Alternatives to Windows?

[Justin]

I tried Ubuntu a while back and thought it was great, it appeared very solid and reliable. Only drawback (and it's a biggy!) was that I couldn't get CorelDraw etc. to run on it. I'm more than happy using Open Office but need my Corel fix.

Anyone tried any other alternative OS?

Justin

[Paul]

Ubuntu is nice piece of system

did you tryed this one?
http://sk1project.org/


Paul


more here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=900020

[Justin]

Well worth a look I reckon.

Justin

[JSR]

I tried Ubuntu a while back and thought it was great, it appeared very solid and reliable. Only drawback (and it's a biggy!) was that I couldn't get CorelDraw etc. to run on it. I'm more than happy using Open Office but need my Corel fix.

Anyone tried any other alternative OS?

Justin

I can't help you with Corel because I don't use Corel, but I have had success using some old Windows apps via WINE in Linux. I'm not a Linux user myself, but I'm trying to wean myself off Windows (very slowly).

One version of Linux that has impressed me is Puppy Linux. Its main claims to fame are that (i) it's small (about 100MB), and (ii) it's blisteringly fast (because it runs from RAM). You can run it from a USB stick, SD card, external drive, CD, or even do the old-fashioned thing and install it!

My preferred office app is Softmaker and that runs fine. Through WINE, I can also run my old Lotus Approach databases and old AutoCAD software. If I could ever get the hang of Linux properly (like setting up my printers), I'd be more inclined to move across from Windows.

Another amusing variant of Linux is TCL - which stands for "Tiny Core Linux". It's about 10MB, and that's it! I wouldn't recommend it if you're new to Linux, though. Puppy is far more familiar.

[Justin]

Not heard of Puppy Linux! I'll look it up.

Justin

[JSR]

Not heard of Puppy Linux! I'll look it up.

Justin

http://www.puppylinux.org/

This is the "New To Puppy?" link: http://puppylinux.org/main/index.php?file=Basic%20Info%20-%20getting%20started.htm

They've just recently released the latest version - 4.1.3. I have it on a bootable USB stick and I also have it on one of those small CDs in case I move to a computer that can't boot from USB. That's not so easy to do with a multi-GB powerhouse distro like Ubuntu.

[Justin]

I'm getting a puppy! hehe.

Justin

[Paul]

and me but can I run internet on it?

[JSR]

Oh no, what have I done? You'll both be barking questions at me next...

Paul, Puppy comes with Seamonkey for internet use - which is kind of like a combined Firefox/Thunderbird suite. It takes up less disk space than separate apps. If you don't like it, you can easily install Firefox and/or Thunderbird instead.

Puppy will (should) automatically recognise your network card if you use regular ethernet. There's a good chance it'll recognise your wireless without too much hassle. I find that it'll also work with one of my mobile broadband dongles.

I haven't used Puppy for a few weeks. I guess I'll have to fire it up again if you start asking me questions.

[Paul]

well... I will I use laptop with external usb wireless card hope it will fin it