Call it fanaticism if you want. I just call it "common sense". If you have loads of files you truly can't do without, why do you have them saved in a closed proprietary format? How do you know that version of the file format will work another twenty years from now? How do you know CorelDRAW will even exist twenty years from now, or for that matter a computer which is able to run the last release of the software? Given the trajectory of the consumer technology development, we could all be running on ARM processor architecture in twenty years, which would mean all your precious closed source x86 binaries would be worthless.
The software released under a closed source license today has its benefits. I do not mean to challenge that in any way. But the very first sentence in your message points to one thing which is definitely a benefit of open source: future proofing. Proponents of closed-source software are painting themselves into a corner, and open-source proponents are declared as evangelists and fanatics for stating the obvious. On 15 May 2012 23:32, David M. Gullever <[email protected]> wrote: > ** ** > > Errrrrrrrr I have loads of CorelDraw files that I can’t do without not to > mention a host of other stuff that I have kept over the last 20 years. And > how about skype, yahoo messenger etc, etc, etc. No the switch over to gnome > as a daily working system is a non starter. LINUX is strictly for > development. It might be ok as a desktop system for a new starter, and > LINUX geeks that have used it for years will be quite happy, but anyone who > has used windows as a desktop system – evangelical LINUX fanaticism not > withstanding - won’t change. **** > > ** ** > > DMG**** > > ** ** > ------------------------------ > > *From:* [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] *On > Behalf Of *Peter C. Ndikuwera > *Sent:* 15 May 2012 14:58 > *To:* Uganda Linux User Group > *Subject:* Re: [LUG] SoftWare Inquiry**** > > ** ** > > My 2p.**** > > ** ** > > Libre Office is ok but you can't say most users won't notice.**** > > ** ** > > From what I've seen, a large document with graphics & text boxes and > tables (i.e. just about every over-20 page document) created in Word is > almost impossible to open in Libre Office while retaining all the > formatting, spacing, etc. Even worse, try opening and saving as docx = > disaster.**** > > ** ** > > I believe Word, and to a lesser extent Excel, are the biggest thing that > keep casual users on MS over Linux. With some effort you can convince a > person to use Evolution/Thunderbird over Outlook, Calc over Excel, etc. But > when they can't open a basic 20-page report....**** > > ** ** > > Crossover works brilliantly and seamlessly, and I think it's a tool that > even ****OSS**** enthusiasts should consider when trying Windows->Linux > migration. **** > > ** ** > > P. **** > > > **** > > --**** > > Evolution (n): A hypothetical process whereby infinitely improbable events > occur with alarming frequency, order arises from chaos, and no one is given > credit.**** > > ** ** > > _______________________________________________ > The Uganda Linux User Group: http://linux.or.ug > > Send messages to this mailing list by addressing e-mails to: > [email protected] > Mailing list archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > Mailing list settings: http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/lug > To unsubscribe: http://kym.net/mailman/options/lug > > The Uganda LUG mailing list is generously hosted by INFOCOM: > http://www.infocom.co.ug/ > > The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including > attachments if any). The mailing list host is not responsible for them in > any way. >
_______________________________________________ The Uganda Linux User Group: http://linux.or.ug Send messages to this mailing list by addressing e-mails to: [email protected] Mailing list archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Mailing list settings: http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/lug To unsubscribe: http://kym.net/mailman/options/lug The Uganda LUG mailing list is generously hosted by INFOCOM: http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The mailing list host is not responsible for them in any way.
