Gaz dips his toe in the Linux pool...

Gaz · 01-16-2006, 09:05 AM

I had been eyeing Linux from afar for quite a while. I was tired of Microsoft crashing and the heart-sinking parade of “flaws” that must be “patched.” I downloaded live CDs of Simply Mepis, Ubuntu and Linspire to give them a test-run. Simply Mepis and Ubuntu were just too different from Windows. They fell outside my confort zone.

Linspire had the right idea: make it look as much like Windows as possible, so the “I don’t care about the code, just gimme something that works” crowd [that would be me] can sit down and use the darn thing. The problem with Linspire is that you have to pay a $50 yearly fee for access to the CNR function. If this is to be my new OS, $50 a year is gonna add up. Not a viable long-term solution at Rancho Gaz. So, I continued to fret and worry about the bazillion holes out there who want to mess with my computer.

Now, I know the Linux geeks are going to tell me how all I need to do is use apt-get or some such to get the software and upgrades I need. The geeks miss the point. I do not want to have to use apt-get. I want to click an icon and have the computer do it for me. I have zero interest in poking around in the guts of my OS.

Then, despite the router, firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware and all the other precautions I took, the shinwow Trojan got into my box. The computer started hanging up and crashing. I reloaded the OS. Then came the latest rash of “serious flaws” in Windows.

Then came Xandros. The reviews were glowing. It was designed to co-exist with Windows. In fact, it would automatically re-partition my hard drive so I could dual-boot with XP. The modified KDE desktop looked reassuringly familiar. Okay, what did I have to lose but a CD?

I downloaded the OCE edition, burned the ISO image to CD and slapped it in my CD drive. The installation process was painless. It recognized that I had XP and asked if I wanted to wipe XP or co-exist. With no small amount of trepidation, I clicked the button and Xandros took care of the rest. Now THAT’S what I want!

Xandros has modified the KDE desktop to look a lot like Windows. I had no difficulty navigating. Actually, I must confess that Xandros is more intuitive than Windows when it comes to navigation.

Xandros can read from [but not write to] my Windows NFTS partition. So, I still have access to all my tunes, pictures, videos and files. That would make any future transition less traumatic.

The only thing stopping us from dumping Windows entirely is the group of applications we use. Microsoft Office, Outlook, Quicken, Winamp, so forth. Yes, Linux geeks, I have OpenOffice on the machine, but we are comfortable with the MS versions. Crossover Office is loaded as a 30-day trial. If Crossover Office can actually run all our Windows programs [a few of our favorites are not officially supported], then I may be able to kick Windows off my machine.

So far, I am cautiously optimistic that I may be Windows-free in the near future.

xoxo~
Gaz
Total newbie.

01-16-2006, 09:05 AM	Topic Starter
Gaz Defense Homer Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Rancho Gaz Casino cash: $10010793	Gaz dips his toe in the Linux pool... I had been eyeing Linux from afar for quite a while. I was tired of Microsoft crashing and the heart-sinking parade of “flaws” that must be “patched.” I downloaded live CDs of Simply Mepis, Ubuntu and Linspire to give them a test-run. Simply Mepis and Ubuntu were just too different from Windows. They fell outside my confort zone. Linspire had the right idea: make it look as much like Windows as possible, so the “I don’t care about the code, just gimme something that works” crowd [that would be me] can sit down and use the darn thing. The problem with Linspire is that you have to pay a $50 yearly fee for access to the CNR function. If this is to be my new OS, $50 a year is gonna add up. Not a viable long-term solution at Rancho Gaz. So, I continued to fret and worry about the bazillion holes out there who want to mess with my computer. Now, I know the Linux geeks are going to tell me how all I need to do is use apt-get or some such to get the software and upgrades I need. The geeks miss the point. I do not want to have to use apt-get. I want to click an icon and have the computer do it for me. I have zero interest in poking around in the guts of my OS. Then, despite the router, firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware and all the other precautions I took, the shinwow Trojan got into my box. The computer started hanging up and crashing. I reloaded the OS. Then came the latest rash of “serious flaws” in Windows. Then came Xandros. The reviews were glowing. It was designed to co-exist with Windows. In fact, it would automatically re-partition my hard drive so I could dual-boot with XP. The modified KDE desktop looked reassuringly familiar. Okay, what did I have to lose but a CD? I downloaded the OCE edition, burned the ISO image to CD and slapped it in my CD drive. The installation process was painless. It recognized that I had XP and asked if I wanted to wipe XP or co-exist. With no small amount of trepidation, I clicked the button and Xandros took care of the rest. Now THAT’S what I want! Xandros has modified the KDE desktop to look a lot like Windows. I had no difficulty navigating. Actually, I must confess that Xandros is more intuitive than Windows when it comes to navigation. Xandros can read from [but not write to] my Windows NFTS partition. So, I still have access to all my tunes, pictures, videos and files. That would make any future transition less traumatic. The only thing stopping us from dumping Windows entirely is the group of applications we use. Microsoft Office, Outlook, Quicken, Winamp, so forth. Yes, Linux geeks, I have OpenOffice on the machine, but we are comfortable with the MS versions. Crossover Office is loaded as a 30-day trial. If Crossover Office can actually run all our Windows programs [a few of our favorites are not officially supported], then I may be able to kick Windows off my machine. So far, I am cautiously optimistic that I may be Windows-free in the near future. xoxo~ Gaz Total newbie.
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