And finally I can declare that my desktop is completely free (well almost). When the desktop is Linux, one really breaks free from from the ultimate stronghold of commercial software – the operating system.

Ubuntu 8.10 now runs on my notebook (for those interested, a Chinese made Tsinghua Tongfang K431 with AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile).

I still have my Mac Mini as the desktop so you can say I’m still a current user of MacOSX.

For the  occassion websites that demands IE (yes there are some, like banks that uses ActiveX),  I have a VirtualBox with XP installed and standing by. VirtualBox is an amazing application that I will share more indepth in furture post.

In view of these changes, the focus of Free Biz Ware will be shifted more towards Ubuntu/Linux focus. However, since many non-technical small business users are still using Windows and the fact that I also use Mac, there will be a preference for free or open source softwares that run on all three platform – Linux, Mac, Windows.

At the personal level, I had also move from have quite a bit of time to blog, to no time and back to having a bit of time on hand now. So here I am, rekindling the urge to share more of my adventure in free and open source software with the reader of this blog.

It has been quite an exciting journey and a personal quest to use free and opensource softwares. There are so much more that I had learned but have no time and energy to put down.

So subscribe to this blog or come back soon.

Related Post:

• Free and Open Source Programs on the Mac

Here are a list of sites to start looking for Mac softwares:

• Apple Download – Look for Freeware in the list. A filter for Freeware, Sharewares, Demo would be good.
• Download.com
• Softpedia – a source for Windows programs and apparently for Mac too.
• FreeSoftware Mac User Group (FreeSMUG) – list free and open source Mac applications in different categories.
• Open Source Mac, Free Mac Ware also complied a list of Mac softwares.

Some of my regular applications already has a Mac version so it is easy to switch over to the Mac version of Firefox and OpenOffice. That’s was about all that I need to switch over immediately.

The Mac is a very friendly and easy to use platform that most could start using immediately without much problem. Long time Windows user may need a little time to adapt. Some may miss some application that is available on Windows only.

For me, the switch was easy, I found (and am still exploring) alternative to programs I used on Windows. So far my only real problem is that an internet banking web site that I use that required Internet Explorer with ActiveX plugin.

In an old post, I asked “What do you put on a new PC?“, now I guess the similar question is “What do you put on a new Mac?”

Related Post:

• Moving on to Ubuntu and Rekindle this blog