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Analysis of SuSE Linux Desktop
pdajames writes "ZDNet UK has a look at the new SuSE Linux Desktop, running Microsoft Office. They seem to think Linux is just about there when it comes to desktop users, although their words about StarOffice are not so kind. It seems like some of the reality of desktop Linux is starting to match the hype." Not being an Office power user myself, I felt that way a long time ago, but it's cool to see projects like Evolution get some more street cred.
The desktop might be polished, but they complain about a notable lack of polished apps. Essentially the author says that Evolution is about it. And, if you are going to run MS Office, what's the argument, again, for not running it under Windows?
Still, this is a nice step forward. But don't read too much into the article - there is still a long way to go.
It is all about consistency. Consistent menu layouts, consistent hot keys/key combinations, consistent dialog boxes, etc. Unfortunately two of the core apps that make up the backbone of most office distros (mozilla & openoffice) are very losely integrated with the desktop (gnome/kde). I am not sure how feesible it would be, but it would be very cool to see the core technologies of these projects abstracted from the interface. Have a team of interface experts integrate the applications into the window managers (consistent dialog boxes, hot keys, icons, look and feel, etc..) Seems like there is a huge lack of desire to do this from the core developers of these various projects.
What the hell kind of comparison is that?? "Yes, my current 2003 Mandrake operating system installation was much better than Microsoft's DOS 6.22 release in 1994." Come on! Thats just desperate M$ bashing at its worst...
As others pointed out, you can do an FTP install for free. Leaving that aside, I prefer SuSE's business model for my purposes. Red Hat makes money by charging for easy updates, and SuSE makes money by charging for easy access to ISOs. In my case, I have several computers I install it on, so I'm glad to pay the $70 once and get easy free patches without having to register with the vendor. (Not to mention I don't feel like babysitting my CD writer while I burn 5 ISOs.)
Plus, SuSE Professional 8.2 comes with just about the coolest CD packaging I've ever seen. It has 5 CDs and 2 DVDs in this cardboard foldout pack that flips open in various directions. The feel of flipping through that thing is almost worth the price by itself :).
Ive used a SuSE linux desktop for work for years and evolution takes it several steps closer to being perfect for the average office user to use.
... added a backup fileserver share for everyone without anyone asking where it came from ... the desktops are really the only objective left to conquer.
I've already replaced one XP/winroute gateway machine (dont ask me) with a linux box without anyone seeming to notice
Squad move out!
Yes sir!
*DrugCheese rants*
> I know that many businesses do implement significant modifications and applications using VBScript for the Windows Office Suite.
:-).
You are not wrong there. I have worked for a number of very big Wall Street banks and some portfolio managers run practically their whole businesses on Excel macros (no wonder their advice is so bad
At one place they pulled share information from four exchanges down from a mainframe, ran beta calculations using a macro, sent portfolios out to a Barra engine to calculate risk and then displayed the whole thing as a nice report for a fund manager. All this off a single button in Excel. Excel was being used as some almighty scratchpad to do all the calculations.
Doing anything with these kind of applications is a nightmare, they are built up by mathmaticians who don't have the first clue about programming over a number of years. They are rarely documented and are incredibly brittle.
To be honest, Windows applications are like a cancer. Get one in your company and they will eventually eat the whole body from the inside out.
No one can write anything but a dirty hack in VBA, it _just isn't possible_!
This is SOOO wrong. Bad developers write bad code in VBA (and any other language), good developers write good code in VBA (and any other language). All VBA does is make bad developers out of people having no business coding in the first place because is't so accesible, but their code would be just as awful in any other language.
All you should need is a clean, open API into your business logic which should be destinct from the application suite and centralised for version control and efficiency, which can then hook into a _real_ database for data security and integrity. None of this half assed scripting rubbish that so many people get away with, even for enterprise applications :o(
Scripting is good for (at least) one thing - to act as "glue" between the business logic API you describe (and I agree there should be one), and the user interface. Look at ASP or PHP - they both provide wonderful vehicles for doing "gluing" of business logic to web pages. Scripting is not necessarily bad, you know.
Black holes are where God divided by zero
i ave never used StarOffice. however, my P3-933/512MB running RH9 loads OO.org in about 9 seconds. and it runs fast. and the menus are all anti-aliased. and i have never had a crash. and since i'm a teacher, i use OO.org for tons of things.
this desktop thing is really getting stupid. linux is so ready for the corporate desktop. and even the educational desktop. and lots of home users.
if you hired someone who "knows" Word, and they can't figure out Writer in a few minutes, they are idiots, and you hired a moron. this whole retraining things is pure bullshit.
My problem? I was perfectly gruntled, until some numbnuts came by and dissed me.