If it wasn't for all of you guys out there, I wouldn't know, or have learned, anything Linux. In about a year and a half I went from not even knowing how to install it, to being able to solve most of my probelms on my own. I'm still Learning, and that's why I am so thankful, there is so many of you out there willing to help. Thank You.

That said, here is my latest scenario.

I recently started up another semester of college, and it is turning into quite the project. Last semester (spring) I managed to score an old Sony Vaio laptop from my cousin. It's decent. Maxed out on RAM, and a PII/333. Only a 4.3GB HDD though. I managed to get Slack 10.1 installed on it with all the trimmings and I had barely enough room to add OpenOffice. It worked well, although I never was apble to get the APM running so I never knew when the battery was almost dead. This summer I redid my Slack installation and using old posts from here, I learned that I could backup my /home, /var, etc.... and reinstall wtihout completely erasing them. My apm is now working....all was good. My 802.11b card later died and I needed a new one, and by asking around here, and researching on the internet (mosltly while I was in CompUSA) I was able to purchase a new 802.11g card and make sure it was compatible and tested. Then I figured I was all prepared for college.

Now I have started classes and my math teacher tells me I need to buy a book/software package. Then she tells us it is only compatible with Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer. Not Netscape, not Macintosh, not even AOL. I must use MS IE. I figured a CD would come with it, nope. Just a License code. Apparently I have to login to a website, download a proprietary plug-in, and install it. The plug-in only works with IE 5.5+

The software is called MyMathLab. It is the only way I am able to do my homework, and it must be connected to the internet to do so.

Now returning to the purpose of this thread......

Can Internet Explorer run on linux? (emulator, wine, etc?)
Can I use a IE plug-in with any other "linux native" browsers?
The other requirements are Quicktime, Flash, Acrobat Reader.
I know flash works, and I can already view PDF's. What about quicktime?

I need to get this resolved as soon as possible. I need to do my homework, and it'll kinda suck if I can never take it with me anywhere.

Thanks!

ROFL at subject (not body). Yes, apparently Internet Exploder will run through wine, though I've no idea if that extends to Flash content and embedded media files:
http://patrick.spacesurfer.com/ie_wine_install.html

mplayer with the win32 codec pack should handle all your Quicktime files.

How about vmware for linux or some other related app?
Install windows there and use IE and mathlab from there.

The easiest way would be to get Crossover Office. It is not free but IE works just fine as do a lot of other windows apps. Flash and Quicktime both work also. Not sure about MyMathLab.
CodeWeavers

IE can be installed by using wine which is free, but not quite as stable.

IEs 4 Linux - Sergio Lopes

Frank's Corner, Running Windows applications and games on Linux using Wine

WineTools

MathLab is actually a language in itself, there are proberbly alternatives to "MyMathLab".

Also I highly doubt that it genuinly needs internet explorer to work. The most you would likely have to do is spoof the browser identification which can be done from virtually all linux browsers

- Debian packages similar to mathematica or mathlab ?

The above link has quite a few apps that are similiar to mathlab.


A listing of the different "math" packages in Debian:
Debian -- Debian Package Search Results

The program is called "MyMathLab" it's put out by Pearson with Addison Wesley books. It is so I can do my homework online, submit it online, be graded online, and make my life miserable online. I'm familiar with MathLab, and it's completely different.

Thank you for all of the responses! I have a few things I can try.

There is a firefox extension called "User Agent Switcher" this extension allows you to change the way websites detect your computer. If downloading the plugin does not require ActiveX it will probably work

and if it does require activeX???

I have to approve use of it for one of my other computers. My laptop is Linux, but my desktop is dual-boot win98SE and my wife's laptop is winXP. (she always gets the good stuff but that's a story for another day.) I had to approve use of activeX when I installed the plugin on her laptop.

Can't you just use your wife's laptop, then, if it has Windows XP on it?
I also don't know much about these programs, but is MyMathLab anything like Matlab? Matlab has a Linux version for sure.

transgaming.com offers an activex plug-in for mozilla...I also believe you can install ActiveX support on IE through cedega...if you use cedega to install IE. Again, it costs money for a stable version, but you can download it from CVS for free.

Why would I want to work with an inferior OS? The reason why we shelled out to buy a brand new Dell 8600 (new then) with MS on it, was because my wife wanted it that way. She is familiar with it and she does not have the time to get comfortable with a new OS. Trust me...come March (when she graduates with her MS) that laptop is going to get an overhaul.

MyMathLab is not like Matlab (another program I also have) this is by far worse. It reeks of Big-Brother. You only know what you homework is when you login, you click for a problem and if you reload the page it gives you a new Similar But Different (SBD) problem. If you copy down all the problems to do them offline, when you come back they will be SBD. If you make 3 attempts and fail it gives you another SBD. It logs the amount of time you spend on each problem, and as a whole. It keeps track of when you use the system and how long. It will probably even know the sex of your unborn child before you do. All these things get logged and reported back to the teacher. If you want to use it on another computer, you have to install it on each one. When you do, it looks at the OS and Browser you are using and uses ActiveX controls to install it. It complains if it doesn't like what it sees. Which is why I am here.

I have 7 functioning computers. At least 5 are on right now. My laptop is what I use for school. It goes with me and it comes back home. I take it everywhere to do my homework. The computer I'm using to type this post happens to be a Dual-boot win98SE/slack machine. It's a desktop. 1GHz, 512MB, 120GB, 10.2GB, 52x24x52, 12x, 19", etc... but it's not portable. Out of the 7, only 2 are portable. The specs on my laptop are posted above. Not much for this day and age, but the nice thing about Linux is it makes old computers run just as good as new ones. It can also do anything.

I've been working with windows since 3.0, and before that I was using DOS 2.1. I'm bored with it, sick of it, and I hate how the world tries to force us to use it. A computer running Microsoft was required for this course. That makes me more motived to shove it back and say "no it's not". I'm almost 100% certain; if you frequent this board you feel the same way I do.

About a year and a half ago i decided it was time to learn Linux. I had heard of it years prior, and I figured if it was 1/8 as good as was being tauted, it would not be disappointing. Unfortunately, I always had a dial-up connection and I could never get a copy. So when I finally entered the world of 6Mbs, I grabbed a copy of RedHat 9. I didn't like it. It was too commercialized. Reminded me of MS. Debian was next, I had too many compatibility issues. Then I turned to Slackware 10.0. WOW! I installed it on one machine and didn't have to fight with a single setting. Then 10.1 came out and I went through and installed it everywhere. With each distor I evaluated, I saw great potential and many things I liked. That was what kept me looking for the distro that fit me.

Now I am a big supporter of Linux and everything it stands for. I even bought the Slackware sticker and put it on my laptop, A while back I asked "Where can I get a powered by Linux Sticker?" I have some of those too. Whenever I someone asks me how to fix there computer I hand them a Knoppix disk and say "try this." Several of them have made the switch. Not just the "power users" either, but a few "where's the power switch again?" people are using it. I just wish I was able to contribute more. I'm not a programmer, I'm more of a technician. I dove head first into the deep end, and I learned to swim. They call AOL "Internet training wheels". I call Microsoft "the prison yard". They want to keep you in, and when you try to escape, everyone starts pelting you with bullets of "MS required for this." "Linux can't do that." "Not compatible with Linux." "Designed for MS." But the brave few make it through and learn to survive on "the outside".

The only reasons why microsoft is still in my life.

• Gaming
• A website editng suite I purchase a couple years ago
• My wife (but when she's not looking....)

(Holy crap....I'm getting long winded)

I understand, but if you can use Windows for "a website editing suite," why can't you use it to do your homework?

And if doing your homework in MyMathLab seems too big-brother to you and violates your no-Windows approach, why not bring it up with your teacher? Say, "Hey, I realize you have good intentions in assigning us this, but I use Linux, not Windows. Can I have an alternate assignment?" If the teacher's not receptive to that, go to the teacher's higher-up (department head) or the dean of the school, the president, or even the board of trustees.

And if all else fails... civil disobedience and live with the F you get in the class, or cave in and use your wife's laptop.

I use windows for the suite, and that uses IE. If I can get IE to run on Linux, then I wouldn't need windows for anythig other than gaming, and I guess Transgaming.com has a solution for that. The other thing to consider, is her laptop can't be in two places at the same time.

The following is unrelated from the above - I just need somewhere to get this off my chest (with apologies):

As we all know, when Microsoft Internet Explorer encounters Java code it goes into protection mode and a banner appears at the top stating that the user needs to click and decide if they wish to allow the Java.

I was wondering what percentage of computer users are scared away from this? I'd imagine it is a high figure, which means that a vast amount of Java programming on the Internet goes to waste.

Woundn't it be good if the Firefox browser (and other flavours) flashed a message saying "Warning this page contains .NET functionality".

That would give Microsoft something to think about.