In this final installation, I will discuss some well-known applications in Linux. Not all of these apps are for everyone, but in general, these apps are well accepted by the Linux community. It is assumed that you will know how to install each of these, and instead of wasting time with instructions, I will get down to the features and functionality of each, since I have had many ask me, “What exactly can you really do with Linux?”

WINE

Wine (www.winehq.com) is an open source Windows emulator for Linux and FreeBSD. It is used to run some of the more basic Windows applications that do not require Direct3D support and are written with compliant-code (i.e. no “specific” libraries that Wine does not include). Wine can also be implemented into the GUI and Kernel (allowing you to run “exe” files). There are several commercial versions of Wine as well. The most well known of these is WineX, by Transgaming (www.transgaming.net), which can allow users to run games that require DirectX support, although the quality and reliability of WineX is still somewhat dubious.

Apache Web Server

The Apache Group maintains many projects involving open source servers. One of these is the Apache Web Server (www.apache.org/httpd), a popular web server. It is essentially a simplistic, command-line driven daemon for many platforms (including Linux) that is configured via text files. However, it is regarded as one of the fastest and easiest to use web servers available. For instructions on how to edit the configuration files, head over to ONLamp’s article about Apache Configuration (www.onlamp.com/pub/a/apache/2000/03/02/configuring_apache.html).

The GIMP

Think Photoshop for Linux: The GIMP, or the GNU Image Manipulation Program (www.gimp.org), is the premiere photo/image editing and image creation program for the Linux platform. It is fast, contains a powerful GUI, and is pretty easy to learn how to use.

OpenOffice

Although M$ still holds the “best office suite” title, OpenOffice (www.openoffice.org) is shaping up to give Microsoft a run for its money. Available on all platforms (but specifically designed for Linux), OpenOffice consists of a Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Presentation (a la PowerPoint), Formula Editor, Image Editor, and many smaller modules fused into a single application environment, OpenOffice itself. OpenOffice offers the ability to import M$ Office files and even create them, as well as import and export with many other filters available.

Dedicated Servers

Although Linux isn’t exactly so well known for gaming, it is quickly becoming synonymous with “dedicated servers” in gaming. Most major games offer a Linux dedicated server and they do this because Linux handles both integer and floating point operations much faster than Windows. HLDS is the Half-Life Dedicated Server, and the Linux counterpart is available (server.counter-strike.net/server.php?cmd=downloads) on the Counter-Strike Server Resource website. Battlefield 1942 also offers a Linux Dedicated Server (bf1942.lightcubed.com).