[PLUG] Linux Desktop - Time to make the change

[M. Edward (Ed) Borasky]

John Purser wrote:

> I use Debian stable for a server OS on my network but it can get 
> hopelessly outdated for a desktop.  So I'm looking at Knoppix and 
> Ubuntu.  I may install both for a while.  Given that I'd like some 
> advice on some desktop applications.

Maybe Knoppix has improved it's "install to hard disk" since 3.4, but if 
you prefer an "easy to install organization-backed" distro to one that's 
developed and maintained by a closely-knit band of hackers, I'd go with 
Ubuntu if you're looking for Debian compatibility. There are two flavors 
of Ubuntu. Ubuntu itself has a Gnome desktop; Kubuntu has a KDE desktop. 
You could, if you wanted, install Ubuntu and add in KDE from the Debian 
repositories, but I consider that a waste of time and disk space. Pick 
your desktop and pick your Ubuntu.

If you don't want or need Debian compatibility, you could look at 
CentOS. CentOS is an RHEL clone. Other the denizens of this list, there 
isn't a whole lot of Debian adminstration expertise you can fall back on 
if you get into trouble, but there are lots of Red Hat folk. I have one 
system running CentOS 4.2 now, and I like it. It's very stable and 
secure ... the desktop is perhaps a bit "outdated" for your taste, but I 
have had rotten luck with Fedora Core, so I switched to CentOS.

> E-mail: I confess, I prefer Outlook.  I've been using Thunderbird 
> lately and while it's a nice Outlook Express replacement it doesn't 
> have all the functionality of Outlook.  I KNOW e-mail clients are a 
> touchy subject but what are the favorites out there?  I use POP3, 
> IMAP, Google (pop3 + web) and Yahoo (web only) services.  And I've 
> grown accustomed to having my calendar and contacts integrated with 
> e-mail.  Tasks, notes, and that business of tracking everything I do 
> on the computer I DON'T need.

I use Thunderbird and I'm happy with it. I haven't tried the calendar 
piece of the Mozilla suite yet (is it "Sunbird?") Evolution has more 
features and is probably the closest to Outlook in the open source 
world. However ... so-called Personal Information Management software is 
a vibrant field right now in the "web 2.0" space. There are lots of 
gimmicks out there, *especially* if you're willing to trust your data to 
a web-based "service bureau/ASP" model.

Big names like Google are beginning to offer stuff like this, not just 
small teams with advanced ways of managing personal information looking 
for venture capital. I'm much more interested in the second type, 
however, because I *don't* trust my data to a service bureau. :)

Right now I'm tracking something called "Chandler", named after Raymond 
Chandler of the mystery novels. It's about 0.5 release level right now; 
the last release they call stable dates back to about April. I wouldn't 
trust a business to it yet, of course, but it looks like their 
combination of hierarchy (trees), facets and tags has the potential to 
revolutionize the PIM. Have a look at

http://wiki.osafoundation.org/bin/view/Journal/HierarchyVersusFacetsVersusTags
http://wiki.osafoundation.org/bin/view/Journal/TooManyWaysToOrganize
http://wiki.osafoundation.org/bin/view/Journal/ChandlerInFifteenMinutes

and of course

http://del.icio.us/znmeb

> Personal Finance: I use an older version of MS Money right now and it 
> keeps me on track.  I've got an accounting background so I can deal 
> with complicated accounting systems, but I won't.  If it's simple I'll 
> keep up with it.  Again, suggestions?  What works for you?  Ups and 
> downs?

I don't do personal finance in Linux. I think "gnucash" or whatever it's 
called these days is the only thing out there with enough features to 
match Money or Quicken.

> Music: I like Yahoo Launchcast/Music and bought a year's worth in 
> advance before the price jumped.  I like it, I don't love it.  It 
> could use a broader library (no Hoyt Axon AT ALL???), there are too 
> many payola "recommendations" (Going from bluegrass to rap aint workin 
> for me) and of course there's no Linux client that I'm aware of.  I've 
> got a fair collection of mp3s but I'd like a radio type service that 
> works on Linux and can be tailored to my rather eclectic tastes.  
> Anyone have something they really like?

My idea of a media player is several hundred classical CDs, noise 
cancelling headphones, and "allclassical.org". Other than that, I can't 
help you. :)

> And advice in general is welcome.  This won't be a do or die 
> conversion as I've got a new XP laptop to lean on until I'm happy with 
> my Linux desktop.

That was actually going to be my *real* advice -- get a new Windows XP 
system with the latest advanced supported hardware and upgrade all your 
applications like a good boy. :) I didn't think that would fly on a 
Linux list, but since *you* mentioned it first ...

<ducking>

> Of course general rants about MS software are ALWAYS appreciated!

I think Microsoft's monopoly on the desktop is fading rather rapidly, 
mostly because of the big money behind Google and the flurry of activity 
in AJAX, web 2.0, Ruby on Rails and the semantic web. As Criswell used 
to say, "The future is where we will spend the rest of our lives".

I'm not sure that a Google monopoly is a better idea than a Microsoft 
monopoly, a Sun monopoly, or an IBM monopoly. And Microsoft certainly 
isn't standing still -- I've heard good things about the UI for the next 
version of Office, and they've got the cash to buy into these emerging 
technologies. Cheap Linux servers, Cheap Linux desktops and cheap 
broadband will move the concentration of power around, but the power 
will still be concentrated *somewhere*. That's the way complex adaptive 
systems work.

-- 
M. Edward (Ed) Borasky

http://linuxcapacityplanning.com