I said goodbye to windows

I haven't tried Camtasia, but I run Photoshop CS2 and Adwords Editor on Linux with Wine. I don't know about other, more recent versions of photoshop though. I'm using wine 1.1.41 and those programs run just fine.

Yeah, it makes a great virtual machine inside Ubuntu.

Awesome to see Linux becoming so much more widespread!

I read on a software site the other day "Due to popular demand, we are in the process of creating a Linux version"

'Due to popular demand' is not something you hear often when Linux is involved.

My first linux install was RedHat back before they went commercial. Now I run Fedora. All of my machines are dual boot because there are just some programs in Linux which aren't quite there yet.

I don't think you'll be disappointed with Linux, it has come a long way since the early days.

Linux is all we use in my home. It seems to be user-friendly enough that my wife and my 5 year old son have no problems using it.

What major apps are you talking about? Name them and I'll show you a linux equivalent if available.

Here are some replacements.

Windows office - use OpenOffice
Quicken Books - use gnuCash
Photoshop - use GIMP

So far I have only found two areas that Linux lacks good strong major apps. That's hardcore video editing and voice recognition.

Re's
Rob Whisonant

I wouldn't be so dismissive of virtual machines. They are very effective and for those who are security conscious, the only way to go.

In a corporate setting VM's have become the standard way to consolidate servers. Millions of people login to VM's everyday and none of them ever know their server is just a construct in RAM. The technology is sound.

Also, the current GIMP does not suck.

No offense taken at all but actually no I don't see your point. Sorry about that. Here are the equivalents.

Dreamweaver - use
1) Netscape / Mozilla Composer
2) Openoffice HTML editor.
3) Amaya.
4) GINF (Ginf is not Frontpage)
5) IBM WebSphere Homepage Builder. [Prop]
6) JXHTMLEDIT (Java)

Premier - use
1) iMira Editing.
2) Cinelerra.
3) MainActor.
4) Broadcast 2000.
5) Lives.
6) CinePaint.
7) Heroine Virtual.

Flash - use
1) DrawSWF.
2) Ming

Camtasia - use
1) recordmydesktop
2) istanbul

Teamviewer - use
Teamviewer linux version

Jing - not sure what this is

Market Samurai - use
Uses adobe air and works on linux as is

Skype - use
Skype has a native linux version

IM Clients
MSN, AIM - use
1) Pidgin - supports both of the above and more
2) Kopete - supports both of the above and more

iTunes - use
1) Amarok

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Rob Whisonant

Gimp is not as intuitive as Photoshop 7, and photoshop 7 aint intuitive!

Open Office is great, but very limited when it comes to MS Word. In Word, I can do outlining that is not supported in OOo. Also, some of the similar features seem to work better in Word.

OOo does a good job of reading any of the word formatted documents so that is a plus. It is also a learning curve for Word users.

It is a good product, but just not on par with MS Word.

I don't know about Dreamweaver through Samurai, but iTunes has an older version that works on Linux, just don't upgrade it. I think it runs in Wine.

The Skype client works spectacular in Ubuntu. MSN and AIM can be consolidated into one product that is on Linux. I forget the name as I don't use them, but it handles about 10 different IMs at one time in one product so it doesn't matter what service your friends use. You reach them all in one interface.

That being said, Linux is not free for everyone. There is a learning curve and along with the time needed to learn it comes a cost. If you earn an average of $500 to $1000 per day, then how much will it cost you to take a week off to learn Linux?

Windows isn't free either. One of its overheads is virus and malware protection. One product brags about checking files for over 3 MILLION patterns (each pattern represents multiples of viruses) on every file you open.

The only thing my antivirus does in Linux is scan removable devices I plug in. Not to protect this computer, but the other windows computers that the usb device will go back to. Yes, it occasionally does find one.

It is a tradeoff, like anything else. There seems to be more upscale programs available for free for Linux, but there are more software options overall for MS. Most users would be fools if they do not protect their windows computers and keep the protection updated.

To me, Linux is the best networking software out there, but for most businesses and many individuals, Windows is the best desktop. However, for someone who is willing to learn it, or to mix it with VMs, Linux can be a great desktop package as well.


That's my two cents.

Buck

You don't need to run anti virus software on Linux - no one has ever managed to make a successful Linux virus (though people have tried).

You can optionally run anti-virus software if your Linux computer will be handling stuff which is going to eventually land up on a Windows machine. But the only benefit would be to provide some extra protection for the destination windows computer.

My productivity has increased 2-fold since I took the plunge and bought a Mac. I keep Windows 7 running using Parallels for the odd program, but so far I've found equivalents for the Mac for pretty much every program i used on Windows.

I will never go back to Windows !

Hahaha, you're 100% right! I remember when i got my first mac a few years ago I suddenly had all this time I didn't know what to do with. It was a VERY strange feeling.

I'm writing this on my brand new 13'' Macbook Pro (2.4ghz, 4gb RAM, 750gb drive)

Cheers
- Adam

Actually, try GimPhoto. It is a lot like photoshop. I found it through alternativeto.net

Yet that inferior product is on more workstations, servers, desktops, and Laptops than Linux and MAC combined. Some MAC users also have Windows running on their machine. Same goes for some Linux users.

Each OS has it advantages and disadvantages. It isn't a matter of which is inferior or superior but rather which OS best suits your individual needs.

As far as forced reboots on updates, they can be turned off or scheduled for a later time when you aren't using the PC.

Dennis

This is a very good thread.

I have four desk top pcs, each running a different version of Windows. My portable (laptop) is quite new, so it runs Windows 7 - 64.

Having read this, I will certainly take one of the older two of my four desk top machines and try using a version of Linux.

Seems quite exciting - or am I just living a sheltered life? :rolleyes:

Jeff.

Mac is where it's at. Most of the free Mac software far exceeds that of windows...pages, keynote, imovie are all awesome standard apps for IM's.

Linux is pretty cool... Suse 11.2 is nice, the new Ubuntu 10.4 is pretty smooth too.

I like em just fine till I try to put 3D support on or something silly like that.

If it's a business computer the ONLY big drawback - is technicians. If you don't have em lined up, then they can be hard to find.

A downed business computer does stink, and losing money is painful.

I guess the other fun thing to do is have your employees running linux. Yes they can learn, but the world runs on Windows.

Linux is cool when it's functional, but you don't want to be a N00B and have to fix it yourself.

Mac Computers - Great Company, nice systems! Should be, they are premium priced. So is their software.

Oh - Don't smoke around your Mac - They will not service Mac computers that have been exposed to Hazardous Materials, even if you did buy the extended warranty!

Hey - If a man made it, it's gonna fail. Now we are just dickering about how badly it will break, and how soon it can go back to work.

Parts and technicians are everywhere for Windows boxes!

I can run em all, and I am sticking with Windows 7 for now.

And if you are a businessman, you KNOW nobody can sell a computer like Bill Gates!

[Political crap removed]

Just my opinions... just opinions...

I'm a huge Linux fan. I grew up with it. I haven't tried to install it though because i need IE for certain work related thing. Have they figured out a way to run IE on linux yet? :-/

Another one here - Using Vista in a Virtualbox from Ubuntu (I can dual boot also, but rarely do). I just upgraded 9.04 to 10.04 over the weekend and had to figure out how to fix my menu.lst because I told it to keep the old one (pointing to the wrong kernel...) but once that was done, looks and runs GREAT!

Grab an old Pentium 2 computer and install Ubuntu LAMP on it and run it headless. (aka no monitor or keyboard) Then plug it in your router and you now have a web server you can access from any internal computer. Works great for testing and also to run web apps you don't want public access to. Like web based todo's, calendars etc.

I saw you did not like Pidgin. My wife hated it because it is extremely plain. She loves Kopete. It has all the bells and whistles. You may want to look at that.

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Rob Whisonant

@Rob W.

I used to work for a company that used something called OmniPod. I would love to find an open source version of something that compared to that. It was very nice. This is a great thread... full of good recommendations.

I didn't like Pidgin because the email notification feature didn't work all that great... and it was very plain. I like my email notifications on Windows Live Messenger and GTalk. The little popups that gives a preview of the message saves me from actually pulling up my email unless it something important like a client emailing me.

That is the exact reason I would do the internal Linux web server. So I can setup a Sharepoint alternative to keep my docs and links and things managed in a central location.

@thesuccesscoach

Read the previous posts. There was a mention of an alternative to Camtasia in Linux. On top of that I also believe the open source files for CamStudio might run on Linux.

Dennis

If you didn't already find something, try googling for:

camtasia alternative free
camtasia alternative free linux

Thats a ways off. I use Flex and silverlight for RIA development and we are nowhere near being able to run any real production software strictly through the browser as well as on the desktop. Frankly I think that whole idea is oversold. We are most likely to have a hybrid. partly run on the desktop and also in the cloud. The transfer speed on future systems are just about always going to outstrip the transfer capabilities of Future Internet bandwidth so whats the point of slowing everything down for that? Can you imagine rendering video say in after effects through a browser? what would be the point?

Hmmmm... I just fired off Synaptic Package Manager and just with that it had 25,470 applications you can install in Linux with one button.

How many apps do you need to be enough?

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Rob Whisonant

Yep and 90 percent of them are on Windows or Apple. Welcome back to reality

Really? taken a gander at Dreamweaver CS5? Most people use wordpress. How do you edit that in compozer? Open up the index.php file, then the sidebar.php file and then the footer? and then go and see if the changes are what you want then go back to the individual files in pieces. CS five you load the entire page in the application and make changes LIVE. It brings all the dependent files straight into the application and you access all the CSS and independent files through the live view of your site. Welcome back to reality bro

Nope because even if you go that route and skip adobe the discussion is about windows and the applications for windows outstrip the applications for linux by a LARGE factor. You can find far simpler applicatios to use than compozer and they run only on Windows and MAC.

Sorry its just economic reality. the linux desktop enthusiasts are fueled by MS hate mostly. When a programmer has innovations and cool software he's going to develop for the MAc or windows if he has a family to feed. Thats why desktop linux is going nowhere. When was the last Kompozer stable upgrade? NVU? That tell you anything?

and I am sorry the whole bit about grandma and grandpa finding it easier to work with ubuntu? Thats fine until they go to best buy and buy a program and wonder why it can't work.

What would be the point? SaaS have been here in limited form for years. there is no immediate danger of applications totally disappearing on the desktop. Thats hype. We''l be at eight core for entry level PCs soon with faster and faster speeds. Why should I sit there and wait for overcrowded servers in the cloud to do everything for me with that kind of power sitting there? Practically it make sense to always have some of the work done on the user end and programs specifically programmed to work on an OS are going to have better performance. Theres usually a price to be paid by cross platform technologies

I love Flex but AIR software hasn't impressed me with its speed. Its great for light work and even web centric work but not power apps.

Some "badly" coded programs will not work with WINE. Sad to say you have to install a VM to get them to work. But at least every program will work in a VM.

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Rob Whisonant

hey thanks for the post can you list any resources you use that are good, would help me a lot

You might need to install the Windows version of Java for the program to recognize the plugin. It's looking for the Java plugin in the Windows folders on Linux most likely since it's using crossover.

It's kind of like having to install the Windows version of Flash if you decide to run a Windows browser through WINE.

I'm not 100% sure but that should fix your problem I believe.

What does the app do?

Re's
Rob Whisonant

I posted this in a similar thread in the OT forum.

Are you referring to Mac or Linux software?

If you go to your PC software store and look at, say, software for Home design/layout... You might see dozens of software titles, including crummy worthless titles starting at $19. Now if you cut past all the garbage, you may wind up with only 2-3 titles worth considering. One that is low or mid priced, and one that is higher end, higher priced.

Now go into the Apple store. For Home design/layout, you will see only 3 software titles. One that is $49, one that is $249, and one that cost a few $thousand dollars. You don't have to weed thru dozens of garbage titles. Apple just sells the good stuff. Also, in the Apple store you can jump on a Mac and check the reviews, to see what hundreds of people have to say about a specific software title.

So in summary, Mac has most everything that is available for PCs, however without the software department that is 5x larger because of all the worthless titles.

You can buy the Microsoft Office version for Mac. I almost did that myself. But others urged me to purchase Apple's product "iWork" instead. I would guess that the majority people (who do work on their Mac) wind up purchasing iWork. It costs $79, or $99 for 3 machines. iWork includes a word processor / publisher called Pages, plus a spreadsheet program and a presentation program (similar to Powerpoint). I'm 99% certain all three can import and Save-As to Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint files. I highly recommend going with iWork instead of MS Office. Lots of advantages to staying with the Apple brand stuff.

Personally I would not say it's a noob thing.

I have computers brought to me all the time that are loaded with all types of malware, spyware, virus etc.. From people that have been using computers for years and years.

They are just not computer savvy. I try to educate them but it usually lasts about a day.

I tell them and tell them to be careful what you click. They click anyway. I ask them why and they tell me because it told them to.

After they bring the computer back several times I sit down and ask them EXACTLY what they use the computer for. Here is what I hear from the majority.

I surf the web, read my emails, play card games and board games, watch videos, listen to music and write letters.

When I hear the above I install Linux on their computers, give them about 1 hour of instruction and they love it. And I don't have to keep fixing their computers once a week.

If you have elderly parents or grandparents that want to start using a computer you will be miles ahead of the game if you put Linux on their computer.

Re's
Rob Whisonant

Virus/spyware is definitely not just a noob problem. You've never heard of drive by downloads? That's how Conficker spread. Saying that it's the sites you visit is bad as well. Right now one of the biggest distributors of malware is third party ad servers. Particularly those serving flash based ads.

Safe sites? No such thing. Over the last year the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and many popular media sites all infected visitors with malware flash ads. They jumped on it fast, but damage still happened.

Of course we mustn't forget all the sql injection attacks that plague blog owners. Visit your favourite blog and get infected, no download required.

I was an IT manager for a lot more than "several years". Users will always cause pain, but now any windows user can get screwed. Subscribe to current malware advisories/alerts. The ingenuity of malware authors is astounding.

Here's a good place to keep up to date -

Security Labs

On the subject of infections ANYONE can get, here's a link to the latest Adobe Reader update. Fixes 15 vulnerabilities.

Adobe - Security Bulletins: APSB10-09 - Security update available for Adobe Reader and Acrobat

I used to love blaming users, but when you can't even trust a PDF...