Hey guys i’ve always been really really interested in giving open suse a go but there are somethings that really push me away from a new system. So i’d like to ask you guys for recommendations on such issues.
Office apps.
I’ve always used ms office and i’m not really interested in open office, can i run ms office well in wine?
Photoshop, adobe etc.
I’m a developer (not a designer) but i use photoshop ocasionally and fireworks as well. Again i’ve seen people doing amazing things with gimp but i’ve decided gimp just isn’t for me. How well will these applications run on wine or they won’t at all?
Visual Studio, Sql Server and so on.
I work with C# but have no idea what to expect of .NET development in linux anyone could kindly clarify what is possible? rotfl! Or will i have to keep an image of xp handy and run some virtual machine program?
What is the best virtual machine app for open suse and how well does it support dirext x?
I’m sorry all of this may sound really pessimistic. But i’ve had a different version of linux before and besides being very fast i think linux is very promissing.
I can’t wait for chrome to be released to linux users as well.
One last question haha can i run counter strike in open suse? i know its old but i love it!
for speed of course i wanna do the usual things daily that don’t require the same apps as work.
but i want the flexibility to do my work at home if the need be
I have a VM running with XP here which runs fluently with 128 MB of RAM and several Apps (Opera, several special Search applications for Chemical databases etc.) at the same time.
Using a VM and/or Wine will certainly not increase the speed of your Windows applications under Linux.
As I said, with your list of applications, the whole migration idea ist totally pointless.
I tend to agree with Akoellh. If you really want your MS-Windows apps such as MS-Office (instead of open Office), and your Photoshop (and can not be bothered to learn gimp), and want your Visual Studio, and your .nET, etc … then stick with what works for you now. Stick with Windows.
Linux is different. Its not windows.
Most my friends are smart people. They use Windows and they are happy there. Linux is not for everyone, and IMHO in particular its not for people who do not want to leave their windows apps.
The view that Linux is just another OS in which one can run their favourite MS-Windows applications is not very accurate. Yes one can run applications in a Virtual Session with Windows as a client under Linux, but whats the point if one is running so many Windows apps?
IMHO one should either move to Linux with mostly Linux applications, or stay with the majority of the people in the world, …and stay with Windows and the Windows apps that one likes.
I want to try linux apps, for IM, for listening to music, browsing the net and not worrying about third party apps, downloading stuff (torrents and such) and not giving much of a **** about viruses, burning cds, doing things which i don’t have an especific application for.
I’m not looking for improvements in speed in my current WORK applications i just want the flexibility of running those applications WHEN i need them which is not always
I have NEVER said this to a single person on forums before…but I agree with the group on this. I think you should just stick with Windows.
You said you arent interested in OO or gimp, but I don’t get the impression you’ve given them a try…have you?
Moving to linux is a fairly major adjustment and it can be frustrating. If you arent even willing to give the major apps a chance, I doubt you’ll have the patience to learn how linux works (it’s really really different than windows) and relearn all the different softwares you’d be using. If you want windows…run windows. You have got to be open to learning and new things in order to have success with linux.
If you´re wondering if a Windows application will run under WINE you should search here. There´s a search box in the upper-right.
The other thing to note is that the version matters. Saying “Microsoft Office” is fine, but different versions run better under WINE than others and even editions within versions don´t always function the same.
I agree with oldcpu in that if you´re looking to run a ton of apps under WINE or virtualization it might be advisable to better secure your Windows install instead (or dual-boot Linux+Windows). It would serve you well to consider and try more of the OSS alternatives. I understand that most of the apps you listed are for work purposes, but wanting to move to a completely new OS while holding on to a portfolio of apps from your old OS…you need to anticipate challenges in making that work. Although WINE exists and virtualization is always an option, I´m not sure how efficient it is to install Linux as a sort of ´secure platform´ for Windows apps since Linux is not designed to handle Windows apps natively.
I would say, “try WINE but be prepared to use virtualization” if you are planning to use Linux with your requirements.
If you really want to use Linux for trying stuff out. Dual boot may be an option.
You can keep your windows install clean on the computer and when you boot you just get a choice of starting either XP or starting up your Suse install depending on what you plan to do.
that way for your office, and .Net work you can go into XP. If you want to see the Linux side it only takes a minute or 2 to reboot and go into that
It’s all been said really.
You will find though, in time, if you dual boot. The time you spend in Linux can be used wisely to learn the ropes. Gradually you will find you can do mostly everything in Linux that you can in Win. I’m assuming you tried Gimp and found it tricky to use. You will find that is the case with most applications and indeed the OS as a whole.
We tend to forget just how much time it took for us to learn the ropes with windows. Try and remember the first time you ever used a windows PC. Starting with Linux is much the same even though you have lot’s of windows knowledge. Windows does everything backwards;) \
That’s precisely what I’d recommend. Use Linux for Internet work, because it’s FAR more secure. (And less annoying.) (And less prone to spamware and adware.) (And so on.)
You’ll have the aggravation of needing to reboot into Windows for the other applications, but hey, that’s just a good time to go fetch a fresh cup of coffee while it boots up.
I agree about Visual Studio, by the way. That’s the one thing I miss the most in Linux. KDevelop is getting there, but it’s still light years behind VS. The ability to add a dialog, click on the button and be taken directly to the code that services the click, etc., etc. … KDevelop doesn’t even come CLOSE.
Something interesting I find. I do have a proper HD install of XP on my box which I booted recently after 12 months or so. Yuck.
Anyway, my point. I have XP in VBox too. It boots so much quicker than my HD install. It’s supper quick and doesn’t slow down suse.
Will photoshop and the like not run well in VBox? I don’t use them myself - So just interested to know. Does maybe the graphics driver in VBox pose limits?
Basically, you initial posting reads: “I’m just fine with Windows.” If you go Linux, you will certainly experience some inconvenience and frustrations.
You say, your reason of converting to Linux is:
for speed of course
In such a case, it would be wiser to find and install Windows 2000 that performs lightning fast on more or less modern hardware.
can i run ms office well in wine?
Bare MS Office will run with wine, and you’ll be able to do most of normal text/spreadsheet/presentation editing tasks. However, if you use third-party add-ons to Microsoft Office or just use some complicated VBA macros, it’s highly probable, that they will not run.
