Ubuntu vs Freespire

[Scott Kitterman]

On Wed, 23 Aug 2006 13:15:39 +0200 Alain Muls <alain.muls at telenet.be> wrote:
>On Wednesday 23 August 2006 12:56, you wrote:
>> > Oh, I tried them to use OpenOffice and I use it whenever I need to work
>> > on Office files. But the problem is that the course notes are based on
>> > Word and Excel (still at version 2000 and I only have an English 
version
>> > while our native language is Dutch) and that makes it difficult for 
them
>> > to follow the course notes. I suggested to the teacher to work with
>> > OpenOffice (available freely on ALL platforms and can be used in the
>> > native language) but he has no interest what so ever and has never 
heard
>> > of OpenOffice, let alone Linux. So that is not an option for the home
>> > work and I do regret it.
>>
>> No, you misunderstand the problem. OpenOffice can quite happily read and
>> write Office2000 formats. Take the original document and open it in OOo,
>> you can read it. Edit it and save the new version in Office2000 format.
>> It will open in Office just fine, and the teacher will never know you
>> didn't use Office to do it.
>
>I agree and I know that, but the lessons are like this.
>Open Word
>Select menu this and then goto menu item this and do that. So the document 
>compatibilty is not the issue, it is that the teacher wants that all the 
>menus are identical and that the operations are the same. 
>Personnaly I do not think this is a proper education for a 15 year old, 
but I 
>cannot change the program.
>
Crossover Office sounds like your solution then.  Whether you get it 
through click and run or direct from Codeweavers it still needs to be paid 
for.  Their latest version, 5.0.3 IIRC, installs very easily in Kubuntu 
6.06.

If you're interested in investing less money, but more time there is WINE.

Scott K