Different Distributions

[Doug]

On 08/07/2014 01:20 AM, John Howe wrote:
> On 07/08/14 01:32, Peter Goggin wrote:
>> Mint and Zorro claim their distributions provide a desktop similar to 
>> XP and I beleive Zorro comes with a Windows emulator to allow windows 
>> programs to run.
>>
>> Does any one have any experience with these distributions?
>
> Linux Mint 17 Cinnamon
>
>>
>> I have several laptops running Windows Xp and Window 7. Upgrading to 
>> the latest versions of Widows is too costly.  These laptops run 
>> various applications , some of which (e.g.firefox, thunderbird, 
>> OpenOffice, Libreoffice) run under Linux but a number of programs for 
>> genealogy, video editing do not appear to have suitable Linux 
>> replacements.  A  linux distribution with built in Windows emulation 
>> may solve my problems. I want a distribution which does not require 
>> me to use lots of command line stuff, I am a bit too old for that.
>>
>> Any help will be appreciated
>>
> You don't say which genealogy program, I have run RootsMagic on 
> several flavours of linux, under wine with no problems.
>
> The only thing I need Winblows for is updating my SatNav (Mio Moov)
>
>
I have Mint 17-64-KDE running. I think that KDE looks enough like 
Windows so as not to discombobulate the new user. Mint uses the Ubuntu 
repos, as far as I can tell,
and maybe has a few additional things. HOWEVER: I don't believe that any 
Linux actually emulates Windows. You need to use WINE* or it's slightly 
bigger and not free
brother, Crossover Linux, which will allow you to run many Windows 
programs, but not all. On-Disk has a program they call something like 
Replacement 4 Windows--I
may not have that just right--but I'm sure it is using something very 
like WINE. It's not free either, but it's not that expensive. I would 
suggest that you check on the
WINE website with the name and version number of the Windows program(s) 
you want to run, and see what they say. They have a big listing of 
programs that work,
programs that mostly work, and programs that just won't. You can do the 
same thing with Crossover, but the lists are very similar.  You could 
also ask on the mailing
lists for WINE, or Crossover, or Mint, or Zorro (which I'm not familiar 
with) whether anyone on those lists has any experience with the 
program(s) you want to run.

If you decide to use Linux, you will find some nice advantages. For one, 
there is a lot of help on these mailing lists and forums, and for 
another, _almost_ all
common programs that you would pay for in Windows have free 
replacements. Some are actually better. Some are not, but you will get 
arguments about the latter.
One of my pet peeves was that altho there are free drafting programs for 
Linux, there was nothing like AutoCAD. That's no longer true: a program 
called
DraftSight is a clone of AC-LT, and will run on Mint and on PCLinuxOS, 
and presumably on Ubuntu/Kubuntu, so you don't have to learn a new 
paradigm. (There is also
a paid version of DraftSight for commercial use, but it's not that 
expensive--nothing like AutoCAD!)

You should not be afraid of the command line. You may be able to live 
completely without it, but there are a few things that you will probably 
want to use it for. But
as a beginner, you will be able to go a long way without thinking about 
it.  If you were around in the DOS days, you were using a command line 
then all the time!

You should also be aware that trying to run Windows itself in a Linux 
virtual box has caused some people grief, as Microsoft will not validate 
the program run that way.
Of those who succeed, I don't know how they do it, and before you commit 
to something like that, you should get clear complete instructions from 
someone who has
done it successfully.

*WINE is supposed to mean "Wine Is Not Emulation," but if it is not, 
it's a damned good imitation! When it works, it usually works fine. 
OTOH, the DOS emulator is
clumsy, altho it does work.

Good luck!

--doug