Is the Linux desktop really here ? was: Re: [linux-audio-user]ebayguy: looks like he figured it out

[eviltwin69 at cableone.net]

My wife is the comptroller for a US Navy activity.  She is the ultimate hard-core Excel user ;-)  Neither Open Office nor Gnumeric can handle the macros that she uses.

Jan





-----Original Message-----
From:	"linux-audio-user-bounces at music.columbia.edu" <linux-audio-user-bounces at music.columbia.edu> on behalf of	"John Bleichert" <syborg at earthlink.net>
Sent:	Mon, 8 Dec 2003 09:46:31 -0500 (EST)
To:	"A list for linux audio users" <linux-audio-user at music.columbia.edu>
Subject:	RE: Is the Linux desktop really here ? was: Re: [linux-audio-user]ebayguy: looks like he figured it out

On Mon, 8 Dec 2003 eviltwin69 at cableone.net wrote:
>
> Dave,
>
>     The one thing that I would do (I had to do this for my wife because she has to have Excel for her job) is to buy Crossover Office and Crossover plugin so that you can load Micro$oft Orifice and some nice browser plugins.  It's well worth the 70 bucks and then they don't have to worry about format problems.  Of course, you do have to own a copy of Micro$oft Orifice first ;-)  Do you get the feeling that I'm not a big fan of Micro$oft ;-D
>
> Jan
>

Bull. For a standard desktop user, flash and java work fine in Mozilla.
I've moved half my family over to Slackware/Mozilla/OpenOffice for the
same reasons the O.P. is doing it. It works fine for all of them, nearly
bulletproof. I've even convinced my Sister (with the help of my nephew) to
use Mozilla for web and email and OO on her XP laptop. Been doing fine for
a year now.

Unless the target user is a really hardcore MS Office user, there is
nothing they'll need CodeWeavers for. If they are, that's a different
story. Just my 2 pfennig.

Sorry for the OT follow-up.

>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	"linux-audio-user-bounces at music.columbia.edu" <linux-audio-user-bounces at music.columbia.edu> on behalf of	"Dave Phillips" <dlphilp at bright.net>
> Sent:	Mon, 08 Dec 2003 08:39:40 -0500
> To:	"A list for linux audio users" <linux-audio-user at music.columbia.edu>
> Subject:	Is the Linux desktop really here ? was: Re: [linux-audio-user] ebayguy: looks like he figured it out
>
> tim hall wrote:
>
> >PS: Watching my nine-year old and various friends use my system, I'd say the
> >Linux Desktop for casual users is here, given the availability of technical
> >support. IMX it's the configuration that is difficult, not the installation &
> >usage.
> >
> >
> Hi Tim:
>
>   A few days ago I wrote to the list and recounted a story about setting
> up a Windows 2000 system for some
> very non-computer-savvy friends of mine. Well, that saga knows no end: I
> had to go to their house yesterday
> and get it going for them again. It's true that they are *really* in the
> dark about their machine, but it's got so
> ridiculous that I've decided on a new plan. I'm going to set up a Linux
> box for them and see how they do with it.
> These people do very little else but use a Web browser (what they call
> "the computer") so I want to see just how
> hard or easy it would be for them to use a modern Linux system. It'll be
> an interesting experiment, and if I have to deal
> with the system at least it will be a real OS with real tools and the
> real possibility of actually fixing it if it breaks.
> Win2K is nice, but what a vacant system ! I can't believe people have
> paid so much and received so little in return
> for their money.
>
>   Anyway, if this experiment works I'll report back to this group. The
> folks using this box aren't music/sound people,
> but I do plan on setting up XMMS, RealPlayer, and possibly xine or
> Mplayer for on-line video feeds. Let me know if
> you have any suggestions for making it as easy as possible for them to use.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Dave Phillips
>
>

// John Bleichert
// syborg at earthlink.net