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  • From: David Neeley <dbneeley@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] Linux software
  • Date: Sun, 9 Jan 2005 15:03:14 -0600

There are many "distributions" of Linux that are available that can
run directly from a CD if you want to see what all the commotion is
about. The most famous of these is Knoppix, from www.knopper.net.

Most Linux software is either totally free or very cheap. If you have
available disk space, most versions today will be quite comfortable
loading in a dual-boot configuration so you can become used to Linux
while not erasing or disturbing an existing Windows installation.

As a Web machine operating system or for typical office tasks, Linux
will run faster on any given machine than Windows will...and often
much more securely with far fewer crashes. This is true whether the
connection is dial-up or broadband, in fact.

If you are seriously contemplating a total change, I suggest
considering an investment of about $90 U.S. in a copy of SuSE Linux
Professional, which comes with extensive printed documentation and
about 3,500 applications already on their disks (including six CDs and
one DVD for the media). Last I looked, the printed manuals were over
1,000 pages of very useful information.

Yes, there can be a learning curve...although a modern distribution
with a good installation routine can be run for many tasks directly
from the GUI interface with little "tweaking" required.

By the end of this month, a new version 2.0 of OpenOffice.org is being
released. The new version will have a built-in database component as
well as the word processor, spreadsheet, presentation program, and
drawing package that were already there in prior versions.

Note, please, that OpenOffice will happily read and write Microsoft
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files...and it is totally free in versions
for Windows, Solaris, Linux, and Mac. Thus, its native files are
completely cross-platform.

Thus, even if you are only considering a move to Linux, you might find
downloading OpenOffice.org for your Windows machine makes great sense.
Later, the Linux version can use the Windows version's files without
problem or modification.

David




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