Reading/Writing Chinese Using Linux?

Rimbo asks: "I'm building a computer for a friend, who has three major requirements from his system: He wants an Athlon with a 333MHz FSB, he wants absolutely no Microsoft software anywhere near it, and he needs the ability to read and edit Chinese. I imagine Red Flag Linux has great Chinese support, but is it as easy to use as a desktop OS as Mandrake or Red Hat? How easy is Chinese text editing and entry under the major distributions? What "office" software for Linux is good for editing Chinese? Thanks!"

Comments

I have a client who is Japanese..

[SlashChick]

...and since I've had to write and test all of my PHP applications with the Japanese charset for him and his friends, I thought I would share my and his experiences.

I've done both Japanese and Chinese input editing with Windows and MacOS 9, and my client uses Japanese input the majority of the time he uses a PC. He and his friends flatly refuse to use anything but Windows 2000 for hardcore input. The reason? Microsoft's Japanese IME. Mac OS 9's input support doesn't compare to this tiny bar that sits at the corner of your screen and lets you flip back and forth between English and several other character sets. According to my client, both mouse support (i.e. clicking the little bar and bringing up the language) and keyboard support (using key commands to change languages) are VASTLY more efficient in Windows 2000 than in MacOS 9. In fact, he's planning to drop his (older) Macs for Windows 2000 and XP machines solely based on this feature.

Now, I'm not saying that there isn't something similar for Linux. But if Apple couldn't come up with anything more productive for MacOS 9, which was intended from the start to be a consumer-level, desktop, OS, I am highly doubtful that Linux developers can come up with anything better. As is, my client and all of his friends are on either 2000 or XP and are quite happy with their decision.

As it stands, I believe your friend's decision to not use Microsoft products may be a bit short-sighted, especially considering that this is one of my client's only reasons to switch to Windows from MacOS.

Ask Slantdot

[Moonwick]

Moron asks: "Hi, a... uh... 'friend' of mine wants to be attractive to the opposite sex. He refuses to take a shower, change his clothes, or brush his teeth. Any suggestions?"

Anti Microsoft zealots...

[MsGeek]

Sometimes Microsoft breeds them. They don't need to be brainwashed by outside forces.

Look, I'm an MCSE. I spent a year learning Windows 2000 inside and out. I knew even more than some of my teachers when I was done. Recently I have been doing contract work with an eCommerce company which is almost 100% a Windows shop. There are a few Macs there, but mostly everyone's running on Windows.

One of the things I'm doing there is an inventory. We need to match up licenses on the machines. Some are running the original OSes they were running when the company got them. This usually means Windows 98, Windows 98SE and (Goddess help me) Millenium Edition. Some have been moved up to Windows 2000, and that's where the "match the license to the machine" game comes in.

Then there's the servers which are a completely different kettle of fish. I suspect the company will be buying a few more licenses before all this is over.

If the whole shop was Macintosh it wouldn't be a problem. No serial number, no certificate, no BSA assholes looking for people to nail. But no, they can't do that..."we can't go backwards" says my boss.

Similarly, if they went Open Source it wouldn't be a problem...in fact, it would have been even easier. It no longer becomes a question of which machine has a legitimate operating system...you could use one disk for everyone and it would be all good. It's the way it used to be with MacOS...up until System 7.0.1 MacOS was free as in beer. Of course there are other advantages with Open Source software, however, they don't usually matter to suits.

Dealing with XP is a pain, and so are programs with similar "Activation" schemes like Office 2000 and Office XP. But will they let me slap on Open Office 1.0 instead? "We have to be compatible with what's out there." the boss says to me. Never mind that to be compatible with what's out there you have to spend $600/seat. Never mind that trifle. You have to "be compatible with what's out there."

And if this crap isn't hard enough now, just wait until Palladium rolls in, and you have to not only deal with broken software but broken hardware too. This will become the ultimate "lock in"...you won't be able to run something that doesn't have the crypto signatures the hardware is expecting. Goodbye Linux, goodbye FreeBSD, goodbye OpenBSD, goodbye NetBSD, goodbye BeOS. That new Dell you just bought will only run on MS DRM OS. Or Windows 2004 or XP 2 or .NET desktop or whatever they will call this POS coming down the pike.

Forget the fact that I have been using Macs since 1995. I was using DOS well before that. Longer than I care to admit, actually. I actually LIKE Windows 2000...it is a nice, solid operating system that is very hard to crash. But the thing is, the ancillary bullshit surrounding Microsoft's sales terms and copy locks make anti-MS zealots out of all but the most sheepish followers of Redmond.

I am looking to wean myself personally from Microsoft. I will probably still support it where I work, wherever that may be. I am, after all, an MCSE. But once there's video and audio apps in Linux that rival Vegas Video, Premiere, ProTools, Sound Forge and After Effects I am dropping Windows like a bad habit. And I will be glad when I do.