Proprietary software has become a serious threat to freedom as we know it. We need to make the move to Libre Software (Open, community written, transparent code recipes, shareable and user controlled software). TeleQom's devices and private servers run only Libre Software, so you can too! This is very important, as it will determine how future generations will live. Here is not the place to discuss such matters, but replacing software that spies on you and others around you is a very good place to start! Note that all those are Libre Software, you can install them yourself free of charge if you so desire. The Qontribution we ask is only to cover the employee's salary that will install it for you and to fund our projects.
What is that? Well, Operating Systems, or OS for short, are a group of software that interacts with the hardware on your device. It is the most complex piece of code running on your machine, and a compromised OS can spy and do whatever it wants with applications running on your system. We recommend taking a look at this page from the Whonix Project, a well known security and privacy oriented project, as to why to choose a GNU/Linux as your OS. The few listed here are only the tip of the iceberg, many more exist!
Linux Mint, just like Ubuntu (its parent) has proprietary compatibility which makes it an ideal choice for beginners moving away from a commercial OS. Its default Desktop Environment (Cinnamon) is very close to Windows in terms of general layout. This is our first choice for beginners moving away from Windows 10
Level: Beginner
Desktop: Cinnamon
Similar: Windows
Packages: Debian (.deb)
Libre: Almost
Installation: 50$
Ubuntu ® stands for "Humanity" and is exctly that, a more humane approach to operating systems. It is supported by a company called Canonical ™ famous (or infamous) in the Linux universe. Just like Linux Mint, it is more flexible as to what software you can install so perfect for beginners. This one uses the GNOME Desktop Environment, which can be tweaked to look very much like a MacOS
Level: Beginner
Desktop: GNOME
Similar: MacOS
Packages: Debian (.deb)
Libre: Almost
Installation: 50$
The next step is the parent to both Linux Mint and Ubuntu, Debian. Debian is known for its stability, security and freedom. Here nothing stops you from installing proprietary software, but it isn't there by default. It is our Distribution of choice here at TeleQom. Debian comes with images of most major Desktop Environments, so it can look like any commercial OS
Level: Intermediate
Desktop: GNOME
Similar: Any
Packages: Debian (.deb)
Libre: Yes
Installation: 50$
This one differs from the others as it is not an operating system but a hypervisor that launches small containerized operating systems within it. It has a steeper learning curve than the others, but can run all of them within it. It does require more technical knowledge and better hardware
Level: Advanced
Desktop: XFCE
Similar: Nothing
Packages: Debian, RedHat
Libre: Yes
Installation: 50$
Now this could be a huge section. The Linux universe has so many Libre Applications, it's impossible to list them all here. We will focus on what most people use on a daily basis. Here we go!
Libre office is the first choice in terms of office applications. It has a word compatible text editor, excel compatible spreadsheet editor and much more
Similar: Office Suite
Libre: Yes
Installation: 20$
GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program and does pretty much everything in terms of image alteration. It includes so many fonctionnalities, you may feel a little overwhelmed at first
Similar: PhotoShop
Libre: Yes
Installation: 20$
Another very popular image manipulation program. Plays nice with vector SVG images and other formats
Similar: PhotoShop
Libre: Yes
Installation: 20$
Blender is one of the most used application in the world for 3D modeling, animation and much more
Similar: Cinema 4D, SolidWorks
Libre: Yes
Installation: 20$
Your proprietary internet browser is most likely the most privacy invading software on your computer. Firefox is an old, very well known, stable, well supported, feature rich, privacy and freedom advocating internet browser. It is our first choice!
Similar: Chrome, Edge
Libre: Yes
Installation: 20$
Chromium is the open source core of both Chrome and Edge browsers. It is stripped of all privacy invading software but retains most of its features
Similar: Chrome, Edge
Libre: Yes
Installation: 20$
Codium or VSCodium is the Libre version of the popular code editor, now microsoft supported and telemetry (another word for spying) infested Visual Studio Code. It is stripped of everything proprietary and freely available. We use it on a daily basis here at TeleQom
Similar: VSCode, JetBrains
Libre: Yes
Installation: 20$
A universal audio player. Plays podcasts or local audio files, everything you need in a music application
Similar: iTunes, WMP
Libre: Yes
Installation: 20$
Don't let the cone fool you, it is not under construction! This is a great Libre Software media player, awesome for videos and music alike
Similar: iTunes, WMP
Libre: Yes
Installation: 20$
Mattermost is just like an IRC channel with a very nice user interface. Used mainly for team chats, task and projects management, it is very feature rich
Similar: Slack, Teams
Libre: Yes
Installation: 20$
A simple Libre BitTorrent client to share files over the internet. It is the ultimate community expression in software. It is best at sharing large files, as it increases in speed for each connected user. You can download most Linux Distributions with Transmission, it is faster!
Similar: uTorrent, Vuze
Libre: Yes
Installation: 20$
Signal is a state of the art mobile (and now linux too) application for instant messaging. Unlike the upcoming Qonvo Project, it requires a mobile device with a phone number to setup but it is still the best out there at the moment
Similar: WhatsApp, iMessage
Libre: Yes
Installation: 20$
Ever wanted to crop an audio file? Or perhaps only change the audio format? Audacity is a full fledged audio manipulation application that is easy to use
Similar: Garage Band, Audition
Libre: Yes
Installation: 20$
Video editing made simple. Transitions, effects, audio, name it. You can do pretty much anything with this software and its user interface is just plain and easy to understand
Similar: Premiere, Final Cut
Libre: Yes
Installation: 20$
Find some information confusing or ready to take the next steps? Time to contact us! Don't worry, we can help you make the ethical decision :)
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