[Coco] OT Linux question

[Frank Swygert]

Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2013 02:05:06 +0000
From:lciotti1 at gmail.com

For windows print to pdf - have always used the free CutePDF program.

I have never used a linux box as my desktop for very long.  I am always drawn back to windows because of work, and there are some types of programs that either do not exist in linux or the ones that do are so far behind I just can't fight with them.
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I used to be the same way. I watched Linux for a long time until I thought it was finally "user friendly" enough that you didn't have to have a lot of technical know-how to get it to work right. Linux Mint is as load and run as you can get -- loads everything you might need, including some proprietary stuff. It's all free to use software/drivers/codecs, but many Linux distros only come with open source stuff and you have to find and load anything else. I tested Mint on my wife. I set the computer up, and had a little trouble getting her printer working, but after that she had no problem using it. She's not technically inclined at all -- strictly turn it on and use! Her only complaint was some of the little seek and find type games wouldn't run. That was a slow machine (P4 single core) with Mint 9. After a year on that I got her a triple core machine and Windows 7, but I switched my main computer to Mint 11 (I'd use 12, it's the last long-term support release) and haven't looked back! I bought the PageStream DTP package (mature and supported, not in development like Scribus, which is still a good candidate) and I purchased CrossOver (a commercially supported version of WINE -- main advantage is it's easier to install Windows software) as well. I don't mind paying reasonable prices for good software, not the inflated prices most Windows software of equal caliber sells for. I needed a good reliable DTP package. I've been running some Windows software (mainly my address database) using CrossOver. It runs flawlessly, just as if it were on a Windows box. Not all software does that, but most does, including many games. You might want to try again!

-- 
Frank Swygert
Editor - American Motors Cars Magazine
www.amc-mag.com