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For you web developers out there who prefer to do you development utilizing Linux (and their significantly better development tools) over Windows, one common problem is the inability to test your applications in Internet Explorer. It is well known IE has many “quirks” which deviate from W3C standards and without the IE7 browser itself it is hard to test.

Instead of keeping a separate Windows box for testing these applications, try this nifty method for getting IE 7 to run on Linux. Even better, this trick allows you to run both IE6 and IE7 concurrently so in certain cases it may be better than having a Windows box itself.

Note: Make sure you read the comments as there is some evolution of the functionality since this post was made.

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First of all, I am not trying to start a debate on this subject. I wanted to pass along an objective look of Microsoft Office 2007 vs. OpenOffice 2.3 word processing article posted on Linux.com.

The author breaks the two down into about a dozen categories and posts both his “winner” in the category as well has how the conclusion was reached. Overall, the conclusion was OpenOffice is the winner over MS Word. This is a very good overview look with an even better discussion thread at the bottom of the article. Definitely worth the read if you are looking for an office suite.

In a nutshell, if you are a home or small office user, OpenOffice fits the bill perfectly. It is free and does everything you could want it to do. On the other hand, for corporate use OpenOffice isn’t in the same league. MS Office has tight integration between all their products, as well as Windows itself, and when you consider the widely used VBA extensions (yes I know OOo does have macros, but nothing like VBA) and Sharepoint Services, OpenOffice currently does not offer the same feature set. Not to mention MS Office formats (.doc, .xls, etc.) are the standard.

Don’t get me wrong, OOo is a great product, but it is not the “why do people still buy MS Office?” replacement people make it out to be. I currently use OOo at home, but at work MS Office is significantly better.

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Much like Windows, Ubuntu has many themes which can be applied to change the look of your desktop. This post on the Ubuntu Forums site provides excellent information on how to change virtually all aspects of your desktop. In addition to providing a basic walk-through, it links to several sites which can be used by any Linux user who runs the GNOME desktop:

• GNOME Art
• GNOME-Look

Take a look around and find something you like.

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For anyone pondering a switch from Windows to Linux, it is always best to do your homework and understand what you are getting in to and have your expectations set accordingly. First and foremost, Linux is not Windows. If the reason you want to give Linux a try is because you want a “free” version of Windows, you are going to be sadly disappointed.

Personally, I swapped completely from Windows to Linux about 2.5 years ago and used it exclusively for 1.5 years, but ultimately had to go back to Windows in order to run some business applications on my home computer. On this note, I found this “lessons learned” article provides a solid basis for anyone thinking of switching. While there are few points I would disagree with the author on, overall the information is very good.

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