ing in the same manner.

After the files finish downloading, follow the instructions in the sidebar in the
“Exploring the Web with Mozilla Firefox” section of this chapter, to install the
programs. Install GTK+ 2 first, then the Gimp For Windows, and then GIMP
Help 2.

Downloading and installing the GIMP

for Mac OS X or GNU/Linux
On the Macintosh, the GIMP requires X11, a graphics windowing software
used by many GNU/Linux applications. Apple provides a version of X11 for
Mac OS X, and you may have installed it if you chose a custom install when
installing Mac OS X on your computer — but if you don’t remember doing
this, you probably didn’t. To download and install X11 for Mac OS X, go to
http://gimp-app.sourceforge.net and click on the link “Get X11 for OS X
10.3” or on the link “Get X11 preview for OS X 10.2,” depending on which ver-
sion of Mac OS X you have, and then follow the directions in the window that
appears to save the file to the hard drive. (If you have a version of Mac OS X
later than 10.3, choose the version for 10.3.)

To download and install the GIMP for Mac OS X, go to http://gimp-app.

sourceforge.net and click on the link Gimp-2.2.3.dmg. Click in the Download
column of a site near you to start the download. Save the file to the hard drive.

After the file has downloaded, Mac OS X users can install the GIMP by doing
the following:
 Chapter 1: How to Use Tons of Powerful, Free Software — Fast 17
1. Find the downloaded file with the file format .dmg. (If you can only
find the file that ends with .dmg.gz, then double-click on it; Stuff It
Expander unpacks it and creates a file ending with .dmg.)
2. Double-click on the downloaded file ending with .dmg.
3. Drag the application into the Applications folder.
4. Drag the icon onto the dock, if you want it to be there (which is handy).

Follow the same steps to install the X11 file you downloaded, if it’s not
already installed on your Macintosh.

GNU/Linux users generally have The GIMP installed already on their desk-
tops. Or they can use KPackage to download and install it or get the latest
version. For more information on KPackage, see the Appendix.

Free Internet Telephone

and Conference Calls
Skype is the most popular Internet telephone today with more than 29 million
registered users. And it is adding an average of 155,000 users per day. It is not
open source software, which means programmers around the world cannot
tinker with it and improve it, but it works great and it is given freely. You can
make calls from computer-to-computer, or you can make regular phone calls
from your computer. The computer-to-computer calls are free, but there’s a
small charge for the computer-to-phone calls. Even so, as of March 11, 2005,
over one million people have enrolled in this SkypeOut service. Skype is user-
friendly with its easy-to-use interface and its new Getting Started Wizard, as
shown in Figure 1-4. It also has better reception than an ordinary phone.

Skype can also be used as an instant messenger, which is handy when you
want to spell out things to people you may be talking to.

To run Skype, you need an Internet connection, either a dial-up with a mini-
mum 33.6 Kbps; or cable, DSL, or other broadband connection. Plus, you
need a microphone.

To download Skype, go to www.skype.com and click on the “Download Skype

Now. It’s Free” button at the top of the page. The download may start immedi-
ately. If not, click on the Download Skype For (your operating system here).
Save the file to the hard drive.

To install Skype on Mac OS X 10.3 or higher, double-click on the downloaded

.dmg file. Drag the Skype application to the main Applications folder.
18 Part I: Plunging Into Free Software

To install Skype on Windows, double-click on the downloaded file,

SkypeSetup. Follow the instructions of the Installation Wizard.

Chapter 13 gets you up and running with Skype.

Figure 1-4:
Free
telephone
calls with
great
reception
and
conference
calling
ability for
up to four
callers is
available
with Skype.

Recording and Editing Sound

Audacity is an audio editor and recorder that enables you to basically be
your own sound studio. Using Audacity, shown in Figure 1-5, you can record
sounds, mix sounds, cut and copy sounds, run filters on sounds, and even
change the speed or pitch of the recordings. You can use Audacity to convert
tapes or records into digital recordings, or you can use it to convert one type
of sound file to another. The filters include Noise Removal, Echo, Tremolo,
Equalization, and others.

Downloading Audacity
You can download Audacity from http://audacity.sourceforge.net.
Click on the Download tab and click either the Windows or Mac OS 9 Or X
link to download the Audacity 1.2.3 installer. Click in the Download column of
 Chapter 1: How to Use Tons of Powerful, Free Software — Fast 19
a site near you. (If you want more information about mirrors, see the
Appendix.) Save the file to the hard drive.

You’ll also want to download the LAME MP3 encoder. This program allows
you to export a sound file into MP3 format. To download the MP3 encoder,
Windows users can go to http://mitiok.free.fr and click on any lame-
3.96.1 link. Mac OS X users can go to http://spaghetticode.org/lame/
and click on the link for Mac OS X.

Installing Audacity
After the files finish downloading, you may need to extract the zipped files
of the LAME MP3 encoder. To do so, Windows users can right-click on the
lame-3.96 file and choose Extract files. The unpacking may take place auto-
matically in Mac OS X. If you saw a progress bar for Stuff It Expander when
you downloaded Lame, you don’t need to unpack it. Otherwise, just double-
click on the file.

The first time Audacity needs to use the LAME MP3 encoder, it will ask you
where it is. Otherwise, you don’t need to do anything else with the LAME
MP3 program at present.

To install Audacity, Windows users can follow the instructions in the sidebar
in the “Exploring the Web with Mozilla Firefox” section of this chapter.

Figure 1-5:
Multi-track
your voice
and more
with
Audacity.
20 Part I: Plunging Into Free Software

GNU/Linux users may already have Audacity installed, but if you don’t or if
you want to update it to the latest version, you can use KPackage to do so.
See the instructions in the Appendix.

Mac OS X users can double-click on the downloaded file and then drag the
Audacity application into the Applications folder.

Using Office Software

OpenOffice.org 2.0 rivals, and sometimes surpasses, Microsoft Office in fea-
tures, reliability, and user-friendliness. OpenOffice.org was designed as a
Microsoft Office clone in order to make the migration process easy for people
who want to go “free.” Sun Microsystems licensed OpenOffice.org under the
GNU General Public License, and they also kept a non-free version, called Star
Office, which includes a proprietary database, to make available for people or
businesses who want the support that Sun offers. OpenOffice.org is a suite of
programs that includes a word processor, spreadsheet program, database
program, drawing program, HTML editor, and PDF creation software.

OpenOffice.org 2.0 is available for Windows and GNU/Linux, but the Mac OS X
version is only available in an earlier version. You have the choice of using a
version that runs on X11, creating the look and feel of the GNU/Linux desktop,
or you can use NeoOffice, which runs in the Mac OS X desktop. Currently,
NeoOffice is still a beta release candidate, but it may be completely stable by
the time you read this. Check out www.openoffice.org for more information
about what’s available.

Processing words
OpenOffice.org Writer, as shown in Figure 1-6, is a powerful word processor
that can handle huge documents and lots of different formats, including
Microsoft Word. It can automatically generate indexes, tables of contents,
headers and footers, footnotes, and more. You can apply styles and add
graphics, as well as scale, position, and improve their color. You can also add
columns, generate templates, and much more.

Making calculations
OpenOffice.org Calc is a spreadsheet program for 2D tables and 3D matrices.
It can import and export many spreadsheet formats, including Microsoft
Excel. It has a capacity for over 65,000 lines and has hundreds of ready-made
functions in categories such as Financial, Statistics, Mathematics, Database,
and more. Its Function Wizard is shown in Figure 1-7.
 Chapter 1: How to Use Tons of Powerful, Free Software — Fast 21

Figure 1-6:
OpenOffice.
org Writer is
useful for all
of your word
processing
needs.

Figure 1-7:
OpenOffice.
org Calc
can handle
huge 2D or
3D tables
and over
65,000 lines.
22 Part I: Plunging Into Free Software

Building databases
The newest member of the OpenOffice.org suite is OpenOffice.org Base, as
shown in Figure 1-8. You can create new databases, complete with relational
tables, using the Table Wizard. You can create links to other databases, such
as dBASE, MySQL, Oracle, Access, and others, to enter data, query data, and
generate reports using the Form, Query, and Report Wizards.

Figure 1-8:
Use the
Form, Query,
and Report
Wizards to
create a
database,
enter data,
find data,
and write
reports for
any Base
database,
or other
databases
such as
dBASE,
MySQL,
Oracle,
Access,
and others.

Creating Web pages

Using Writer’s integrated HTML editor, you can create Web pages and Web
sites right from Writer, as shown in Figure 1-9. You can create Web pages from
scratch, using the Tables feature in Writer, and turn graphics or text into hyper-
links that can link to other documents, other Web pages, and so on. You can
position and wrap graphics and determine the size of your Web page. Or if
you want to automatically create Web pages, using existing Writer documents,
you can use the Web Page Wizard to publish them. The Web Page Wizard can
automatically use headings as links, if you want.
 Chapter 1: How to Use Tons of Powerful, Free Software — Fast 23

Figure 1-9:
Use
OpenOffice.
org Writer
to create a
Web site,
either from
scratch
using
tables or
automati-
cally using
the Web
Page
Wizard.

Drawing clip art and more

Draw is a vector drawing program that can make an artist out of anyone. You
can create shapes, then combine them and pull points to transform simple
shapes into recognizable drawings. Using Draw, you no longer have to wade
through enormous amounts of clip art to find what’s right for you — only to
find that it’s not available for commercial use. Try out the Duplicate feature
to create elaborate designs, as shown in Figure 1-10. Simple drawing is not as
hard as most people think. Draw also has a basic 3D art program that lets you
create, rotate, position, light, and texture 3D objects.

Making presentations
Impress is a PowerPoint clone designed to help you create presentations, as
shown in Figure 1-11. It imports and exports PowerPoint files, as well as Flash
(SWF) files and HTML Web pages. You can create slide shows and add transi-
tional effects, such as wipes and sounds. You can automatically advance
slides at time intervals of your choosing, or you can advance slides manually
with a single click or press of a key. You can also use the Navigator to choose
the slide order as you go. Charts are simple to create, either 2D or 3D, and
you can customize them. Creating a presentation is quick and easy with
Impress because it uses basically the same menus and tools as Draw and
Writer. The learning curve is quick.
24 Part I: Plunging Into Free Software

Figure 1-10:
Draw 2D
or 3D clip
art with
OpenOffice.
org Draw.

Figure 1-11:
Create
presen-
tations
easily using
OpenOffice.
org Impress.
 Chapter 1: How to Use Tons of Powerful, Free Software — Fast 25
Generating PDF documents
Another great feature of OpenOffice.org is that it can generate PDF docu-
ments from any of its modules. (It’s funny that it can’t read PDF documents,
but that’s okay. Adobe Acrobat Reader is free to use, even though it is not
free as in the freedom to change it.)

Downloading and installing

OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org 2.0 is available for Windows and GNU/Linux users. Mac OS X
users currently have two options of earlier releases to choose from:

 OpenOffice.org version 1.1.2: This uses X11, a program that comes with
Mac OS X.
 NeoOffice: This beta version currently runs like any Mac OS X program,
as shown in Figure 1-12. By the time you read this, however, it may be
available in a stable version. Even as a beta version, it’s very handy.

Figure 1-12:
NeoOffice
is one of
the two
Mac OS X
versions
of Open
Office.org.

Downloading and installing OpenOffice.org

for Windows and GNU/Linux
GNU/Linux users probably have OpenOffice.org as one of their applications.
However, you may want to update it to the latest version. Windows or
GNU/Linux users can follow these instructions to download OpenOffice.org:
26 Part I: Plunging Into Free Software

1. Go to www.openoffice.org and click on the Download tab.

2. Click on the OpenOffice.org 2.0 link.
3. In the pane that appears, select the language, operating system, and
download site (any site near you is fine).
A window appears, informing you of the opportunities to contribute to
the OpenOffice.org project.
4. Click Continue to Download.
(You can always come back to this page to explore the opportunities to
help OpenOffice.org grow.)
5. Depending on your Web browser, a window may appear asking
whether you want to save the program to the disk or open it. Choose
Save To Disk.
This program takes about ten minutes to download on my computer,
but your mileage may vary depending on the speed of your Internet
connection.

After the files finish downloading, follow the instructions in the sidebar in the
“Exploring the Web with Mozilla Firefox” section of this chapter to install pro-
grams with the following exception: In Step 7, you’ll find that OpenOffice.org
has more than one possible application program to click on. The program
that you want to double-click on is called Setup.

After OpenOffice.org is installed, in Windows users can start OpenOffice.org

by choosing Start ➪ All Programs ➪ OpenOffice.org ➪ (select either Base, Calc,
Draw, Impress, or Writer). GNU/Linux users using the KDE desktop can choose
K ➪ OpenOffice.org ➪ (select either Base, Calc, Draw, Impress, or Writer).

Downloading OpenOffice.org or NeoOffice for Mac OS X users

Mac OS X users can follow these instructions to download OpenOffice.org:

1. Go to www.openoffice.org and click on the Download tab.

2. Click on the OpenOffice.org Mac OS X(X11) link.
3. Click either the NeoOffice Download Now link or the OpenOffice.org
Download Now link. If you click OpenOffice.org, skip to Step 6.
NeoOffice is still a beta version, but may be easier and nicer to use,
since it runs natively on Mac OS X. Although OpenOffice.org 1.1.2 using
X11 is very stable and may provide more power. The choice is yours.
Personally, I would choose NeoOffice and use that until I came across
some problem that may require the other version. You can run both ver-
sions simultaneously on a Mac. If you choose OpenOffice.org 1.1.2, you
also need to install X11 on your Macintosh if you haven’t already, as
described previously in this chapter in “Downloading and installing the
GIMP for Mac OS X or GNU/Linux.”
 Chapter 1: How to Use Tons of Powerful, Free Software — Fast 27
4. If you chose NeoOffice, then be sure you have Mac OS X 10.2 or
higher, 256 MB of memory, and 400 MB of free disk space on your
computer.
5. Scroll down and click on a download link for any mirror. (If you want
Openoffice.org in a language other than English, scroll down even fur-
ther and click on the link for the language you want.) Save the down-
load file to the hard drive.
6. If you chose OpenOffice.org in Step 3, then click in the URL column of
a site near you and save the downloaded file to the hard drive.
It takes a few minutes to download.

After the files finish downloading, double-click on the downloaded file. If you
downloaded NeoOffice, this should open a volume called NeoOfficej. Double-
click on NeoOfficej to open a window with the NeoOfficej.pkg file. Double-click
on the NeoOfficej.pkg file to start the Installation Wizard. Follow the instruc-
tions of the Installation Wizard.

To start NeoOffice click the Applications button in any folder window in the
Finder, scroll through the applications until you reach NeoOffice, and double-
click on it.

Downloading and installing Java 2 Runtime Environment

The Base database program in OpenOffice.org 2.0 does not run without a pro-
gram called Java 2 Runtime Environment, which is a proprietary program by
Sun Microsystems that is free to use. If you use Mac OS X, you don’t need this
program because at this writing Base does not run in Mac OS X. Also, for GNU/
Linux users, SimplyMEPIS comes with Java 2 Runtime Environment already
installed, or you can download and install it yourself for other GNU/Linux desk-
tops. To download and install Java 2 Runtime Environment, follow these steps:

1. Go to java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html.
2. Click on the Download J2SE JRE link.
A Terms of Use License Agreement window appears. (Basically, you’re
not allowed to modify, decompile, or reverse engineer the program.
You’re also not allowed to use it for the design, construction, operation,
or maintenance of any nuclear facility.)
3. Click Accept and then click Continue.
4. Click the Windows Installation, Multi-language link or click the link
for your GNU/Linux operating system.
5. Save the program to the hard drive.
6. When installing Java 2 Runtime Environment, double-click on the
downloaded file and follow the instructions of the Installation Wizard.
28 Part I: Plunging Into Free Software

3D Art and Animation

Blender is a powerful 3D animation program that allows you to do 3D model-
ing; add lights, textures, transparencies; and then animate your 3D world. You
can create models from scratch, or you can type text and extrude it. It’s
handy if you want to create a 3D logo, as shown in Figure 1-13 — or even if
you want to do a feature-length 3D movie. This program is designed for pro-
fessionals, but the basics can be understood by novices, which is what I try
to cover in Chapter 19.

Figure 1-13:
Create an
animated 3D
logo using
Blender.

To download Blender for Windows or Mac OS X, go to www.blender3d.com

and click on the Download Blender 2.36 link. In the table that appears, click
the link for a continent — EU, USA, Australia — in the same row as the plat-
form for the Blender version that you want to download. (Feel free to try any
link, even if it’s not your continent.) Save the program to the hard drive.

After the files finish downloading, Windows users can follow the instructions
in the sidebar in the “Exploring the Web with Mozilla Firefox” section of this
chapter to install Blender.

GNU/Linux users can download and install Blender using KPackage. See the
Appendix for instructions.
 Chapter 1: How to Use Tons of Powerful, Free Software — Fast 29
Mac OS X users can install Blender by doing the following:

1. Find the downloaded file without the file format .zip on the end. If
you cannot locate the file, then double-click on the file with .zip on
the end.
The file unpacks.
2. Double-click on the downloaded folder blender-publisher-2.25-mac-
osx-10.1 to open it.
3. Double-click on the blenderpublisher icon.
4. Drag the icon onto the Dock, if you want it to be there (which is handy).

Creating Diagrams
Dia is a free diagramming program for Windows and GNU/Linux that is easy to
use and versatile. You can use it to create flowcharts, IT networking diagrams
(as shown in Figure 1-14) electrical diagrams, chemical engineering diagrams,
civil engineering diagrams, maps, and more. It has tons of ready-made symbols,
and all you have to do to create diagrams is basically just drag and drop. You
can resize easily, move items around, add text, and more.

Figure 1-14:
Using Dia,
you can
create
flowcharts
and other
diagrams
quickly.

To download Dia for Windows, go to http://dia-installer.sourceforge.

net/ and click the link under the heading Latest Release. The Project:
diaWin32 Installer: File List window appears with a list of files to download
30 Part I: Plunging Into Free Software

along with the file sizes beside each name. Click on one of the three filename
links and click in the Download column for a site near you. Save the download
to the hard drive and click the Back button to return to the previous window.
Repeat the process to download all three files.

After the files finish downloading, follow the instructions in the sidebar in the
“Exploring the Web with Mozilla Firefox” section of this chapter to install Dia
using the dia-setup file.

GNU/Linux users can download and install Dia using KPackage, as described
in the Appendix.

iPodder: The Podcast Receiver

The iPodder program lets you subscribe to your favorite Internet audio pro-
grams and listen to them at your convenience, not just when they happen to
be broadcast. This gives you the power to listen to whatever you want, when-
ever you want. iPodder, shown in Figure 1-15, automatically downloads the
latest programs of whatever you subscribe to, which you can then load onto
your iPod or portable media player. You can also click on a program and hear
it played on your computer’s media player.

Windows users can follow these steps to download iPodder:

1. go to http://ipodder.sourceforge.net.
2. Click on the appropriate Download link: Windows 2000 or XP; OS X
10.3 or Higher; or GNU/Linux.
3. Choose a mirror site near you and click in the Download column.
4. Save the file to the hard drive.

After the file finishes downloading, Windows users can follow the instruc-
tions in the sidebar in the “Exploring the Web with Mozilla Firefox” section of
this chapter to install iPodder.

Mac OS X users can install iPodder by doing the following:

1. Find the downloaded file with the file format .dmg. (If you can only
find the file that ends with .dmg.gz, double-click on it; Stuff It Expander
unpacks it and creates a file ending with .dmg.)
2. Double-click on the downloaded file ending with .dmg.
3. Drag the application (the lemon icon) into the Applications folder.
4. Drag the icon onto the Dock, if you want it to be there (which is handy).
 Chapter 1: How to Use Tons of Powerful, Free Software — Fast 31

Figure 1-15:
Subscribe to
RSS audio
feeds to
receive the
latest
programs
with
iPodder.

Learning
Lots of free software is available for educational purposes. Chapter 21
includes a discussion of the following, as well as all the information on down-
loading and installing all of them:

 Celestia: Get an up close and personal view of the solar system, as shown
in Figure 1-16, as well as explore hundreds of stars, including some with
known planets. This program gives you the feeling of really touring
around the universe. Budding astronomers will find it fascinating.

Figure 1-16:
Explore the
universe
with
Celestia.
32 Part I: Plunging Into Free Software

 Flight Gear: This incredible program lets you pilot any one of dozens of
aircraft to any one of 20,000 airports around the world, while automati-
cally generating the terrain of the earth from a three-DVD set of terrain
or from downloads. It also varies the time of day and weather conditions.
Imagine flying around the world from the comfort of your home. You can
even request instant online help. Mayday!
 Gcompris: Children may find Gcompris, a suite of colorful, educational
games, to be lots of fun while learning the alphabet and more.
 Solfege: This ear-training software trains you to recognize musical notes,
chords, pitches, and rhythm. The easiest level of this program is not all
that easy, and the hardest is quite hard. You had better be serious about
music to use this program.
 Tux Paint: This software is for children of all ages. Even the smallest can
probably enjoy the stamps and paint tools, as shown in Figure 1-17. The
interface uses large buttons and is easy to navigate using the mouse.
Tux Paint doesn’t require reading to understand how to use it.
 Tux Typing: This program teaches typing with fun game play. Fish drop
from the sky with letters that you need to type before the fish hit the
ground. Then Tux the penguin gets to eat them.

Figure 1-17:
Children
love the
Tux Paint
stamps.

Having Fun
Many great games are available as free software. Some are extremely involved
and sophisticated, like Freeciv, a multiplayer, online, free software game simi-
lar to the popular Civilization game. Others are delightful, like SuperTux, the
 Chapter 1: How to Use Tons of Powerful, Free Software — Fast 33
side-scrolling, jump-and-run platform game, shown in Figure 1-18, with lots
of levels and a storyline to go with it. This is Super Mario in Antarctica. For
more information about these games, including downloading and installation
instructions, see Chapter 22.

Figure 1-18:
SuperTux is
a delightful
Super
Mario-
type side-
scrolling,
story-based
game with
lots of levels
to keep
every kid at
heart busy
for days!

Other great games include

 BilliardGL: A 3D pool game.

 Circus Linux: A clone of Circus Atari.
 Crack Attack: Similar to the Super Nintendo game, Tetris Attack.
 Enigma: A puzzle game with 700 different levels.
 GlTron: A clever game based on the game in the movie Tron.
 GNU Chess: Try to beat it!
 Trackballs: A marble game, shown in Figure 1-19, similar to the popular
Marble Madness.

In Chapter 22, I describe how to download, install, and play the games — at
least, how to start to play them — especially SuperTux, my favorite!
34 Part I: Plunging Into Free Software

Figure 1-19:
Stay on
track with
Trackballs.

Powerful, Secure, Free: GNU/Linux

Operating System
GNU/Linux operating systems come in all shapes and kinds, but the one gen-
erally rated as perhaps the easiest-to-use, most polished, and suitable for the
newcomer is SimplyMEPIS, shown in Figure 1-20. SimplyMEPIS is very easy to
install because it automatically determines what software drivers your com-
puter hardware needs and installs them without your needing to bother about
them. It also allows you to boot from a CD-ROM, if you want to just try out
the program on any Windows computer just to see how you like it. Then
when you reboot again without the CD-ROM in the drive, your computer
reboots Windows, as usual.

SimplyMEPIS boots with a huge array of free software already installed,

including Mozilla Firefox, OpenOffice.org, the GIMP, Audacity, and many
more. And best of all, you don’t need virus protection. The only protection
SimplyMEPIS requires is the firewall it installs during the installation process.
Viruses and other malicious software do not harm your computer when you
run SimplyMEPIS, as is the case with other GNU/Linux desktops. For informa-
tion on downloading and installing SimplyMEPIS, see Chapter 23.

Getting Support
The free software world doesn’t leave you all to yourself with no recourse for
support. In fact, often the opposite is true. Support forums for virtually every
 Chapter 1: How to Use Tons of Powerful, Free Software — Fast 35
top free software application are brimming with activity. Hundreds of experi-
enced users come to the aid of the free software newbies daily. And the
searchable archives of these forums are a vast treasure chest of information.

Searching the support forum archives

Support forum archives for each major free software application are gener-
ally extensive and searchable. If you are using a stable version of a widely
used program, and not a new beta, then it is likely that whatever question
you have has already been asked by someone else. All you have to do is
search the archives using keywords describing your problem. Normally, you
can find the answer in less time than it takes to get a person on the phone
using traditional phone support for proprietary applications. (And, guess
what — the people answering your questions may be doing exactly the same
thing! So, why not just do it yourself?)

Asking questions
If the answer to your question is not in the support forums, then go ahead, be
brave, and ask the question on the forum. Be concise and brief, and title it
descriptively. (Remember, this e-mail may be read by hundreds of people.)
You can normally expect an answer in about 24 hours. Although, if your topic
is hot, it may take as little as a few minutes.

Figure 1-20:
The Simply-
MEPIS
desktop
installs
with tons
of free
software
and is
virus-free.
36 Part I: Plunging Into Free Software

Where to go for support

Generally, all the home pages of the major free software applications have
links for help and support. Check them out whenever you need advice. Here
are a few examples of what’s available and where.

 For OpenOffice.org, go to www.openoffice.org and click the Support

tab. Then choose any of the following:
• Click the Archives tab below the User Mail List heading, for a huge
searchable archive.
• Click the Subscribe tab below the User Mail List to subscribe to the
User Mail List. You must be subscribed in order to send e-mail to it.
• Click the User Help:User-FAQ Project link for a comprehensive list
of well-organized FAQs.
• Click Mac Support link for a Mac-related FAQs.
• Click the OpenOffice.org Consultants Directory for paid email,
phone, or on-site support.
 For support for Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird, go to www.mozilla.org
and click on the Support tab. Then choose any of the following:
• Click on the Knowledge Base link for a searchable database of
solutions.
• Click on the link for Firefox Web Forum or Thunderbird Web Forum
for e-mail support.
• Click on the Third Party Phone And Email Support for phone sup-
port or email support for a small charge.
 For support for Skype, go to www.skype.com and click the Help tab.
Then choose any of the following:
• Type some key words into the Search Knowledgebase text box and
click Search Knowledgebase.
• Click Forum and the click the Search The Forums button to search
all of the 13 active forums simultaneously.
• Click the Users Guides link, if you think the answer to your prob-
lem may reside there.
• Click the Submit Support Request for an e-mail form.