[plug] Re: Lexmark Printers (fwd)

[Jonathon Bates]

Guys wanna help me out here?
:)
I can get most of the programs or alternatives but
I just want some further ideas! :)

Cya
Batesy
-- 
"I did it all for the Wookie CARN, the Wookie CARN"


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 09 Apr 2001 09:59:18 +0800
From: Nick Miller <nick.miller at wanews.com.au>
To: Jonathon Bates <batesy at batesy.ii.net>
Subject: Re: Lexmark Printers

Hi,

A couple of people have written to challenge me on the issue of Linux
software, along the general lines of 'Anything Windows can do, Linux can do'.

So here's an idea for an article in the West. Answer the challenge, I'll print
the results.

The Linux challenge.

Here's a list of the programs on my PC at the moment that I regularly use.
Which ones can be replaced, with no loss of functionality, by a Linux
alternative? And what Linux product, specifically (so I can verify claims).

- Word
- Eudora
- Microsoft Explorer (inc. news reader)
- Napster
- MusicMatch (I use it to play MP3s, with trippy visualisations, and compile
them to burn a CD)
- CD copier
- Ulead Media Studio Pro - video capture, professional edit with plenty of
transitions, can handle DV, MPEG-1 and -2, MJPEG, AVI etc.
- Quicktime

And games (I'll leave it generic to make things slightly fairer):
3D pool
Racing game
first-person shoot-em-up
God game

Obviously I use plenty more programs, but these are the ones I regularly go
back to.

Arguing that you can dual-boot two operating systems, Windows and Linux, is no
answer in my opinion. Dual-boot is a pain. Logically, there is no reason to
switch to Linux unless A) Linux offers me everything that Windows does, or B)
Linux does something useful that Windows can't.

Interested to hear your response. Also generally on the topic: is Linux
appropriate for the average home user? Or is it still a specialist OS? Bear in
mind I write a column for the general PC consumer, not the hobbyist or IT
professional.

Caveat: Because of the Easter break, I need responses by Tuesday evening!

Cheers,

Nick