I have to use Windows on my work computer and I am finding it hard to get FOSS applications on Windows that can do stuff like
- Record a video (like SimpleVideoRecorder does)
- Take a screenshot (there’s snip, but it isn’t very customizable)
- Unzip .zip files
Just the routine things I used to take for granted on Linux, so I was wondering if there was a FOSS app store for Windows
And it would be very helpful if someone could suggest alternative for
- SimpleVideoRecorder
- Archive Manager
Even the apps I installed for these things either had ads or asked me for payment to record more than 2 minutes of video, I am pretty sure there are FOSS apps to do these things out there, but I don’t know where :')
PS: To everyone who has tried to help, thank you very much. I was feeling guilty for not replying to most of you, so I thought I would reply to all of ya, but funnily enough, lemmy had had enough of my gratitude!
For video recording I use OBS and for zip files I use 7-Zip
7zip doesn’t support the new win11 rightclick menu (yet), nanazip is a fork with full win11 support:
I’m using 7zip on win11. You need to get into the old context menu to see it tho. You can edit the registry to make the old one the default too.
No idea why it’s a registry edit but Microsoft will do what they willYes that is another option. I know 7zip works there, win11 is mostly the same as win7 under the hood, but I would install a supported frontend instead of fiddling with the registry, tweaks like that can break after updates
I don’t use windows personally, just set it up for others. I don’t care enough to tweak the registry for them, if there are more convenient solutions
tweaks like that can break after updates
That’s a perspective. I think 11 is broken that it does not show the expected context menu items that programs still put there, but it just ignores it.
I don’t care enough to tweak the registry for them, if there are more convenient solutions
If you set it once and export the reg key, it’s just a double click on the reg file for any future PCs.
I use win11 at work sadly so I’m stick with it there. I find the new context menu unusable so I prefer the old one
tweakui can fix this
- OBS Studio, or even Xbox Game Bar (built-in, but might be disabled at your work PC)
- ShareX
- 7-Zip
To be fair, these tools are all already built-in
- Xbox Game Bar (Win+G)
- Windows screenshot (Win+S / Win+Shift+s)
- File Explorer (Win+E) can handle .zip, even preview them quite nicely.
I realise these are not open source (and others have already given great open-source options I would give, as well). But you’re using Windows already, so why not use Windows?
File explorer’s built in archiver is still lagging behind, while it’s mostly usable, last time I tried to open a password protected rar, and it didn’t show a pw dialog just failed silently. 7zip opened it correctly
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Just one little addition: win+shift+s for snipping tool. Let’s you select a region, window or whole screen.
Added!
Yeah but those tools are very inferior. The GUI of 7z is much better for any task, it even adds right click shortcuts to common actions to your files. Same with greenshot. Haven’t ever used the game bar’s recorder so can’t tell about that, but once you learn the very basics of OBS (which is the location of the record button) it’s much more flexible, even without that flexibility being in the way.
Everyone else is already giving those, so like I stated I wouldn’t repeat them here.
I just added the information that there are also built-in tools for these, this information was missing from the comments.
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I have to use Windows on my work computer and I am finding it hard to get FOSS applications on Windows that can do stuff like
The Gold standard in the screen recording world is OBS. It’s not only available for Linux, but also for Windows and, well, is the gold standard. If you ask the question if OBS can do this-or-that regarding screen recording, the answer generally is yes (or “yes, via plugin”). Just use OBS on all platforms, it’s clearly the most mature screen recording tool out there.
You can even use it as a virtual camera. I’ve had lots of fun with that one in meetings.
I used Game Bar to record my videos back in the day. But it’s just too basic.
LibreOffice for replacing Microsoft Office
Linux is replacing Windows
LibreOffice works on Windows too.
ODF for OOXML.
Video recorder: OBS
Screenshot utility: built into most desktops
Archive manager: Built into most file managers
For screenshots, I’ve been pushing Greenshot as it has built in editing capabilities and has been quite stable on Windows 11
For .zip files, I still stick with 7-zip. It does what it does and has never given me issue.
For screenshots I recommend Greenshot. Simple to use and good annotation tools.
Interesting, I might keep that in the back of my mind as a backup for ShareX
For screenshots look at Greenshot.
ShareX and .7z
Check out scoop and chocolatey
And winget.
@Subject6051 Most of apps famous in linux are available on windows.
Funny part is while joining Linux we searched alternatives and now for leaving it we need alternatives 😅
Indeed! I gotmyself accustomed to a routine of using featherpad instead of notepad, using Kpaint instead of paint, it’s weird to be back. “Hey Windows, it’s me again, I hate you, but I have been told I must use you.”
Pretty weird, it’s getting back at me by showing me the wrong time every time I login! :')
Yeah, I use a tiling WM at home, so having to deal with Windows’ way of doing things at college computers was very annoying, especially when the Super+L keybind I used to Launch apps, was used on Windows to Lock the machine. Locking your PC while trying to open an app is very, very annoying.
For screenshot, you can use Flameshot which do have a Windows version and even a macOS version:
For simple screen recording, I could only find not-so-simple OBS that let me record a part of a screen. In the end it’s a good and reliable solution once you set up and save the local area I want to record. Not so spontaneous, but solid.
I edit the videos in KDEnlive Windows install, which is excellent for this work. I have a smooth process and create many videos quickly.
OBS is just amazing and does not need admin to install 🥰
It is also not complicated, contrary to how some like to frame it. Sure there’s a bunch of buttons and panels, but you can ignore 90% of them, or even hide them.
I have to use Windows
- Run a virtual machine
- Install your goto Linux distro
- Drink a cup of ☕ and pet a 😺 while it’s installing
- Happy hacking!
WSL2 exists for the very reason, if you hate using Windblows, you can install Linux OS on top and do everything from the Linux VM. Why even bother struggling with Windozes interface and software ?
The only problem is the resource management, if you are using something like MX Linux and you have good amount of RAM, you can do this, I have 8GBs of RAM and even Windows 10 runs into resource issues when I am using it casually (forget working on it).
