Re: [Hampshire] How long have you been using Linux?

On Fri, Nov 17, 2006 at 12:32:52PM +0000, john lewis wrote:
> On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 11:50:18 +0000
> Alan Pope <alan@???> wrote:
>
> > * Consistent platform across whole environment
> > Which leads to
> > * Single cache of repository rather than one for ubuntu, one for
> > debian
>
> Only an issue if you are using apt-cache (?) and distribute the
> updates locally
>

No, that's not true. The way I mirror the repositories means that it does matter that I have two separate distros. I don't use
apt-cache or apt-catcher.

> > * More up to date kernel and packages
>
> more up to date than Sid ?????
>

Like I'm going to run Sid on a server!

> but I accept it will be more up to date than sarge or possibly etch
> when it is released.
>

The box is currently running sarge.

> > * Shorter time between releases
> > * Will be same as I deploy to customers, so makes supporting them
> > easier.
>
> this could be a disadvantage for some customers - some like the
> stability of Debian
>

Depends how you sell it to them.

> I still don't like ubunto which I now have set up on a spare hard
> disk so my wife can have a play as part of my long term plan to
> wean her off windows.
>

You have already said that you don't like Canonicals "commercialisation of Debian". I fail to see how installing Ubuntu on your
wifes PC will change that point of view.

> It will take her a while to get out of the habit of letting the OS do
> it all - she tends, like many win users I guess, to allow all
> her files be saved in 'My Documents'.
>

What's wrong with that? It's just a folder or symbolic link to a folder. It could be called "My Mighty Badgers of Doom" for all
it matters.

> The big stumbling block is still the genealogy application - she has
> been using Family Tree Maker since the early 1990s and whilst gramps
> is pretty good it would take a while to get used to the changes.
>

I don't have a copy of FTM for windows kicking around any more, but I wouldn't be surprised if it could be coerced to run under
WINE. Many of the problems I had getting it working previously are solved now there's an easy way to get IE running under WINE
(which I think FTM makes use of).

> I think the solution is to convince her to use geneweb locally as
> well as remotely, but old habits die hard.
>

:)

Cheers,
Al.