Posted on 05/26/2005 8:45:19 AM PDT by ShadowAce
Sorry, I work with Linux daily. It has a LONG way to go before it's a desktop of choice outside of Geekland. The vast majority of everyday users are like my mother who has enough trouble handling the Mac OS. Let's not even get into the issue of drivers. If you want to talk web server or other sort of backend application, that's a very different question. But desktop? No way, no how. Not yet and probably not for a very long time. Now Tiger, that's a *nix OS for the masses, but OMG, Apple charges for it! They must be Evil Incarnate, like Bill!
Sorry, I work with Linux daily. It has a LONG way to go before it's a desktop of choice outside of Geekland. The vast majority of everyday users are like my mother who has enough trouble handling the Mac OS. Let's not even get into the issue of drivers. If you want to talk web server or other sort of backend application, that's a very different question. But desktop? No way, no how. Not yet and probably not for a very long time. Now Tiger, that's a *nix OS for the masses, but OMG, Apple charges for it! They must be Evil Incarnate, like Bill!
I'm a long-time Windows user, an (experienced, not paper) MCSE, and have just enough UNIX/Linux experience to know that I absolutely hate vi. I'm very comfortable with a command-line interface, having cut my computer teeth in the DOS 5.0 / Windows 3.1 era.
My question is this: Which (free) Linux distro is best for desktops today? The best installation experience I ever had with Linux was the old Corel Linux. It installed from CD, autodetected everything in my Dell PC, and was actually able to connect to our Windows NT LAN with no configuration help other than a host name. I have not been able to get any other Linux (mostly Manrake) to browse our network since then.
I'd love to get more experience with Liunx, but it has been a pretty frustrating subject for me thus far. ...and I'm no spring chicken on a PC.
I still remember what they pulled on the guys who did Stacker so I appreciate some of the grudge.
So far as I'm concerned, I'd look into a different OS that had some benefits, but if it can't run the games that I want, I won't be using it at home.
I've recently resized my primary XP partition to use only half of the C:\drive so I can install Linspire 5.0. I really want to try it but am hesitant to spend 50 bucks on something I may not like or can't use because of driver issues, hardware compatibilty, etc.... Wish there was a trial download someplace.
Linux, for most people is still over-rated. On all 5 computers I have at home, I partition the disks and install Windows XP, and Linux. I have a Gentoo install, Redhat, and a couple of Mandrakes. In my opinion, its still just too much for the average user. Too much for the experienced user still. Over the last 3 years, it has gotten better, no doubt, but there still needs to be some work on it.
BTW, as for speed, on all my machines, both Linux and XP run at about the same speed, depending on the apps, so I don't buy into it that Linux is usually faster than XP.
For more "traditional" distros, I've heard good things about MEPIS, Linspire, and I use Fedora. No problems at all.
i use it. Don't love it, but it works, i was using the free version of Eudora for a while which is far better than either of the two you mentioned, but one day it stopped working and wouldn't work again. You should try it. It is an excellent program once you have it running, much better than any other mail program I have ever seen.
What problems exactly have you had with Calc? And what was the last release you tried?
So, if I have a computer and what to put Linux on it (I am just a regular joe who wants to surf the web, read email, and use Word and Excel) is there a Linux that I an download and install easily? Will the spreadsheet product read excel files?
In the majority of the cases out their, you're absolutely right. Office is, for example, still the runaway best for productivity suites in terms of integration and customization. Yes, there are alternatives that are file compatible, but are they going to use my VisualBasic macros? Nope.
Personally, I don't have much problem with their software, other than rampant bloat and interface changes from one version to the next. Both NT and 2000 servers, for which I am responsible at my company, have been very stable. The only damage or serious delays I have ever experienced have been due to hardware or network failures, or my own "oops"es.
What I do object to is Micro$oft's business ethics. They've been convicted in court, for pete's sake. As far as I can tell, it hasn't changed their stripes one iota.
Yes, there is. I prefer Fedora, but only because I've used Red Hat since the earliest versions. Fedora installs without any reboot until the install is finished, and it's a no-brainer. I've heard good things about MEPIS, Xandros, and Linspire, but have not tried any of them. I've heard they all install easier than Windows.
Will the spreadsheet product read excel files?
OpenOffice.org will read virtually any Excel spreadsheet you put in front of it. Due to the proprietary nature of Excel, though, macros may give you some issues. OOo will also save into Excel format.
I got some 8-track tapes you might be interested in...
That's one way to do it.
Ditto for me also.
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