Q. If I use open source software will I be able to read, write and share Microsoft documents with colleagues?
A. Yes. Both OpenOffice, and KOffice read and write .doc, .ppt, and .xls files. In addition, GNUmeric is a very nice spreadsheet.
In the past these applications have had difficulry rendering some complex Microsoft-based documents but this is changing as they mature.
You can also share documents in text or rich text format with others which are open formats.
Q. Can I run Windows applications on Linux?
A. Yes and no.
Windows applications will not run natively on Linux.
There are 4 different options for running Windows applications on Linux, and it depends on your needs:
1) dosemu - DOS emulation program has been around for a while, and works pretty well,
so if you have old DOS programs you want to run, they will likely work using dosemu.
2) WINE - WINE stands for "WINE Is Not an Emulator". It is a set of libraries that allows Windows
programs of various types to run on Linux, at near native speeds.
However, the list of programs that works with WINE is not long. Check http://appdb.winehq.com for details.
There are about 1600 applications in the database, but some of them have issues.
There are a lot of games in the database, however.
3) Emulators. There are two - Win4Lin and VMWare. Win4Lin is great – it runs up to Win98, and,
if you have a decent machine, it runs it faster than any old machine
that came with Win98. It works really well.
VMWare is an industrial strength emulator (at industrial strength prices),
but can run XP, and is very, very solid. So you can run any Windows application on Linux, really.
4) Dual boot - OK, this is not strictly running Windows programs on Linux,
but it allows you to use both Linux and Windows on the same machine (not at the same time).
So if you have one or two games you can't live without, you can always run them when you want.
Q. How can I connect to the internet with Linux?
A. Yes you can. Linux and similar open source operating systems are used extensively throughout the Internet and support all the necessary protocols for connecting to and browsing the Intertnet.
Most dial-up modems are able to connect over standard telephone lines using Linux. And because teh Internet is largely standards based
you can connect to your service provider seamlessly. Similarly ADSL and wireless modems can be used on Linux to connect.
There are many open source applications for browsing the Internet and checking email. The best of these is
the Firefox browser and the Thunderbird email client.
Both of these also run on the Windows platform.
Many other open source applications aare available for everything from online chatting, file transfer, managing websites or even hosting your own website.
Q. Can I use my scanner/printer/CD-Burner/other peripheral?
A. It depends. Because Linux is primarily driven by volunteer effort, it takes time to get hardware
drivers into the kernel, and also, stupidly, the hardware manufacturers are mostly not writing drivers for Linux
yet (that is slowly changing). In general, if your equipment is older than one year old, it is
very likely to be supported. If it is brand new, you might have to wait a bit - so it depends on how
critical this is for you. But, a dual-boot machine might be a good solution to this
issue, especially for peripherals like scanners that you don't use everyday.
Printers are at this point the best in terms of quick support.
Q. What are the advantages of Linux?
A. We would not suggest that all organisations switch to Linux on the desktop, but here are the major advantages for those that do:
1) You have a much more stable and secure operating system - don't have to worry much about viruses/worms, doesn't crash much (if at all),
and because of the inherent multi-user nature of the operating system, data is more secure.
2) It is far easier to maintain multiple Linux desktops than it is to maintain multiple windows desktops
3) You are not supporting the Windows monopoly, and you are supporting a vibrant culture of small
businesses, small developers, organizations and volunteers.
4) It's cheaper
5) If you want to, you have so much more control over your environment and what you run and how you run it than you do with Windows. You can go in and change the code
on pretty much anything you are running, if you want. Your organisation can also become a part of the developer community, and see
your own application out there, or contribute to others.
