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Konqueror, based on your taste. Personally, I prefer Opera, although it is not open-source. Well, the fact is that I would need to install KDE for Konqueror, and I am not going to waste disk space for something like that. Anyway, those two browsers rock. They are lighting fast, must faster than Firefox, and you will be well-pleased by them. And interface of Opera is just so sweet.

Oh, and you would also want WINE. WINE is an application that allows you to run Windows program under Linux. Pretty neat in some cases. I used to play Heroes of Might and Magic with it. Having WINE would ease your experience, especially your first month, greatly. Grab it, and you will find your life a lot better!

Lastly, Nethack! The classic of hack and slash game, Nethack can provide you with some quality fun time. It does seem to be pretty archaic. However, it is fun! And it has a very active community around it. Therefore, download it, and have some fun slashing monsters! (or, some fun cursing when you get Yet Another Stupid Death).

Other than the 8 above applications, you may need some more, according to what you want from your Linux box. If you want to know more about this wonderful Operating System, as well as about computer, GCC is a must. If you frequently create Word Document, you would need either Open Office or Microsoft Office (under WINE). If you absolutely need Windows, virtual machine is necessary. When you are done, it's fun time!

Wait, not yet, you may wish to install some different windows managers. Reasons? KDE and GNOME look so boring. You may want to change once in a while for fun, or just to show off with your peers. In that case, a beautiful windows manager is a quality time investment. There are countless choices for you to choose from, and I have two recommendations: XFCE and Enlightenment. The first one is usually bundled with your distribution, or can be installed trivially. It is fast, yet pretty. The second one is my all time favorite windows manager. It makes GNOME seems like an old hag, and Windows seems prehistoric. Believe me, Enlightenment is breathtakingly beautiful! Try install it (Enlightenment 0.16, or e16 in some distributions), and enjoy yourself.

Finished? I hope not so. Each of us has a unique need and want from our Linux, and Linux force nothing to you. Hence you may develop a different list from me! That is fun, right? Be unique, be yourself! Before ending, I just want to remind you one thing: you are now under Linux, a free operating system; please try it out the way YOU want it, be free, be creative, and you will not regret!

Learn more about this author, Lam Luu.
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