Windows and equivalent Linux Apps
( From Windows 7 and 10 to MX-21 and MX-23)
[This Post will be getting updated whenever possible and necessary.]
This is a post about some of the notable apps that I have added and use on MX Linux which are essential to my needs, and have made my transition from Windows to Linux much easier.
I won’t delve unnecessarily deep, this is to give you sort of an idea of what is possible, in addition some likely clever ways for you to check if what you want is available.
User Installed Packages Modified Output File:
This is the slightly modified output list of the “User Installed Packages” App. As the name suggests these are packages I chose to add myself to my main production machine. All of these apps conveniently come from the MX repos, and can be browsed and installed through the “MX Package Installer” App.
| Program/Package | Description from U.I.P. App | My Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 0ad | Real-time strategy game of ancient warfare | Age of Empires like game. |
| audacity | fast, cross-platform audio editor | |
| calf-plugins | Calf Studio Gear – audio effects and sound generators | |
| converseen | batch image converter and resizer | |
| dvdstyler | Crossplatform DVD Authoring System | |
| easytag | GTK+ editor for audio file tags | On Windows I used to use Mp3tag. I now kinda joggle between easytag and strawberry’s tag editor. There are a couple of other but I haven’t bothered testing them yet. |
| ffmpeg | Tools for transcoding, streaming and playing of multimedia files | Say what you might, FFmpeg is a superpower! |
| gimp | GNU Image Manipulation Program | |
| gimp-data-extras | Extra brushes and patterns for GIMP | |
| gimp-gmic | GREYC’s Magic for Image Computing – GIMP Plugin | |
| gimp-texturize | generates large textures from a small sample | |
| inkscape | vector-based drawing program | |
| libdvdcss | Library to allow commercial dvd playback in common video players | Source: Popular Applications tab, under “Video”. |
| mediainfo-gui | graphical utility for reading information from audio/ | In the old times on Windows there was a program named “GSpot”. MediaInfo is superior and cross-platform. |
| mpv | mplayer/mplayer2 based video player | I only have this as it is a necessary package for SMPlayer that I like using. |
| obs-studio | recorder and streamer for live video content | |
| polyphone | cross-platform SoundFont editor | |
| python3-serial | pyserial – module encapsulating access for the serial port | I occasionally do some MCU programming, this is just to enable serial communication with the ESP32 boards. |
| qpwgraph | User interface for controlling the PipeWire Graph | |
| qtqr | Qt frontend for QR code generator and decoder | |
| quadrapassel | popular Russian game, similar to Tetris | |
| smplayer | Complete front-end for MPlayer and mpv | I replaced vlc which comes preinstalled. It’s cleaner and lighter. |
| sonic-visualiser | viewing and analysing the contents of music audio files | |
| spek | acoustic spectrum analyser | |
| steam-installer | Valve’s Steam digital software delivery system | |
| supertuxkart | 3D arcade racer with a variety of characters, tracks, and modes to play | |
| surge-xt | Subtractive hybrid synthesizer virtual instrument | |
| torcs | 3D racing cars simulator game using OpenGL | |
| trigger-rally | 3D rally car racing game | |
| ttf-mscorefonts-installer | Installer for Microsoft TrueType core fonts | |
| viewnior | simple, fast and elegant image viewer | MX23 comes preloaded with nomacs, but I like having viewnior as default image viewer because it’s super fast. |
| vivaldi-stable | Experience the web in a whole new way with Vivaldi. |
Extra Packages from Alternative Sources:
Standalone Packages and AppImages. These are packages that either weren’t available in the distribution’s repositories, or were, but the version I was after wasn’t. Either way, depending on the app, these are totally viable types of solutions which I have been using for a long time; and due to their portability, give easier version control too.
| Program | Form | My Comments & Source |
|---|---|---|
| Arduino IDE | AppImage | https://www.arduino.cc/en/software |
| Blender | Standalone | https://www.blender.org/download/ |
| BYOD | Standalone | https://chowdsp.com/products.html#byod |
| Decent Sampler | Standalone | It’s no Native Instruments Kontakt…but it’s kinda fun. https://www.decentsamples.com/product/decent-sampler-plugin/ |
| Godot | Standalone | https://godotengine.org/download/linux/ |
| Kdenlive | AppImage | https://kdenlive.org/en/download/ |
| PowderToy | Standalone | (Relatively recently it has become available on Steam too.) https://powdertoy.co.uk |
Some indispensable preinstalled software:
| Program | My Comments |
|---|---|
| FeatherPad | A great notepad type app! |
| Firefox | I use it as my second browser, it’s great for what I use it for. |
| Galculator | Quite a decent Calculator App. |
| LibreOffice | A Microsoft Office alternative (The actual good ones, 2007 and back) which is more than 99%, a competent suite of software. |
| Strawberry | Before I got into Linux I used to use MusicBee on Windows. But once you go Strawberry you don’t go back.. It’s cross-platform too. |
| xfce4-notes | Perfect, simple, customizable sticky notes type application. I love it! |
So “what hasn’t worked out yet?”, you might ask:
That is Image-Line’s FL Studio. Unfortunately Image-Line hasn’t decided yet for releasing a native Linux version of FL Studio. Yes it can sort of play under “Wine” but not to an acceptable degree by my standards. It’s the sole reason I still have a drive with Windows 10 which I occasionally swap. But other than that piece of nonsense, I’m very happy with what is available software-wise on Linux, and specifically MX Linux.
Finally, here are some sources you can use to query anything you have in mind, and see what is currently available.
(Important to note that despite Linux being Linux, if an App has been packaged specifically for a certain distribution, or family of distributions or a specific “Desktop Environment” even, it is best to not install/fiddle with it on your own. Instead ask the community of the distro you’re interested in. Remember, there is a learning curve.):
See What is Packaged and what is PreInstalled on MX-23:
1. To see what’s specifically packaged have a look at the MX23Repo package page (you can use “Ctrl+F” in your browser to do a word search) – https://mxrepo.com/MX23packages.html
2. To see for yourself what’s in any MX variant, create a live USB, this will also give you a preview of the system itself. Instructions on how to do so can be found here – https://mxlinux.org/download-links/
See which Apps are available in the MX Repos:
(The first two Links contain useful information, I do suggest opening them first):
https://mxlinux.org/community-repos/
https://mxlinux.org/uncategorized/repos-mx-23/
https://mxrepo.com/mx/repo/pool/main/
https://mxrepo.com/mx/testrepo/pool/test/
Search and if needed ask in the MX Forum:
https://forum.mxlinux.org
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