How to convert mov to avi

I came across this article as we have the same problem with our  Panasonic Lumix LX3. Although I acquired it solely for its still image capabilities, I quickly discovered that it records video in very high quality, especially when compared to my digital video camera, a JVC model equipped with a hard disk on which video files are stored in MPEG-2 format in DVD resolution.

The major downside to the new LX3: the format in which video files are stored. For some reason Panasonic chose Apple’s Quicktime format. This essentially means that only Apple’s Quicktime software can play those files. That is far too inflexible for me. I need a video file format that can be played and edited with different applications, both today and in 20 years. I do not want to be caught in a format trap, like, for example, owners of Video 2000 equiment (remember that?).