On Fri, Apr 21, 2000 at 06:32:34PM -0400, Arcady Genkin wrote:
> Hi all:
>
> A friend of mine in a fit of anger directed to his Window~1
> installation called me and asked if I would install Linux for him. We
> have discussed with him before, that everything he needs from a
> computer (web browsing, document/spreadsheet editing, email) can be
> done from within Linux using familiar to him graphical interfaces. His
> Win98 has been blue-screening on him way too often.
StarOffice supports most MSO file formats (Word, Excel, PPT) pretty
well. It's a bit of a pig. It's free as in beer. I don't particularly
care for it as a working tool.
Corel Office has had mixed reviews, but promises similar compatibility
to SO. WordPerfect is a champ (though I prefer the DOS 5.1 version).
Applix is also available, though my experience is with an older, and
very klunky, version.
The Gnome "office suite" -- AbiWord, Gnumeric, and xmp (MagicPoint) do a
pretty good job, though they're somewhat less feature-rich than their
proprietary brethren.
Browsers -- Netscape 4.x, Netscape 6.x/Mozilla, kfm, Gnome help
browser...
> Next week I'm going to install Debian on his computer. Basically, I am
> thinking of setting up Gnome, and stuffing everything he could need in
> a root menu and clickable icons. He is no dummy, but has very little
> knowledge of computers besides most common applications.
Though Gnome's probably doable, for someone with an MS Windows
background I'd probably pick KDE. Personally I prefer WindowMaker to
either, and generally prefer Gnome's philosophy, my recommendation is
strictly from a beginner's usability standpoint.
> Has anyone done this kind of setup? Are there any things that I should
> be forewarned about, perhaps?
Basics -- document generation, spreadsheets, file management, web
browsing -- Linux is as simple as anything out of Redmond.
Interactivity -- file formats and document interchange -- there *will*
be issues. Redmond writes the rules for a large portion of the market,
and interconnectivity can be painful.
Games, multimedia. There are issues, particularly with web-based
plugins, media players, and entertainment stuff. The simple fact is
that there will be things you *can't* do (or can't do as well, as
easily, or as nicely) under Linux. OTOH, your computer isn't crashing
all the time, and there's a lot of slick stuff you can *only* do under
Linux. Life is compromise. If your friend is aware of the tradeoffs,
life should be good.
One possible compromise is to install VMWare (~$100 personal edition)
and boot a Windows session within it. Performance lags, and some
functionality (devices, sound) aren't available, but certain
interconnection issues go away.
> How easy is it to configure a ppp connection as a desktop icon? (I'm on
> a cable modem, and have never configured ppp under Linux).
Gnome, KDE, and WindowMaker all have graphical PPP status/activation
tools (gppp, kppp, and wmppp, IIRC).
pppconfig is an ncurses (console-based) utility for configuring your
connection(s).
> I'll be very greatful for any suggestions and ideas!
> --
> Arcady Genkin http://www.thpoon.com
> Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
>
>
> --
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--
Karsten M. Self <kmself@ix.netcom.com> http:/www.netcom.com/~kmself
What part of "Gestalt" don't you understand?
http://gestalt-system.sourceforge.net/
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