# Microsoft Replacements



## Deke40 (Jun 27, 2002)

A whole bunch of programs that will replace various MS utilities.

http://www.msboycott.com/thealt/alts/mediaplayer.shtml


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## Big-K (Nov 22, 2003)

There are a few things microsoft do right when they decide what software to include with windows. Programs such as...

Notepad
Dos Prompt
Calculator

Thats just sad. Whats worse is that notepad is probably the best piece of software/utility that ms has ever created(aside from DOS).


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Thanks Deke


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## Bryan (Jul 3, 1999)

> There are a few things microsoft do right


Give me a break, you'd be sitting in front of an abacus if Microsoft hadn't done what's it did over the past years. Where were all of the great OS writers when Microsoft was developing Windows? They could have done the same thing but none put the effort into it like MS did. I've heard all of the arguments, excuses, reasons and whining about Micosoft in my twenty plus years of programming and none hold water. It's real easy for all of the johnny come lately's to come along now after MS devoted years to it and more power to them but stop the whining about MS, it's just a hollow sour grapes argument ...


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## Big-K (Nov 22, 2003)

I know that its a hell of a lot of work making an OS, why do you think linux is open-source. My complaint is just that MS tries to corner the market in every way possible and not let in any competition(inclusion of IE, Media Player, etc anyone?). They might have made it a bit better. For instance, they could have lightened the load by making all those extra things they include in windows OS's optional, like putting them up on the MS website and releasing lite versions. I'm sure we could get along without Solitaire and that MS logo screen. 

I know I cant make a better operating system, i cant make one period. I just wish there were more options.

And btw, that was a joke.


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## K-Man (Sep 11, 2004)

I don't usually post on threads like this one, but ...

I believe it is incorect to say that Microsoft created DOS:

I think you will find, if memory serves, that Bill Gates and Steve Jobs PURCHASED Dos from a programmer... for very little money too!

Anyway: this'll be my ONLY post on this thread.

Don't debate too long guys...


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

I think IBM came up with PC-DOS and then Gate got it from IBM and it's called MS-DOS.

Opps it was the other way around.


> Microsoft licensed MS-DOS to IBM, which produced IBM's minor variant PC-DOS. DOS still lives on, as most functions are supported under Windows and Linux.
> 
> http://www.theosfiles.com/os_dos/ospg_dos_pcdos.htm


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## Big-K (Nov 22, 2003)

Thats true, but MS was the one who kept adding features. Technically the other guy just made QDos, they made DOS. Either way it was all based on cp/m(or is it cm/p?)


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

I read long ago the history of DO and who had what first and who sold to who etc but can't remember all of it.


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## Rumpel (Sep 13, 2004)

Big-K said:


> ...(snip). Whats worse is that notepad is probably the best piece of software/utility that ms has ever created(aside from DOS).


I don't think so. Or -- if NotePad is one of MS' best, then the rest is pretty awful.

NotePad won't remember most of your settings. It won't open a file larger than about 45K. The only way you can switch between a monospace display font and a proportional font is to go into the Edit menu and reset the font -- assuming that you can remember which of your fonts are monospace fonts and can find them. It won't remember the folder you last opened a file from. It won't let you display a binary file in hex. In short, it's crippleware.

For a decent editor, go to <http://www.netez.com/2xExplorer> and download a copy of Editor2. Now you've got a text editor that's actually useable. BTW -- it's freeware.

And while you're on that site, check out 2xExplorer, and find out what a decent file manager looks like.


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## Big-K (Nov 22, 2003)

It's their simplest piece of software. Yes it does remember settings, it just depends on the copy. It does exactly what it was made to do, edits text, as well as coding, without any extra crap.

And I didnt look at your program you posted, if I need a text editor any better than notepad I just use Notepad2. Here's the intro to the page...

The original Notepad shipped with Windows is probably the handiest program of all times, small, fast, without frills! Notepad2 tries to follow this principle, it's a small, fast and free text editor with syntax highlighting for HTML and other common languages.


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## Rumpel (Sep 13, 2004)

I did take a look at the Notepad2 site.

Looks like it's a draw. Without a detailed comparison, I'd be hard put to say which is the better. The feature sets are quite similar.


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## eightup1 (Sep 19, 2004)

gates bought dos from an independent programmer ... then took it to IBM and made the deal with them that they could use it only if they installed it on every single computer that they made from that day forward .... the royalties from IBM are what made him rich enough to start MS and go into research and development of windows .... 

a great programmer he is not ..... but a great business man for shure.


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## mark007 (Sep 15, 2004)

> My complaint is just that MS tries to corner the market in every way possible and not let in any competition


Wouldn't you if you could?

Business s business and cornering a market is exactly the thing a business wants to do in order to make more and more money. A business exists to make money!

If MS was so bad then something else would of caught on in a much bigger way. I know when I buy a PC windows is a prerequisite.


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## eightup1 (Sep 19, 2004)

oh no doubt ... i love windows .... my only real complaint about ms is that everytime they get most of the bugs worked out of an O.S. they move up to a new version that forces me to buy a new printer , scanner , software and any other accessorie that wont work with the new O.S. .... then i have to go through testing various programs to see what wont conflickt with the new O.S .. then just about the time i get everything perfect and working happilly ... they come up with a new sevrice pack or O.S that screws everything up again.


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## websurfer (Jun 24, 2002)

Bryan said:


> Give me a break, you'd be sitting in front of an abacus if Microsoft hadn't done what's it did over the past years. Where were all of the great OS writers when Microsoft was developing Windows?


Apple was there making their own, while MS took all the ideas and somehow got away with it


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## mark007 (Sep 15, 2004)

Speaking of MS replacements though. The programmers among you might want to check out Sharp Develop. An IDE for C# and VB.NET.

http://www.icsharpcode.net/OpenSource/SD/


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## DiMono (Aug 6, 2004)

Bill Gates purchased QDos from a company called DEC, which my dad worked for. They developed the OS, and my dad begged and pleaded with the owner to release a computer that came with QDos and a few other applications installed, but the owner refused to release two products that would compete with each other. Then Bill Gates swooped in and bought the program, and hired the programmers.

When IBM was looking for an OS for their computers, they first went to Steve Jobs, but he had a golf game he didn't want to miss. So they called up Bill Gates, and the rest is history. Steve Jobs' golf game that day is fondly referred to as the seventeen million dollar round of golf.

Interesting story: Microsoft stole one version of MS-DOS from Digital Research Inc. DRI brought a computer with only a fresh MS-DOS install to court and turned it on, then ran a command that filled the screen with copyright information citing Digital Research as the developer. MS had to pay for that little booboo.

Anyway, everyone knows MS is monopolistic. I recall reading that they settled an 800 million dollar lawsuit with the EU over not allowing the user to change what browser was connected to WMP in Windows XP. It's just up to the user to deal with it, or deal with it.


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## jakoval (Oct 28, 2001)

At the risk of putting this thread back on it's original topic...  anyone who's looking for free / open source replacements for Windows software might want to have a look at The OpenCD.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

jakoval said:


> At the risk of putting this thread back on it's original topic...  anyone who's looking for free / open source replacements for Windows software might want to have a look at The OpenCD.


Have you tried it?


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## DiMono (Aug 6, 2004)

hewee said:


> Have you tried it?


That sounds ominous...


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## Big-K (Nov 22, 2003)

Yes...yes it does...


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## Maritimesea (Sep 9, 2004)

Some of the programs listed in open cd's website I've heard of before like 7zip,gimp and of course the mozilla browser. The pdf creator program sounds like a really good thing,that is if you use/like pdf. I wish there was a pdf reader that would make me get rid of acrobat. Not that I use the format much but then again maybe I would if it didn't take half a minute just to load the damn reader. That paint program listed called tux paint...is that a linux penguin? Audacity I've heard of too,supposed to be an alternative to cool edit and such. Basically the same stuff you can get if you searched at source forge in one convenient and quite slick looking place. I've bookmarked the page, just for the days when I'm feeling anti capitalist.


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## Deke40 (Jun 27, 2002)

Maritimesea said:


> Not that I use the format much but then again maybe I would if it didn't take half a minute just to load the damn reader.


This will speed up the loading of Adobe Reader:

Install Adobe Reader 6 
From the Start->Run windows menu, Open the "x:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Reader" folder, where x is the right drive letter.
Find the plug_ins folder and rename it plug_ins_disabled
Create a new folder named plug_ins
Copy the following files from "plug_ins_disabled" to "plug_ins": EWH32.api, printme.api, and search.api

Of course this will limit the functionality to viewing non-encrypted pdf files, but that's exactly what I want Acrobat ^B^B^B^B^B Adobe Reader for, 99.9% of the time. You might want to experiment leaving some of the fat in, I mean, .API files, like reflow.api and search5.api (if it's there), and see how it affects functionality and load times.

With the files listed, you get half the load time on low-end systems, and a 2-sec load time on high-end ones. Still, you might want to prefer using Acrobat Reader 4.05 on old systems, since it loads in just seven seconds instead of 20.


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## kath100 (Aug 20, 2003)

Deke said:


> This will speed up the loading of Adobe Reader:
> 
> Install Adobe Reader 6
> From the Start->Run windows menu, Open the "x:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Reader" folder, where x is the right drive letter.
> ...


Thanks Deke :up: 
It now loads in about 3 seconds, It took about a minute before. Thanks again


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## Maritimesea (Sep 9, 2004)

I heard of that trick and was going to search for the details re making it work,thanks deke,I'll give it a shot.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

You can do a search tru this forum on other Adobe Reader tips.


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