Top 10 Microsoft Alternatives

As many of you probably already know, there are a number of excellent and often superior alternatives to Microsoft software. Unfortunately, Microsoft's vast market share and practically unlimited financial resources keep these products from ever seeing the growth they deserve (even those with superior products).

Fortunately, you can choose to think for yourself and find your own alternatives… .often better and cheaper ones.

Here are ten of the top Microsoft alternatives available today.

1. Replace Internet Explorer with Mozilla Firefox.
If you haven't already ditched IE by now, what are you waiting for? Mozilla Firefox makes an excellent replacement to its Microsoft counterpart. Firefox is a leaner, faster browser. Some of it's notable features include tabbed browsing, a pop-up blocker, built-in search and a variety of extensions to enhance your browsing experience. Advertising

2. Linux
Linux is one of the most popular alternatives to the Microsoft operating system. Linux was initially created as a hobby by a college student named Linus Torvalds at the University of Helsinki in Finland.

Today, Linux is used by individuals, schools, and even governments who are looking for cheaper alternatives to Microsoft. Some of the popular Linux operating system distributions for home users are Fedora and Ubuntu. It's got all the applications you need - a web browser, word processor, presentation software, instant messaging, and much more.

3. Mac OS X
The Mac OS X is another popular alternative to the Windows operating system.

Because of it's popularity, there's plenty of software available for it. If you're into graphic design, then the Mac is really the only way to go. Because it uses Unix technology, the Mac OS is more stable and secure than Windows. The real beauty of this system is the interface, which epitomizes Apple's innovative design work. It's quite stylish and easy to use. The capabilities and features of the Mac OS X are beyond compare. Advertising

4. Replace Windows Media Player with iTunes
In case you haven't heard, iTunes is really the only game in town when it comes to media players. If you're still running Windows Media Player, you'll definitely want to try out the many powerful features of iTunes.

5. Replace Outlook and Hotmail with Gmail
Nothing can match the power of Gmail. Although Hotmail and Outlook have improved some over the years, I doubt that they will ever catch up to their Gmail counterpart.

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6. Replace your Microsoft Office Suite with OpenOffice
It's hard to escape Microsoft Office, but there are alternatives. One of the most popular of these is known as OpenOffice. OpenOffice is an excellent alternative for those looking for a full featured office-suite, including software for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and more. Find out more at OpenOffice.org.

7. Replace the Microsoft Run command with Launchy
Using Launchy, you can forget the run command and start searching for programs on demand with a single key press. Launchy is a smart search program, which tries to guess which program or file you are looking for as you type. Once you have found the correct program, hit the enter key to launch it. Advertising

Launchy is an excellent tool for finding programs and files without having to open up the run command, search through the start menu. or search endlessly through different folders.

8. Replace Microsoft Sound Recorder with Audacity
Replace Microsoft Sound Recorder with Audacity and add some power to your recording activities. Audacity is a free tool with lots of features. Audacity allows you to record live audio, change the speed or pitch of a recording, and add a variety of effects. Quite simply, this program is an audio playground. Use Audacity to cut, copy, splice and mix sounds together.

9. Replace Microsoft Disk Defragmenter with Disk Defrag
Disk Defrag allows you to run even faster defragmentation of your hard drive to keep your computer running as smoothly as possible.

10. Replace Microsoft Paint with Gimp
Gimp is a powerful, free alternative to Microsoft Paint. It's the perfect solution for anyone looking to retouch personal photos and remove-red eye. It's also packed with more advanced, Photoshop-like features, such as layers, alpha channels, and a number of plug-in options. Find out more at Gimp.org. Advertising

If you know of other Microsoft Alternatives, please feel free to share them in the comments.

Kim Roach is a productivity junkie who blogs regularly at The Optimized Life. Read her articles on What's Your Learning Style, How to Have a 46 Hour Day, Do You Need a Braindump, What They Don't Teach You in School, and Free Yourself From the Inbox.