GNU/Linux Advocacy

[Toby Smithe]

On Wed, 2007-02-21 at 09:32 -0500, Eric Dunbar wrote:
[snip]

> I'd still rather give them Windows (yuck) simply because that many
> more people know it and auto-installers work much better on Windows
> than on Ubuntu (Synaptic is simple to use but it's hardly _usable_ by
> the casual computer user (which make up the bulk of the computer using
> population)).

gnome-app-install

If you get more using Ubuntu or another Linux, it *will* become better
supported, more people *will* know it, and it *will* get more "usable".
By giving them Windows, you are only encouraging Microsoft, and pushing
Ubuntu onto the curb. Put your, erm, money where your mouth - "(yuck)"
is, and make Ubuntu better: get it out there. Even if people don't use
it, knowing about an alternative is better than not.

> The rest is window dressing and for fun. I play with OO.org to see
> what it's about (I give it to students who don't have MS Office at
> home so they have a "real" word processor), and I might even do some
> light word processing in Abiword (fantastic word processor IMNSHO)
> but, when I need to do spread sheets, I fire up Excel 2004, or when I
> need to do serious word processing I'll use either Word 2004 or Pages
> (FANTASTIC layout program (Word sucks, OO.org is downright atrocious),
> I'm still not convinced by its word processing interface though, my
> spouse (a "casual" computer user) figured Pages out right away and
> much prefers it to Word or OO.org) ;-).
> 
> PS Has anyone ever found a page layout program like PageMaker 4? Are
> there any OSS solutions to page layout that aren't overly complicated?

scribus

-- 
Help me get to Venezuela!
http://tibsplace.co.uk/venezuela