Very Computer

Dear Linux-users,

I'm an avid, keen, ardent, enthusiastic, or whatever Linux-wannabe. But,
I'm one of those who never really, really "dare".

I know of the potential of Linux. I know of its stability. I know of its
speed and its eagerness to perform. I know there are already today a
multitude of applications (and since very, very recently, one of the key
applications - Gnumeric; which, at least, made it for my decision). I know
of its advantages over the MS world, and much, much more.

Since I am so well informed, how come I'm still a leftover decaying in the
MS carcass?

First and, surely, only, because I, and my surroundings, are all
microsoftish, but yet I don't know if I would still be able to interact
with them using Linux. Our server is running Apache, yes, but that doesn't
help our productivity, based on wordprocessors, spreadsheets, databases,
statistical packages, graphic utilities, etc. I'm talking file exchanges.

I still don't know if I can use, import, emulate, or whatever, files
created in an Win95/98/NT world. (such topics aren't exactly widely
discussed widely in the Linux world; taking this knowledge for granted?) If
there is a way to use files, from within Linux, created in a standard, e.g.
MS Office97 (x86) program, or, in some other "widely spread" program please
let us now. My own, and apparently most of my colleagues', concern is
wether they can transport their "old" data files over to a new one, without
"too" much loss of formatting, etc. And, on top of it, we must be able to
do this back and forth; our group is still interacting with another 120
million Win95 users... Please, dear Flamers, don't ask too much...

With all the very best hopes for a future in a 25% Linuxian world.

Yours truly,

Rudy Mansgaten
(I understand this topic should have been discussed a number of times, yet
this newgroup is updated ever so often I surely have missed any previous
message on the topic)

None of the reasons you've cited explain why you haven't "dared."  Why
not do what so many others have done-- try a modest Linux install on a
separate partition and dual boot DOS/Linux?

In other words, just stick your big toe in the water. <g>

Quote:>With all the very best hopes for a future in a 25% Linuxian world.

That's fine with me...as a user of an OS that respects existing standards,
I shouldn't care what anyone else is using.  The problem with Microsoft's
critical mass among PC's is that we are all victims of the MS
standards treadmill.

In reality, I would also like there to be enough market share for Linux
to garner attention from more hardware vendors.  I'm not so worried about
software.

Rob Clark

Applix 4.4.1 - see http://www.applix.com

bones.vcf < 1K Download

Rudy,    I think that problem here is a little different than stated by you.
Linux office suites (Applixware,  StarOffice--to name a few) can, in fact,
read Word97 documents.  The problem does not lie therein.  The problem lies in
the end-user not saving documents in some agreed upon standard that every
software package can read.  Just because a person locks himself into an MS
solution, this does not meant that he must use MS proprietary solutions to
communicate to the rest of the world.  It seems to me that it would be very
easy to agrees upon a company standard that satisfies the needs and desires of
the greatest number of users and OS's.
    As far as the second part of your question goes, you simply need to read
the documentation concering the various tasks that you wish to perform.  As
I said earlier, Linux software does very well at trying to play with
everyone.  If MS was only this kind they might not feel the backlash that they
do now.

David

<snippage>

Quote:> If
> there is a way to use files, from within Linux, created in a standard, e.g.
> MS Office97 (x86) program, or, in some other "widely spread" program please
> let us now.

Try searching for ApplixWare or StarOffice, two office "productivity"
packages that run on Linux/X.  I don't use them myself, because I have
no need for such apps, just a text editor and compiler tools for me ;-),
but I *think* that they are supposed to import/export Office file
formats.  Can someone else out there verify this, one way or the other?

Hope this helps

Russ

Check out Fresh Meat today (www.freshmeat.org).  
There is a perl script posted that will convert Word 97 documents into HTML, so
all can read :)

Clancy Dalebout
--

"If the foundation is good, everything else can be fixed."
                -- Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House