OT: Linux or Windows? (was: Re: Semi-OT: Unicode keyboard)

From: "Tristan Mc Leay" <kesuari@...>
Sent: Friday, August 06, 2004 3:16 PM
Subject: Re: Semi-OT: Unicode keyboard

 > On Fri, 2004-08-06 at 22:58, Carsten Becker wrote:
 > > I tried to install that file, but the setup program doesn't work for my
 > > ancient Win98SE  driven computer. Like the MSKLC, the installer only
 > > seems to work for >=Win2000. And this is exactly what I hate: Microsoft
 > > declared everything under Win2000 out-of-date and new programs only run
 > > on >=Win2000 so that everyone MUST buy 2000 or XP or die.
 >
 > Well... Converting to Windows 2000 from Windows 98 is basically changing
 > the operating system. Much of the basic architecture is different. If
 > Win2k drivers always worked fine under Win98 or vice versa, I would be
 > surprised.

I didn't know that. Sorry.

 > > (Or switch to Linux :evil:). I'll
 > > refuge to Linux, I think, which has nice AltGr+(Shift) combinations for
 > > such things. If only PS7, GoLive5 and Outlook 2000 would run there
... I
 > > know they do with Wine, but I don't get the hang to configure
everything
 > > manually. I'm waiting for the WineTools update which can do this all
 > > automatically and with a GUI.
 >
 > Let me *strongly* advise against using Linux if you are not going to
 > learn to use Linux applications. If Novell Evolution is not an
 > acceptible substitute for Outlook 2000 in your mind, you will *always*
 > be disappointed by what Linux has to offer. You may, however, learn
 > Linux if you think that proprietary software is evil or you have ethical
 > problems with pirating software.

Of course, Evolution and KMail are acceptible substitutes, it's only
that all my calendar stuff is saved in Outlook 2000, and I haven't yet
discovered a possiblity to import my data into Evolution or KOrganizer.
As for KMail, it cannot open email files like Outlook Express can do it.
I have no internet access myself, thus have to use my parents' computer
which of course runs only Windows. There, I do my email stuff with
Thunderbird 0.5 which standardly saves only to .txt, .html or .eml
files. But as well as KMail or Evolution, with TB 0.5 at least it's not
possible to open email files that are saved outside the program in
single files. At least KMail offers a possibility to import files from a
folder. I have already written a little PHP skript which can split the
MIME digests which I receive from the list into single files. I haven't
figured out why this script doesn't run on Linux, though.
As for Photoshop and GoLive, yesterday I sucessfully installed PS7 on
Linux, via WINE. The only bad thing is, PS now does not seem to accept
my keyboard anymore. I can't write anything in there. I should have a
look at the debugging messages. I'd use The Gimp if it would be higher
developed. It already offers quite much of what PS can, but there are
certain very useful things that aren't possible with Gimp that I don't
want to miss, like Layer Effects or the now in PS7 extended brush
controls which are e.g. helpful for drawing Tolkien-style mountain chains.
Another thing that keeps me from using Linux is that always I try to
compile a tarball, when running ./configure, there is always the error
"Target all-am (or so) is empty. Makefile could not be created". And I
don't have figured out yet what I am doing wrong. There always seem to
lack some libraries, or the configure program just cannot find them.

--Carsten