Re: What DO you lose with Linux ???
In my opinion, the two things that you really do lose with linux are:
Flashy new games (clearly very important)
Hardware manufacturers support (but you do get support from
linux developers)
I guess the best solution to the first problem is to get a Sony
Playstation, which is most suitable for this (but I can't do that
myself, or I'd never get any work done!).
The second problem probably means you can't take full advantage of the
very newest hardware (in terms of flash graphics card, USB stuff, etc),
straight away (unless it is compatible with older HW), but who can
afford to buy all these new toys anyway?
As for music composition (this seems like a bit of a minority interest
to me, unless the auther is refering to basic midi programs which are in
the Debian distribution), there is stuff like this available
(particularly for those willing to pay.
http://www.xnet.com/~blatura/linapp5.html#music
has some stuff listed. Some accounting and personal finance stuff is
also listed on the same site at:
http://www.xnet.com/~blatura/linapp3.html#pers
It seems to me that the author has listed an obscure application which
may not be very well provided in linux, and another one that probably
is, and has used this to give the impression that there is hardly any
useful software available.
It is true that p'n'p is a bit dubious under linux, but I think it is a
complete fiction under Win95 (or they changed the definition at the last
minute- there is certainly no hot-switching of devices). Linux kernel
2.0.nn doesn't do p'n'p, but it can easily (<-note slighty unusual usage
of word!) be loaded as a module. I think later kernels were supposed to
be getting pnp built in, but I'm not sure.
For OCR, the only thing I saw was a commercial thing called ocrshop
http://www.vividata.com/ocrshop.html,
but that seems to cost a <lot>.
In general, there is a lot of stuff available for linux, most of it free
(especially for home users). It is easy for someone who is thinking of
switching to find out if they need something which is not linux
compatible. If they have a lot of time on their hands, are good with
computers and have a generous and sunny disposition, they might develop
something themself (after all, that's where a lot of the linux stuff has
come from). Otherwise they can dual boot, or try one of the emulators.
Just my opinions
Rich
(Ted Harding) wrote:
>
> Apologies for duplicate postings, but I'd like to make sure I sound
> a diverse population.
>
> Today' London "Sunday Times" feature "Innovation" (pp 10-11 of "News
> Review", http://www.sunday-times.co.uk ) has an article by David Hewson
> (of "Linux, the Program from Hell" fame) entitled "Linux wins backing of
> computing giants".
>
> His attitude to Linux is much more moderate than it was: the article
> is basically balanced and fair, including some sound negative comment.
>
> However, he states:
>
> "Behind the hype there is precious little sign of Linux becoming
> a serious, versatile desktop OS. If all you need is a browser
> to get through the day, it's fine. But if I boot the PC I am
> using right now into any kind of Unix the list of stuff I lose
> -- music composition, accounting and personal finance to name
> but a few -- is endless because the applications just aren't
> there. On top of that, Linux is difficult to set up, fails to
> understand the difference between a desktop PC and a notebook,
> and lacks any kind of plug and play facility."
>
> I'm sure the last sentence is simply wrong in point of fact.
>
> If, in the previous sentence, he'd given a longer "list of stuff I lose"
> one might be in a better position to respond constructively.
>
> However, can I ask people what they would use for "music composition,
> accounting and personal finance"? I'm aware of good programs for
> creating musical scores which can also generate MIDI output, but I'd
> hardly call them top-flight composition tools; and it does seem that
> the accounting/finance area is thinly served.
>
> He didn't mention OCR (optical character rcognition) either. Where is
> the OCR program for Linux that works?
>
> Now that vmware is out ( http://www.vmware.com ) people who want to
> can run Windows applications on top of Linux without, it seems, losing
> much or indeed anything, so this could be the basis of another line of
> reply to Hewson's article: he can start up Linux and the "list of stuff I
> lose" would be empty because it would all still be there!
>
> Comments, info, contributions, anyone?
>
> Best wishes to all,
> Ted.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk>
> Date: 28-Mar-99 Time: 12:49:27
> ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------
>
> --
> Unsubscribe? mail -s unsubscribe debian-user-request@lists.debian.org < /dev/null
Reply to: