| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Can you convince me to switch to Linux...? Thread poster: Riens Middelhof
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I´m getting fed up with viruses and the like, and I´m ready for a change, if only:
I downloaded OpenOffice2.1 some months ago. The spellcheck frankly poor. I received a complaint from a client when the .doc file I had worked on in OO, made their MS Office crash.
Right now OO is collecting dust again.
Should I give it a second try?
[Edited at 2007-03-08 14:59]
| | | | Marc P (X) 
Local time: 02:27
German to English
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| Can you convince me to switch to Linux...? | Mar 8, 2007 |
Why should I?
Riens Middelhof wrote:
I´m getting fed up with viruses and the like, and I´m ready for a change, if only:
I downloaded OpenOffice2.1 some months ago. The spellcheck frankly poor.
The spelling checker is probably inferior to Word's. One notable deficit is that it it doesn't spot spot double words.
I received a complaint from a client when the .doc file I had worked on in OO, made their MS Office crash.
I have been using OOo for virtually all Word jobs since 2002, and I don't think I have ever encountered the problem. The reverse is often the case: files which crash in Word, once opened and saved in OOo, no longer cause problems.
Right now OO is collecting dust again.
Should I give it a second try?
If you are happy with Word, why bother? Incidentally, Word runs on Linux, if you install Crossover Office ($40).
Marc
| | | | Sonja Tomaskovic (X)
Germany
Local time: 02:27
English to German
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| Can you convince me to switch to Linux...? | Mar 8, 2007 |
No.
I don't think it is a good idea to switch to Linux without having prepared oneself.
I have done so for a couple of months on Windows before I took the plunge. I've used open-source software for Windows from which I knew that it was available on Linux too. I tried to avoid using proprietary software that I knew wouldn't run on Linux. In the end, I realized that I would need one or two Windows apps that cannot be replaced by any other Linux software. MS Word was one o... See more No.
I don't think it is a good idea to switch to Linux without having prepared oneself.
I have done so for a couple of months on Windows before I took the plunge. I've used open-source software for Windows from which I knew that it was available on Linux too. I tried to avoid using proprietary software that I knew wouldn't run on Linux. In the end, I realized that I would need one or two Windows apps that cannot be replaced by any other Linux software. MS Word was one of them.
You really have to know what weak points the software has in order to be able to work with it reliably. I'd say you just discovered one of these weak points of OOo, and you'll probably find more of them.
Before you decide to switch, become familiar with Linux and the software that runs on Linux. You'll find a couple of apps that won't be as sophisticated as similar apps on Windows. On the other hand, you'll find a lot of software that is much cooler than those available for Windows.
Whatever your decision may be, just don't jump in at the deep end without having prepared yourself for the worst case.
Sonja ▲ Collapse
| | | | Robert Tucker (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:27
German to English
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esperantisto
Local time: 03:27
Member (2006)
English to Russian
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SITE LOCALIZER | How can anyone or anything convince you, | Mar 8, 2007 |
if miriads of viruses and Microsoft's licensing policy still do not?
I downloaded OpenOffice2.1 some months ago. The spellcheck frankly poor.
Would you substantiate that statement, which I deem absolutely false? I find OOo's spellchecking absolutely superior to MS Office's:
a) OOo can check in much more languages than MSO. And you can freely download all existing spellcheck modules (with MSO you get only some, others at an extra price);
b) that Microsoft's crap just does not know certain languages (for example, Esperanto), which OOo knows and checks without problems.
Anyway, this is a question of OOo vs. MSO, not Windows vs. Linux. And, as Marc suggested, you can use MSO under Linux via CrossoverOffice (however, some people manage to run MSO even with wine — a free app).
Well, as for Linux, it's definitely worse trying. Linux can peacefully co-exist with Windows on the same computer. So, you'll have a choice and you'll be able to make quite a fair comparison. Just don't give up, as at first Linux may seem a bit unfriendly.
| | | | Riens Middelhof
Netherlands
Local time: 02:27
Spanish to Dutch
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TOPIC STARTER
You´ve all given some great advice here. Personally I don´t care a lot about a LOT of languages, I just need MY languages done well. I find it cumbersome to define every single word in OO´s dictionaries with and withoud capitals, plural/singular etc. I know the question Windows/Linux is bigger than just MSO/OO, but those will be the apps that I´ll use 80% of the time.
Marc & esperantisto... Does running MSO under Crossover/wine compromise speed a lot?
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Linux shall convince you itself
If you want to try, then go ahead. But - as switching systems is not easy thing (some habits have to be changed, some new things have to be learned), leave Windows for now and install Linux next to it on another partition. Some "friendly user" distribution, if I might suggest
Leaving Windows as backup will let... See more Linux shall convince you itself
If you want to try, then go ahead. But - as switching systems is not easy thing (some habits have to be changed, some new things have to be learned), leave Windows for now and install Linux next to it on another partition. Some "friendly user" distribution, if I might suggest
Leaving Windows as backup will let you use it any time you might need it, so not know how/if it can be done in Linux.
Personally I use only Linux, don't have any other OS, and never encounter problems with OO crashing anything. In case of documents with drawings/tables, always ask for pdf version for reference, as it would keep document layout, even if OO/Word wouldn't.
As for Spellchecking... I have a special one for my language, so it's really superior to MS Word's, which in my native language is IMHO quite poor. Another thing - I depend on my eyes, not only on machine
Anni ▲ Collapse
| | | | esperantisto
Local time: 03:27
Member (2006)
English to Russian
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SITE LOCALIZER | Do you really mean OOo? | Mar 9, 2007 |
Riens Middelhof wrote:
I find it cumbersome to define every single word in OO´s dictionaries with and withoud capitals, plural/singular etc.
Strange, that's exactly what you have to do in MSO. In OOo, it's opposite, because the spellcheck modules are open. So, you don't have to use user dictionaries, you can simply add words to the main dictionaires, just learn the syntax. For example, I've added over 300 entries to my Russian dictionary, and that's exactly 300+ entries. If I added this to MSO, I'd have to add, maybe, over 2000 entries: for each word form (Russian, as any Slavic, is a highly inflective language).
Marc & esperantisto... Does running MSO under Crossover/wine compromise speed a lot?
Sorry, I haven't tried it on my own, I just know that the people do run MSO via Crossover or wine.
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kleanbsf (X)
Local time: 02:27
English to Albanian
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| Not apps. are available in Linux | Mar 9, 2007 |
Hi there,
I would say that some apps. you can not use at all in Linux as they are not available at all, e.g. Trados.
It depends if you need that, but if you need and use that software, you have to stick to icrosoft Office, I think.
Regards,
Klean...
| | | | Marc P (X)
Local time: 02:27
German to English
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| Can you convince me to switch to Linux...? | Mar 9, 2007 |
Riens Middelhof wrote:
Marc & esperantisto... Does running MSO under Crossover/wine compromise speed a lot?
According to this article:
software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=05/12/14/1716222&from=rss
Word and Excel run if anything faster on Linux/CO than on Windows. Since I only use Linux, I don't have any personal basis for comparison, but I find the apps fast enough when I use them, which admittedly isn't very often.
Marc
| | | | Rafa Lombardino
United States
Local time: 17:27
Member (2005)
English to Portuguese
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| Best of Both Words | Mar 9, 2007 |
Here's what you can do if you're sick of viruses, trojans, and other Windows inconveniences and uncertainties: Run Linux as your operating system (I recommend Ubuntu, the one I'm currently using and that is becoming really mainstream) and install VMWare, a software that allows you to run Windows as a virtual machine.
Since I work with Trados (which as far as I know is Windows only), I'm forced to work with Windows and Microsoft Office (and we all will soon be forced to buy Vista and... See more Here's what you can do if you're sick of viruses, trojans, and other Windows inconveniences and uncertainties: Run Linux as your operating system (I recommend Ubuntu, the one I'm currently using and that is becoming really mainstream) and install VMWare, a software that allows you to run Windows as a virtual machine.
Since I work with Trados (which as far as I know is Windows only), I'm forced to work with Windows and Microsoft Office (and we all will soon be forced to buy Vista and Office 2007 to keep our clients happy...). However, Linux gives me more stability as an OS and I don't have to worry about viruses or anything like that while researching material on the internet and reading my e-mails.
Also, you get constant updates to all the programs you have installed, plus you can install any programs you need for free (except for something special developed by small private groups and sold for a very affordable price.) And, if you're not currently working with any CAT tools, you may look into the ones created for Linux.
While using VMWare on full screen, you'll certainly believe you still have a Windows Machine. When you want to go back to the rest of your computer, all you have to do is minimize the program and your virtual Windows will keep on running on the background.
As for Open Office, I sometimes use it when I'm working with projects that necessarily don't have to go through Trados and, so far, I've had no problems nor complaints from my clients (for both Word and Excel compatible documents). Besides, my MS Office and Adobe went crazy one of these days and they refuse to work together; Open Office exports all documents directly into PDF without any worries, though.
Well, I don't believe anyone can trully convince you to use Linux. You will need to get familiar with installations and everything, so I recommend that you find a friend or anyone that is willing to have this Linux + VMWare set up done for you. Alternatively, you can spend some time on forums (Ubuntu's is excellent) and I'm sure you'll find a bunch of helpful people. But after it's all up and running, you won't regret having such a great peace of mind.
[Edited at 2007-03-09 15:42] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Who needs Trados? | Mar 9, 2007 |
Klean Xhelilaj wrote:
Hi there,
I would say that some apps. you can not use at all in Linux as they are not available at all, e.g. Trados.
It depends if you need that, but if you need and use that software, you have to stick to icrosoft Office, I think.
Regards,
Klean...
Who really needs Trados when you have so many Open Source options?
http://omegatplus.sourceforge.net/
http://www.omegat.org/omegat/omegat_en/omegat.html
http://sourceforge.net/projects/foreigndesk/
https://open-language-tools.dev.java.net/
Does running MSO under Crossover/wine compromise speed a lot?
Not at all. I run plenty of programs with wine, and if anything, they are faster. I also have virtual windows installed, in case I wish to use a program that I can't use with wine and which doesn't have an Open Source alternative... but pretty much everything does!
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Rafa Lombardino wrote:
Here's what you can do if you're sick of viruses, trojans, and other Windows inconveniences and uncertainties: Run Linux as your operating system (I recommend Ubuntu, the one I'm currently using and that is becoming really mainstream) and install VMWare, a software that allows you to install Windows as a virtual machine.
I agree with Rafa. Ubuntu is an excellent option. I've used Debian, Ubuntu, OpenSuse, etc., and the distribution I find most user-friendly and uncomplicated is Ubuntu. Is a great place to start. Someone also mentioned installing Ubuntu on a partition as an "extra" OS, and I think that at first, this would probably be the most convenient option, while you get used to it.
| | | | esperantisto
Local time: 03:27
Member (2006)
English to Russian
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | I totally disagree | Mar 9, 2007 |
Lorenia de la Vega wrote:
I agree with Rafa. Ubuntu is an excellent option.
I find Ubuntu a very bad choice as a first distro for those who go to Linux from Windows. I don't mean, the distro is bad, but OpenSUSE or Mandriva (or anything with KDE) would be better for newbies. Kubuntu also would be a better option than Ubuntu.
However, start from your hardware: choose the distro that has a complete support for you hardware. Believe me, compiling a driver for your sound card from the source is not a trivial task for an unexperienced user.
| | | | | The day they're supported... | Mar 10, 2007 |
There are two pieces of software I can't do without.
Deja Vu X
Abby Finereader
The day these two are supported in Linux, that will be the day I switch. Until then, it's Windows only.
[Editado a las 2007-03-10 04:59]
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