2008/2/20, Harold Fuchs <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > On 19/02/2008 14:02, A.Muller wrote: > > Hello everybody ! > > I've been monitoring this mailing list for a couple of months and > > received answers to my questions about OO. Thanks to the benefactors. > > My experience with OO goes back to 2005 and I'm very satisfied with > > it. Now I would like to cross the Rubicon and eliminate, gradually, XP > > from my machine. I've read many posts relating this or that > > bug/difficulty of OO with some specific distributions of Linux. In > > your experience, which one would be the best to start with among the > > different distros : Mandriva, Ubuntu, Suse, Debian or whatever ? Thank > > you for your advice. A.Muller > > > OK I'm going to start a controversy. By all means try a live "distro" > (horrible word) but do be sure before wasting many hours of effort that > you will be able to find software to run your hardware. I have three > "and a half" devices for which I have searched quite diligently for > Linux software but ... > > a) I have a fairly recent HP flatbed scanner for which I can find no > Linux drivers. The machine came with Windows and Mac software but not > Linux. It has three hardware buttons which are configurable to invoke > different software functions when pressed. One of those allows the > machine to be used as a "photocopier", printing via the software > directly to my HP printer. > > b) Ditto my fairly modern Nokia mobile phone. It came with (Windows > based) file management software that allows, among other things, > synchronising contacts etc. with a PC. Again, It seems I could get Mac > software that would do the job but not Linux. > > c) My PCMCIA wireless LAN card. There is a conversation in one > specialised forum that someone has been able to get my model to work > under that particular flavour of Linux but the author admits it was not > straightforward and required a lot of fiddling with options and settings > in something called NDISWrapper. > > In addition, I think I can get my HP "All In One" printer to sort of > work under Linux but I *think* it would behave as a bare printer instead > of the Printer/FAX/Scanner it was bought as, with integrated software > that also lets me maintain a directory of names and FAX telephone numbers. > > I'd be very reluctant to lose all that functionality. > > I'll bet someone will say I could run Wine which is a sort of Windows > emulator (simulator? please let's not go there!) that runs on Linux. As > far as I'm concerned, the very existence of this software is an > admission of defeat. Less controversially, there is a considerable body > of Windows based software that won't run at all under Wine. > > Of course, you may not have these problems or you may decide that it > would be worthwhile [interesting, even] to see if you can overcome them. > For me the investment of time and the risk involved are too great. YMMV. > > > -- > Harold Fuchs > London, England > Please reply *only* to [email protected]
Like OOo, Linux distros are not for everybody. Some users are happy with MS products, like Windows OS and MS Office, and should stick with them. But it should, perhaps, be more widely known than it at present is that alternatives are available.... Henri Henri
