Re: [H] dumb newb linux questions

2006-10-11 Thread Harry McGregor
Rick Glazier wrote:
> How about QuickBooks?
> That is not Linux...  (But some Macs...)

It's not free, but Crossover Linux and Crossover Mac (Intel), should
support Quickbooks, but you would want to try it first.

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxmac/

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxoffice/

  Harry

>Rick Glazier
>
> From: "Thane Sherrington"
>> clipped   As for proprietary business software, we don't see a lot of
>> that around here anymore.  Most people are using specialized
>> spreadsheets and that's about it.
>



Re: [H] dumb newb linux questions

2006-10-11 Thread Rick Glazier

How about QuickBooks?
That is not Linux...  (But some Macs...)

   Rick Glazier

From: "Thane Sherrington" 
clipped   As for proprietary 
business software, we don't see a lot of that around here 
anymore.  Most people are using specialized spreadsheets and that's about it.




Re: [H] dumb newb linux questions

2006-10-11 Thread Winterlight

At 10:57 AM 10/11/2006, you wrote:

At 02:54 PM 11/10/2006, Winterlight wrote:

Multimedia, particular video, TV recording, editing, ...and of course 
proprietary business software that the vast majority of small business 
relies on.


MythTV would handle the TV stuff, wouldn't it?


no, very few TV cards are supported with Myth TV  nothing ATI for one.

  As for proprietary business software, we don't see a lot of that around 
here anymore.  Most people are using specialized spreadsheets and that's 
about it.


I think you are refereeing to simple mom and pop POS retail. But any kind 
of franchise chains, professional offices, such as any kind of medical, or 
legal that have to deal with insurance or legal requirements, or any kind 
of volume business that is tied to material suppliers, are going to be 
using proprietary software.


One interesting thing... I was in the administration office of my local 
Costco yesterday, and I noticed they were using IE5.5. I am not surprised 
they are using IE, but 5.5 was a surprise.  



Re: [H] dumb newb linux questions

2006-10-11 Thread j m g

For grabbing codecs/fonts/players on K/Ed/Ubuntu take a look at
EasyUbuntu or Automatix.

At this point with the likes of *Ubuntu, Suse, Mandriva, they
generally have everything you need to get started.  If you start
getting into the audio/video editing side you have to make sure your
hardware is supported, I've gone through 2 albeit older vid capture
cards that there was no docs or info on getting setup in Linux.  But
the for all the naysayers the 80/20 kind of applies - at least 80% of
everything you need to do isn't going to take any more effort on a
Linux box than a Windows box.

And for those proprietary business applications? after being through a
couple of large scale desktop migration projects - they're a PITA to
get config'd and running on their own specific platform regardless of
wether is *nix or Windows

On 10/11/06, Winterlight <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:


>Question 2
>Besides the desire to game, why wouldn't a typical home user want a linux
>based system? Heck all of the apps seem free, its graphical, even supports
>my camera out of the box. I mean for just word processing, surfing the
>internet and looking at pics and playing some mp3's is there a valid reason
>for them 'wanting' Windows?

Multimedia, particular video, TV recording, editing, ...and of course
proprietary business software that the vast majority of small business
relies on.





--
-jmg
-sapere aude


Re: [H] dumb newb linux questions

2006-10-11 Thread Thane Sherrington

At 02:54 PM 11/10/2006, Winterlight wrote:

Multimedia, particular video, TV recording, editing, ...and of 
course proprietary business software that the vast majority of small 
business relies on.


MythTV would handle the TV stuff, wouldn't it?  As for proprietary 
business software, we don't see a lot of that around here 
anymore.  Most people are using specialized spreadsheets and that's about it.


T 



Re: [H] dumb newb linux questions

2006-10-11 Thread Winterlight



Question 2
Besides the desire to game, why wouldn't a typical home user want a linux
based system? Heck all of the apps seem free, its graphical, even supports
my camera out of the box. I mean for just word processing, surfing the
internet and looking at pics and playing some mp3's is there a valid reason
for them 'wanting' Windows?


Multimedia, particular video, TV recording, editing, ...and of course 
proprietary business software that the vast majority of small business 
relies on. 



Re: [H] dumb newb linux questions

2006-10-11 Thread Harry McGregor

RLS wrote:


Just did my first Linux based install using Unbuntu. It is pretty graphical
and I am surprised by all of the native applications types available from
the get go.

Question 1
I installed the 64 bit version. Can I install Linux64 bit drivers for the
motherboard, netcard etc? 
 

Drivers in the "windows" sense don't really exist much for Linux.  Most 
hardware is natively supported by the kernel.  Any hardware maker that 
intends to have full linux support must get their drivers into the 
mainline kernel or else they will be playing a game of catchup with 
every kernel release.  The kernel development team does not care for, or 
take the time to test, with 3rd party drivers.


All of the drivers install by the unbuntu install are already the 64 bit 
versions, as you are running a 64 bit kernel.


If any hardware is not detected or working, post it to the list, and we 
can see what is going on with it.



Question 2
Besides the desire to game, why wouldn't a typical home user want a linux
based system? Heck all of the apps seem free, its graphical, even supports
my camera out of the box. I mean for just word processing, surfing the
internet and looking at pics and playing some mp3's is there a valid reason
for them 'wanting' Windows?

 

Some distros (Debian for example) don't ship with MP3 codecs, as they 
would have to pay very large licensing costs to then distrubute it for 
free.  I don't know if unbuntu ships with MP3 codecs or not, but they 
are easy to ad via an external apt source.


Typical power user will have issues with a linux desktop, as all of the 
"neat tricks" they learned under windows may or may not apply.  Your 
average user does great, as long as they don't admin the system 
(changing hardware can be a little tricky at time, adding devices can be 
hit or miss if you don't know what you are doing, etc).


Your average "managed" desktop in a corporate or educational environment 
can do great with Linux.  Linux is admin friendly or expert friendly, 
it's also user friendly, it's not idiot user who thinks they can admin a 
system friendly.


The biggest road block is Windows only intranet (not internet, but local 
intranet) applications, and Windows only custom applications for 
industry specific use.  The more of those that move to a Web 2.0 model 
using Linux server appliances, the better.



So far the only thing that has me off a step is getting comfortable with the
way the file management system presents itself.
 


Basically, as a user, all you care about is /home/$user

   Harry


Thanks,Bob

 





Re: [H] dumb newb linux questions

2006-10-11 Thread Ben Ruset

RLS wrote:


Question 1
I installed the 64 bit version. Can I install Linux64 bit drivers for the
motherboard, netcard etc? 


Yes.


Question 2
Besides the desire to game, why wouldn't a typical home user want a linux
based system? Heck all of the apps seem free, its graphical, even supports
my camera out of the box. I mean for just word processing, surfing the
internet and looking at pics and playing some mp3's is there a valid reason
for them 'wanting' Windows?


If they want to surf websites that require IE and ActiveX controls, yes.

MP3 support is not native in most non commercial Linuxes.

Oddball Windows only apps (like the Ikea Kitchen Planner I downloaded 
last night) that will only work on Windows.


[H] dumb newb linux questions

2006-10-11 Thread RLS
Just did my first Linux based install using Unbuntu. It is pretty graphical
and I am surprised by all of the native applications types available from
the get go.

Question 1
I installed the 64 bit version. Can I install Linux64 bit drivers for the
motherboard, netcard etc? 

Question 2
Besides the desire to game, why wouldn't a typical home user want a linux
based system? Heck all of the apps seem free, its graphical, even supports
my camera out of the box. I mean for just word processing, surfing the
internet and looking at pics and playing some mp3's is there a valid reason
for them 'wanting' Windows?

So far the only thing that has me off a step is getting comfortable with the
way the file management system presents itself.

Thanks,Bob