> > I run Windows because it runs the software that I need to be > > productive. I have used Ubuntu, Red Hat and SuSE, BeOS and Zeta...and > > it all comes down to this: > > > > Can I get my work done on these systems? > > > > And for most of the things I need to do, in the formats that my > > industry demands, the answer is a resounding "No, not yet."
> I don't disagree with you entirely, since I don't have to deal with the > software you need to use. Some of the more specialized software I need to > use, like my diabetes glucometer software is not available in Linux, at all. > > I have, however started the conversion by moving all my boxes to dual boot > Opensuse Linux and Windows XP, moving as much of the functionality over to > Linux as possible. I can probably do 80-90 % of my work without ever booting > Windows at this point, and I keep finding new stuff to extend my Linux > functionality. Which means that, if I use my normal workflow (I currently have Excel, Word, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, a scientific calculator, both IE (for email) and FireFox (for general web research) open, and half of those programs don't have acceptable Linux counterparts, I'm rebooting my machine every 20 minutes. I also use a serial port Wacom tablet as an input device with no Linux drivers; my mouse runs on top of it. Which means that when I reboot to Linux, I have to swap pointing devices. While my case isn't exactly typical (most people use computers these days to A) surf the web, B) play multimedia clips, C) read email, D) run spreadsheets, E) write documents), there is no acceptable substitute on Linux for InDesign or Illustrator. When I last looked, the GIMP was not an acceptable substitute for Photoshop for what I do, because it has A) awful font support, and B) really doesn't understand CMYK color space and color separations. > I think probably the most pressing need is for better Linux program > documentation - especially documentation that doesn't expect you to begin by > untarring files. Ding Ding Ding. Give the man a (sugar free) cookie. :) > I largely exempt Open Office from this observation, but even OO could use > improvement dealing with mail merge and labels, etc. Guess that means each > Linux user needs to help, too. Indeed. OpenOffice's font handling is also an area that I wish could be significantly improved, though I run much closer to the bleeding edge of what you can do with typography in Excel than most do. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
