On Sun, Jan 11, 2009 at 6:14 AM, Aldo <info@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > You're right tahts as absurd as going to a chinese restaurant and asking for > a big mac! > Aldo. > > On Sun, Jan 11, 2009 at 07:18:52AM -0500, Jude DaShiell wrote: >> Really, that's as bad as running windows on the mac! In both cases why >> accept the security problems and waste the disk space? Can't agree here. There are valid reasons to run Windows too. I run WinXP Pro as a VM atop Kubuntu 8.04 using Virtual Box for productivity reasons. E.g., there are no word processors available on Linux that include a grammar checking module. And for complex documents, I am far more productive using WordPerfect than OpenOffice.org, by at least two orders of magnitude. As consultant Ross Kodner says, "friends don't let friends process words without Reveal Codes." :-) And OOo (and Microsoft Word) are sorry pieces of software when it comes to developing complex documents. As another example, as a retired lawyer who still does a fair bit of legal research and brief writing as a secondary source of retirement income, I only have a choice between Word or WordPerfect add-ons if I want to use profession-specific software such as case management tools. And for citations, in under one minute I can run a free add-on that: [i] checks citations for common errors and repairs them; [ii] hyperlinks each citation to the cited document on the Westlaw or Lexis online legal research databases; and [iii] builds my table of authorities, a required form of bibliography in briefs over 20 pages in every U.S. jurisdiction I've worked in. See West CiteLink, <http://west.thomson.com/westlaw/advantage/tools/west-cite-link/default.aspx>. The format requires citations to be categorized and indexed with all page numbers that cite each authority. On OOo, all I can do is create the table of authorities, but there is no automated recognition of citations. I must manually mark each citation, entering both its long and short form. So about 2-3 hours for a typical opening appellate brief of 50 pages just to mark the table of authorities before generating it, with no automated ability whatsoever to check citations and add hyperlinks to their online full documents. On top of that, I have nearly 40 years worth of legal research and writing stored, searchable, and largely recyclable in WPD format. The WPD import library used by all FOSS word processors I'm aware of that offer WPD import is still a long way from being ready for prime time. The import is lossy. So even more hours wasted manually checking every bit of WPD content imported into OOo for data loss. A law firm's archive of previously performed legal research and writing is one of the firm's most valuable assets. Those who do not recycle such information have a very large competitive disadvantage. Should I run Windows and pass on the WordPerfect-related productivity gains to my clients, or should I bill them for the rather incredible number of extra hours it takes me to perform the same tasks with OOo? I have moral and ethical issues with doing that, not to mention the fact that some tasks I need to perform simply can't be done with OOo. In addition, I can't compete on price if I use OOo for my work. It's all too easy to fall into the mental trap of assuming that what works for you will work for everyone. I've been there and done that myself. But there is no one-size-fits-all-needs software solution on either the Linux, OS X, or Windows platforms. While the Linux platform can now boast a fairly complete repertoire of general purpose software, the platform is far less ready when it comes to profession- and industry-specific software tools. Some of those deficits are rather fundamental; e.g., there is not yet an off-the-shelf full-featured accounting package that can match the power of packages available for the Windows platform. I am not a Microsoft cheerleader by any means. There is much that company has done that merits long prison sentences for its managers. But I think you damage your own credibility if you make the error of suggesting that everyone's software needs can be completely fulfilled on the Linux platform. Too many people know that it is an error. The last relevant statistics I read say that something like 65 percent of Linux desktops are on machines that also run Windows. Not trying to pick a fight here, just trying to be helpful. All of us benefit from constructive criticism, especially me. :-) Best regards, Paul -- Universal Interoperability Council <http:www.universal-interop-council.org> _______________________________________________ Blinux-list mailing list Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list