# Is shifting away from Microsoft products prudent? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 2, 2003, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shifting-away-from-microsoft-products-prudent/205105 "2003-10-02T12:57:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e5b9ba/32.png) [@pestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pestie)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shifting-away-from-microsoft-products-prudent/205105/21 "2003-10-05T16:54:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*Eudora does have a free version, **pestie**. Just thought I’d point that out. I suspect their pay version has some of the features you’ve come to know and love with Mozilla Mail. \*\* It’s not “free” in the same sense as Mozilla, though. It’s that whole “free as in beer” vs “free as in speech” thing. You’re right, though, obviously - I’d forgotten about the non-ad-supported free version of Eudora. ---
**Author:** ![pestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e5b9ba/32.png) [@pestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pestie)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shifting-away-from-microsoft-products-prudent/205105/22 "2003-10-05T16:57:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AHunter3 \* > **Does anyone using a tabbed browser know how to set it so that the new tab that opens when you open a link as a new tab opens in the background, leaving you in the window you started out in?** There’s a setting in Mozilla to make that the default behavior. That’s how I prefer to work, too. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shifting-away-from-microsoft-products-prudent/205105/23 "2003-10-05T17:49:52Z")
**AHunter3** : Opera has “open in background page” and “open in background window” options in the right-click menu for links. You can also configure the latest 7.20 version to use a middle mouse button to do that on clicking (i.e. no need to select from a menu). ---
**Author:** ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shifting-away-from-microsoft-products-prudent/205105/24 "2003-10-05T20:08:38Z")
The only Microsoft software I use is the OS. The rest just isn’t very good, so I use alternatives such as Mozilla and [OpenOffice.org](http://OpenOffice.org). ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shifting-away-from-microsoft-products-prudent/205105/25 "2003-10-05T21:24:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pestie \* > \*\*It’s not “free” in the same sense as Mozilla, though. It’s that whole “free as in beer” vs “free as in speech” thing. You’re right, though, obviously - I’d forgotten about the non-ad-supported free version of Eudora. \*\* What’s the difference? Eudora has a free slimmed-down version, and so does Mozilla. If you want more features, you buy the full package. ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2003, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shifting-away-from-microsoft-products-prudent/205105/26 "2003-10-06T05:20:54Z")
**AHunter3** : A wonderful thing about Mozilla browsers is the installable [extensions](http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/). There are some tabbing-related there. ---
**Author:** ![chorizo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@chorizo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorizo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shifting-away-from-microsoft-products-prudent/205105/27 "2003-10-07T19:41:26Z")
> [@](#): > > What’s the difference? Eudora has a free slimmed-down version, and so does Mozilla. If you want more features, you buy the full package. Free as in Beer - Given away, at no financial cost. The “free” Eudora is just that - you can use it without paying anything (although it is ad supported, correct?). Free as in Speech - More of a “freedom” concept than a monetary one. Mozilla is open source and not controlled by any one company. If you are so inclined, you can download the source code and work on it yourself. You can voice your opinion in the development process. They have a [development roadmap](http://www.mozilla.org/roadmap.html), telling you what they plan to do. No company can kill it or buy it out. Say Qualcomm goes out of business or stops developing Eudora, or kills the free version and demands $200 for a copy of it - what are you going to do about your old mail? It’s most likely stored in a proprietary format someone would have to reverse engineer (which, of course, may be illegal to do). In theory, you’d always be able to compile your own version of Mozlla Mail from the source code and do whatever you want with it. Personally, while not a militant open source / free software (not shareware, “free” as in libre, freedom) zealot, I do like the idea and use Linux pretty much exclusively - Mozilla, Gimp, [OpenOffice.org](http://OpenOffice.org), etc. I boot my laptop into Windows only occaisionally, and use IE only when I need to run Windows Update or to make sure a site I’m working on looks fine in IE. I never hated Microsoft, but simply like the Unix-y way of doing things much better. I find Windows to be awkward and limiting when I have to use it, too much is hidden from me, and too often I feel that I have to trick the software into doing what I want it to do. But I also dislike their security history and business practices. But these aren’t my primary motivations - I really don’t like the software as much. Simple as that. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shifting-away-from-microsoft-products-prudent/205105/28 "2003-10-07T21:24:32Z")
Ok, good distinction. You should be able to messages/folders/address book to Outlook or Netscape Mail from Eudora. Should - I haven’t tried it. (You can certainly do it the other way.) ---
**Author:** ![Armilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19b73/32.png) [@Armilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Armilla)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shifting-away-from-microsoft-products-prudent/205105/29 "2003-10-07T21:47:09Z")
You might take a look at the Mozilla [Thunderbird](http://www.mozilla.org/projects/thunderbird/) project. I haven’t had a chance to try it out myself yet, but I rate the companion project, the Firebird browser, highly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-shifting-away-from-microsoft-products-prudent/205105.md?page=1)