In a message dated 7/23/99 10:02:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
giverson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
<< Tell me more about Linux. I've heard some good things about it in
advertisements, but is there a broad spectrum of software, such as
Office compatible, Netscape, etc.?
We have discussed changing to Linux for a network at our small private
school. We would need to provide software versatile enough to meet the
student needs.
Gregg >>
Hi gregg,
sorry the response has been so long coming..the entire month of August got
sucked up somehow into vacations and last-minute-before-school-starts kind of
activities, etc. my life is now once again my own..at least for 5 minutes!!
Linux as an OS has proved interesting to dabble with this past spring and
summer s, as it is much more developed and widespread than I had originally
expected. Because it was wrtten and developed with "open code" the software
for it is everywhere...and I mean everywhere...just about every meaningful
application that you would absolutely NEED has been translated (example:
Word, Netscape, ICQ, etc) And the majority are free shareware OR come with
the disc when you buy it. We started out with a free shareware partial
version of Redhat and now my son has expanded to a few other versions (he has
been testing the "flavor of the week" lately) If you decide to play with it,
look at Price Club and Sams as the full version is very reasonable. Buying
the full version is MORE than worthwhile as it includes some very helpful
utilities.
installing Linux is not as easy as when we all converted to Windows. The
formatting of your hard drive is tricky and it is a Brave New World. Also,
once you enter Linux it is not as "intuitive" as Windows..it takes a bit of
exploring to find your way around. A good book will go a long way.
Also look for support groups in your area...even this po-dunk town
(Lynchburg, VA.....very blue-collar and unimaginative little hole) has a
Saturday support group at a local university..i found them on the web and
nearly fell out of my chair!!
Why bother?? It is clean, clean, clean. No bogs, no "fatal errors", no
crashes. It is indeed a clean, well-written OS with few problems other than
being careful when you add a periferal to make sure it is supported (like a
camera, etc.)
If you decide to go for it I can get my kid to copy over some of the web
sites he has found most useful. Also, he's gotten pretty good at Linux, so
I'm sure he can help or at least point you in the right direction. He loves
the OS. Partly becasue it's fresh and new and partly because he truly feels
it is a better way.
hope this helps a little. i can't say i am as enthusiatic as he is about
making a huge changeover for my uses..but I can see for a small business
where it might be a smart move....clean, no hassle, no crashes....
Yours,
Susan Steele
DaEyeGuy on OM list
DaEyeGuy@xxxxxxx
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