Hey.
So what's everybody's opinion on moving to 100% Linux/Unix? I would like to but I have some limitations. I am a sysadmin/webmaster and thus need the ability to test pages in both Netscape and IE, I have yet to get IE to run using wine (this is the first time I have tried). I haven't looked to deeply into programs like StarOffice etc... But they do look promising. Ummm... What are other options besides WINE if there are any?

Thanks!
Mike.

P.S.
I realize this is not the first time somebody has posted this, but my issues are a little more specific. Like needing IE and Netscape to test webpages etc...

For me i'll never be able to completly make the 'switch' becuase i have a semi-job and i need to do work that cannot be done in linux becuase of the software, or should i say...lack of... which include all of Macromedia, some of adobe have no replacements in linux, and discreet products too

I hear ya there, but adobe seems to slowly be making a transition. I could be wrong though.

I am proud to say that the flagship of 3d products, Maya has made the switch to linux and is distributing their training computers exclusively with redhat linux.

If your machine has the clock cycles, try Vmware. You'll be installing the whole windows operating system on a virtual machine so bye-bye performance, but if all you need to do is test page load in IE, then it will more than suit.

Cheers,

Finegan

that keep a Windows partition on my drive. I only give it like 20 gigs but it's embarassing in a sense. If it wasn't for gameplaying (apart from distro including distractors and tiresome first person shooters) I wouldn't need it at all.

VMware is pretty cool and compared to most emulators that I've used is fairly reliable. I won't say anything about performance but as was said earlier - if you're just after minimal test browsing it should work just fine.

Which brings up and interesting point - it would be nice to have a cross platform validator for HTML that pays attention to browser specific tags, etc either to weed them out or to simply verify if they work or not.

what about actually using VMWare for running Dreamweaver? I broke down the other day and installed DW on my wife's windows machine, because I hated CoffeeCup so much. If I could run DW in VMWare at a *reasonable* speed, I would do it.

Anyone have any realtime experience with this?

I have a 333mhz with 392mb RAM, nothing special in the way of hardware...

There are a couple things I don't like about things like DW:
(This is based on no knowledge what so ever, except what other WYSIWYG editors, and other non text based editors.)

I don't like the way they mess with my code after I'm done with it. I code by hand basically, I know it is slower, but it is what I prefer.

Also DW costs $$$ which I don't have :-\ that is really the main issue.

Also as far as VMware goes, my system will not run it, I am only running a P166, 64mb ram, plenty of hard drive, but I can't afford to upgrade just yet.

Mike.

Well we all know there is alternate sources ..so to speak available.

Do you actually think i paid $30,000 for Maya 4 Unlimited?

Most of us don't have that much money to spend... but i would get it if i had the cash money.

every so often i run into a problem with a website that needs explorer - other than that, i hardly ever make any use of my windows partition. it's great to be able to use linux almost exclusively, but i keep windows 98 around just in case i need a windows-only prog. luckily, that doesn't happen much anymore.

I kerpt a win 98 parition on one of my boxes until about a month ago, I decided that as I had not used it for over 6 months there was not a lot of need to keep it.

I do not need photoshop or dreamweaver, I can do all I need to to using StarOffice (6.0). For anything net based the linux tools are far superior to anything in windows. Try using galeon for a while and then go back to IE, you will miss the tabbed browsing and the stability.

If you want to validate your html then use the HTML Validator at W3C.

The next problem I would say I'm having is a speed issue. I do only have a p166 and so RH 7.2 even running GMC instead of Nautilus is still bogging down my system, any time I try to use Star office it hangs, I'm gonna try RH 7.1 as soon as I get the RH 7.2 ISO's burnt on CD.

Mike.