Re: Fw: [Hampshire] Killer Apps for Linux

On 10/12/06, James Courtier-Dutton <james.dutton@???> wrote:
>
> On 10/12/06, Cayenne-uk <cayenneuk@???> wrote:
> >
> > However, Linux is still largely an enthusiasts Operating System, and I
> for
>
> I think Mark Shuttleworth has changed that with Ubuntu. ...
> His main aim is to make Ubuntu easy to use for everyone, rich or poor.
> If Ubuntu is easier and better to use that Microsoft, people will move
> from Microsoft out of choice, Ubuntu is not Microsoft Windows
> reinvented. It is a totally different operating system.


Here, here! I think Ubuntu presents Linux very well, and non_techy users
coming to it should have little trouble using it. It is still largely used
by enthusiasts at this point, but I'm sure that as the message gets out over
time, it will be picked up by Joe Public more. Any non-techies that I know
of using it at the moment, are usually doing so because a techie enthusiast
has installed it for them. But that is as good a way as any to bring it to
more people.



Three things I have struggled with myself, have
> > been i) trying to print to a Canon Inkjet printer (still a WIP), ii)
> getting
> > WPA working with my WiFi link,
> WPA should be easy, once your wireless driver is working. I.e. iwlist
> ath0 scan gives some output. You then only have to configure
> wpa_supplicant.


Quite - I expected to be able to get it working with standard Network
Manager. Instead I had a lot of fiddling to do to. I believe that
6.10Network Manager deals with the WPA better, but I am staying on
6.06 for now to keep in line with the charity.



How long did the training take? What are the outstanding issues?


The training didn't take long at all. It was just a matter of spending a day
on site, and looking at each issue and finding a solution. Some of the
outstanding issues are
i) Use of fonts on ex-word documents. The fonts applied by Writer mess the
format of the document up.
ii) Using a shared Access database. (Which is new and growing - grr!)
iii) Figuring out a way to start OpenOffice apps in specific workspaces on
startup.
I haven't given much time to resolving these issues yet, so I may raise them
on the forum when I do. :)

Kelvin