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Your guide to alternitive Windows software; By Myr
Topic Started: Mar 28 2005, 01:38 PM (977 Views)
Websurfer
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Also known as Myr
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Why use alternative software?
A very common question, many people don't think it's as good as the commercial product. News, it is, if not better, as the commercial product. It's free (most of the time), and you can download it from your house free of charge.

What software is covered in this guide?
MyTopix – Forum System
Open Office – Office Suite
Opera – Web Browser
Firefox – Web Browser
Thunderbird – Email Client
gAIM – Instant Messenger



MyTopix
Many people run their own forum, about half pay for the software they use to run it with. Some forum systems cost as much as 200USD, that's a lot of money just for a forum! While there are many free solutions, such as remotely hosted, such as Invisionfree, or software such as phpBB, MyTopix seems to stand out. It's an easy to use system, with a very unique and professional layout. While it looks to be featureless at a glance, once you use it, you'll grow attached to it, it's feel is one of a kind, and simply can't be beat by any other forum system, not even the commercial systems.
Link: http://www.jaia-interactive.com/

Open Office
Most people use MS Office, a several hundred dollar suite of applications. Open Office is completely free, and can do just about everything MS Office can. It can open and save in MS Office formats in case you need backwards compatibility. It comes with an alternative to Word, Power Point, Excel, (soon to come Access), and some applications of it's own. Open Office is a must for every computer user.
Link: http://www.openoffice.org

Opera
Most people use Internet Explorer, bad idea! Internet Explorer is buggy, insecure, slow, and featureless. If you truly want a great Internet experience, you need Opera. Opera includes tabbed browsing, a built in IRC client, email client, and more. It's proven to be the fastest loading web browser, and its render engine is in a far lead above all others. It complies strictly with web coding standards. Only one downfall passes over Opera, its free version sports built in advertisements, which aren't really a big deal. The ads are about 10-15 pixels high, the size of another tool bar, you barely even notice them!
Link: http://www.opera.com

Firefox
Firefox is another alternative web browser. Its secure, stable, free, and extremely light weight. It comes with hardly any features, although some minor features may be added through Firefox 'extensions'. It partners Mozilla's Thunderbird email client.
Link: http://www.mozilla.org/

Thunderbird
An Outlook like email client to compliment Mozilla's Firefox web browser.
Link: http://www.mozilla.org/

gAIM
gAIM is an instant messaging client capable of an infinite amount of accounts, ranging from AIM to Yahoo and everything in between. It's incredibly stable, has no ads or useless features included in other messaging clients. GAIM is highly recommended to any who use instant messaging clients.
Link: http://gaim.sourceforge.net/
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Psuedonym.
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Really nice guide.
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Meltdown
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The Schtig
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Nicely detailed. Will this be updated with new software as time goes on? Or will you keep it as it is?
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Websurfer
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I'm already thinking of more software to add to it, I'm hoping to get around 40 or 50 applications total by the time I'm done =)

Thanks for the comments guys :)
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Oblivion.
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I can't stand MyTopix, everything is messed-up O_o.
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high elf
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Very nice guide. My Topix looks alright, but I'm going to take a better look soon.
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LttlVprScrpn
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MyTopix looks like an IPB rip.
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Websurfer
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LttlVprScrpn
Mar 28 2005, 12:27 PM
MyTopix looks like an IPB rip.

I'd really like to know how you get that O_o It's look is completely different, the only thing remotely the same is the way you do permissions, but many forums do it that way :unsure:
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LttlVprScrpn
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It doesnt look different to me, but thats my opinion. Is it secure?
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Websurfer
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It's as secure as any other forum software, maye you should browse around it a bit and see how it's laid out, if you would like a test board let me know and I'll do my best to get you one..
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RagingFuryBlack
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Very nice myr....pinworthy if i ever saw a topic :)
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LttlVprScrpn
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Edit: yes id like a preview of the ACP and everything.
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Websurfer
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LttlVprScrpn
Mar 28 2005, 12:33 PM
It says "download mytopix for free" on the front page, so if I wanted it, I could get it ;) . Thx anyway.

I meant hosted etc, I wasn't sure if you had a host or not (as this is an IF resource board, I don't expect anyone to have a good host XD) :P
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LttlVprScrpn
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Myr
Mar 28 2005, 02:34 PM
LttlVprScrpn
Mar 28 2005, 12:33 PM
It says "download mytopix for free" on the front page, so if I wanted it, I could get it ;) . Thx anyway.

I meant hosted etc, I wasn't sure if you had a host or not (as this is an IF resource board, I don't expect anyone to have a good host XD) :P

I edited. And my host's MySQL is down (we moved to a new server)
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Websurfer
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Ok, I'll get it all setup now, I'll PM you with the information once it's up ;)
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