@Jimbo, speaking of PowerPoint tutorials - did you see this one that I made. But around here they don't seem to like PP tutorials when I suggested that. I think they are great, but a lot of work.
PowerPoint - Make striking presentations and tutorials | PC Help Forum
I'd have to agree with you. Though, I moved for different reasons. The introduction of Windows 8, Removal of Aero, the focus on "cloud-based" and the cancellation of Technet pushed me on to Linux Mint.
With the exception of two spread sheets I use excel 2010 for, which are almost complete applications in their own right and some media re-encoding, I use Linux mint almost entirely on most of my machines now.
The learning curve was not that big. Perhaps because I ran Linux in the mid - late 90's when I was running a hobby ISP, and it's also a lot more user friendly now than it was 20 years ago. I'd estimate I spent a total of 15 hours re-learning stuff to get the systems behaving the way I wanted.
The simplistic tasks many use XP for could easily be solved by Linux at [almost] no cost.
TanyaC: I guess I'm not sure how you deal with the Excel spreadsheets you use? Do you dualboot to a Windows installation when you need to use Excel? I would doubt Mint has an Excel-compatible spreadsheet. If you dualboot, you still need some sort of Windows, which brings you back to square 1 on the endeavour to live without Windows.
Same for Word etc. I realize Linux may have options, but most professionals need to exchange documents, and that is where you depend on Windows.
I'm an engineer and believe 100% of my designsoftware is Windows-only and there is no alternative unless I want to be lonely without the rest of the industry. In addition most employers use Outlook which also has no alternative in corporate world.
I'm not sure a professional firm can live without Windows. ..maybe some webdesign or graphics business could be on Mac, but have real hard time imagining a Linux Firm being succesful.
I'd like to hear someone who works for the City of Munich how they operate, but doubt they do design work etc.
You could just use a Windows VM on a Linux distro (for files like the ones TanyaC mentioned).
My Windows VMs run smoother on Linux Mint 16 MATE (64 bit) using VMware Player, than they do on W7 using VMware Workstation.
Yes, I dual Boot. They are fairly complex.
Depends on what you mean by "compatible". There are several options, Only for extremely complex stuff I still use Excel, but only for as long as I have to.
I accept that. To a point. Of the 11 machines here at home, only 1 is still solely Windows. A year ago they were all Windows. This 1 is my 2008 R2 server. And the only reason is that I just haven't had time to convert it to Linux.
I have no problem sharing documents, of any sort, between windows and Linux applications. There are several options available.
But the point was not to live without Windows. For me it was a statement of disgust with Microsoft.
However, this thread is about alternatives to Windows XP. My point was, for the most part, Linux CAN fill most needs. Perhaps not in corporations (Though one company I worked for which is a multinational - they are headed down the Linux path as much as possible).
Compatibility with data is not as big an issue as some would make it out to be.
In terms of cost, Linux might be a better choice than MAC.
Also, if we close our eyes and say "Windows is life, life is Windows", then we will be forever trapped in a paradigm that will have us forking out ever increasing amounts for less and less services in a world where we have less and less control over our own infrastructure, and be manipulated even further into mindless consumerism.
Yup. Or move to a android tablet since most users browse the web and thats all they do anyway. I would like to say that around 70% of the general public use their computers almost completely for just a web browser. If your like most people and that is all you do, you don't need something complex like windows. Ubuntu or a tablet of some sort suits most people just fine. It's the main reason tablets are so popular. People started to realize the only thing they use their PC for is to browse the web.
Many options out there.
Why not just use Wine? Emulates windows software almost perfectly, including office. Why bother with dual booting?
Hi there
@WHs etc
Here's a snapshot of me running Windows 8.1 enterprise as a VM on Linux Mate 16 (petra) running totally on an external USB HDD. I'd removed the laptop's HDD just to be 100% certain I wasn't using ANYTHING on the internal HDD.
I'm running SAMBA server (built in) to share the /HOME Linux file with windows (for Windows to read the data). Samba is built in in Linux mate. You don't even need to configure anything - just install the samba-conf gui and then simply click sharing just like windows -- it does it all for you.
(Windows partitions can be automatically read / written so you don't need to do anything there).
This way you can create say common data folder on Linux and store stuff ANY of your windows VM's might want so you don't have to boot up all the VM's at once. - Networking is a Doddle in Linux compared with windows !!!!!!).
Same works for Windows XP as a VM or anything else. Your Host Linux can access the rest of your network if it has access as well
Seemples !!!!!!
Cheers
jimbo
Here's my openSUSE running W8.1 via Oracle Virtual box. I don't use Samba as I don't need the PC networked to any others in the house, so I use the VM network tool to access the required folders on mu SUSE instal and just drag and drop between the OS's. Much cleaner than a dual boot in my opinion as you can run both at the same time.
MS Excel is the only thing that keeps me from going 100% linux due to some of the VB scripts I run. I have the occasional hic cup with Word files; but if you don't over format or try to use custom styles you can overcome this (Use Libre Office). I know one poster said that Linux breaks all the time; but I've had less issues with SUSE than I did with W7 and very rarely get issues. I will concede getting the network adaptor to work was a pain!!
Hi there
Ms office (particularly EXCEL), Photoshop, SKY GO+ Netfix etc (stupid services still need Silverlight and STOOOOOOOPID DRM) and some recoding stuff still producing VINYL for people - often using the Minidisc system for recording at the live gigs - record music via Minidisc / transfer to computer via XP software and then burn to vinyl via XP. Also some older LARGE size printers (A2 at Pro quality and high res scanners etc).
Incidentally a good use for samba is for example if you have an internal SD / Micro Sd reader often XP / Win7 / Win 8 won't find drivers but Linux mint found them - /dev/mmc0nnnnnnn where nnnn is a UUID. By setting this up as a SAMBA share any of my computers on the network (REAL or Virtual machines) can access the micro sd card --it's 64GB so useful storage and FAT32 formatted so you can define Windows partitions as samba shares if these are mounted on te Linux machine.
I'm even more convinced of using Linux as companies are moving into that HIDEOUS SUBSCRIPTION model --office 365 in UK costs inc VAT around 100 GBP a year (EUR 135) or even more -- Office 2010 which is what I'm using cost me now ZERO . Libre Office while good is still not a 100% replacement for Ms Office.
Cheers
jimbo
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