I’m going to extend this series, and will be doing weekly articles, beginning Friday. So stay tuned if you are interested!

Thanks for the reply – but I must maintain my position. Not all Linux software installs well. Openoffice 3 was a dream; ndiswrapper, and others I have encountered are not. Of course, this may be due to the Xandros3 version I use being a pain rather than the application.

Read Day 7 tonight – this has been a GREAT read and very much approaching my experience. However, I love Ubuntu and will be swapping from Xandros as soon as time permits.

As AshPringle says, 100% linux is probably still not possible for many (including me). However, at the present rate of improvement this may not remain the case for long. Power to the Penguin

Alan C

Thanks for pointing out the distinction between wine and vmware. I basically just knew they all did windowsy stuff, which was enough for me

@Vincent: I’m glad you didn’t echo everyone else. We wouldn’t want to get redundantly redundant!

@Vincent: I’m glad you didn’t echo everyone else. We wouldn’t want to get redundantly redundant!

My sixth day is up. Here’s the link!

http://www.zmogo.com/gear/the-new-year-linux-resolution-day-6/

and yeah, if you want to use windows apps, just use windows. but i have found very nice replacement apps in linux and do not miss windows one bit. winamp? no thanks. amarok or vlc work beautifully.

Let’s see … download Firefox (something even Windows users do). Go to mozilla.com. Oh look!
* Download Firefox – Free 3.0.5 for Linux i686 English (US) (8.7MB)
Click the big box.
Save file to desktop.
Double click the download.
Archive Manager opens.
Extract to desktop.
Open new folder on desktop.
Double click on “firefox”
Firefox opens.

Only difference with windows? More clicks through an installer than clicking “extract, open folder, executable” in linux.

Want to delete your install on linux? Delete the folder.
On Windows? Control panel … add/remove programs … wait 10 minutes … click Mozilla Firefox … click Remove … click through the uninstaller … hope like heck Windows actually did remove it … go and delete the install directory that wasn’t deleted by the uninstaller … go clean out the registry while you’re at it, so other programs quit trying to launch it when it’s gone.

Wow, thanks Windows, for making things easier for me!

Heck, if the app you’re looking for offers a .deb, you launch it just like a Windows EXE and it installs. Even most .rpm’s will install on Debian/Ubuntu based distros without a hiccup.

Program installation and removal on linux is FAR easier than any version of Windows. Unless you’re sadistic and run Gentoo or Linux from Scratch. Then you’re just asking for it. But newcomers to linux wouldn’t touch either.
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Love the writing style of this piece. Quite disappointed that a little more effort into understanding what he’s doing isn’t happening. To think wine is virtualized Windows is ridiculous. Didn’t you read the description of the program before you installed it? *sigh*

I’ve been caught red-handed! I’m trapped in a black screen with a Windows application in the background wearing nothing but a loading screen, and when Linux finds out its going to kill me!

Priceless

Anyway your attitude is the right one too succeed: incremental challenges and experimentation. Good luck.

I have played with and used various Linux progs over the last 3-4 years. Some have been total dogs – the sort of thing only a geek would love. The current crop of Xandros, Sabayon, Ubuntu etc are MUCH better but ALL insist on the command lines – and life’s too short. Linux will never be as easy as Windows. Even tasks such as downloading and installing applications can be a pita.

Linux does have strengths and these are very good indeed. I will continue to use both. As OpenOffice develops this will become even easier. However, losing the geek image and mentality is going to take time. Some of the postings here have been very arrogant and superior – encouragement rather than snide comments would serve better to encourage people who, after all, have shown a willingness to try.

Many thanks all….

http://www.playonlinux.com/en/download.html

Ha, got it? I secretly mentioned it anyway!

Anyway, here’s some handy shortcuts to save you when you get stuck:
* Ctrl+Alt+Backspace – this closes everything graphical, causing it to restart, thus bringing you back at the login screen.
* Ctrl+Alt+Esc – not sure if this also works in Ubuntu (if not there’s a panel plugin that will do this), but if it does, it will turn your cursor into a cross with which you can click on misbehaving applications to give them some serious ass-kicking and close them down.

Loved the part about redundancy