[ltp] Linux thinkpad - the Missing pieces

[Joe Clark]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Harry Mangalam" <hjm@tacgi.com>
To: <linux-thinkpad@linux-thinkpad.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 12:30 AM
Subject: [ltp] Linux thinkpad - the Missing pieces


> Hi All,
>
> This is somewhat off-topic, but it does deal with furthering the adoption
of
> Linux on Laptops.
>

> What I'd like to query you about is whether, as Linux laptop users, are
there
> some pieces of software that are preventing you from going to Linux
completely?
>
> Obviously, if you're reading this, a Linux Lappie has become or is
becoming a
> useful piece of your computing environment, but some of you may be doing
this on
> a personal machine as opposed to a business machine.

Perhaps that conclusion doesn't hold up on closer inspection.

>
> If so, what are the key pieces of software that keep you tied to a Windows
> environment and how are you addressing it - vmware, crossover office,
win4lin,
> dual boot, separate windows machine?
>
As a bit of background, I bought a TP600X off of Ebay -- 600 MHz, 192 meg,
10 gig and a cd/dvd.  I also picked up a zip250 for the ultra slim bay.  I
have played with RH6.2, RH7.2 and currently RH8.0.  My main  problem is
useability -- office tools.  The situation has improved markedly.  I have
tried opening files that are part of my typical work activity with Koffice.
No problem -- except the process is extremely slow.

There are two sides to the office problem.  From my side, I can open Word
and Excel documents but I don't have an equivalent of Access, which is one
of the tools that I rely on.  On the other side, everybody that I work with
uses MS Office.  I have no idea what would happen if I modified a document
with Abi writer or KWord and circulated the result.  There is a good chance
that no one would notice.  But I haven't tried.

RH8 seems to like almost everything about my 600X except the modems.  I have
a Xircom combo 10/100 ethernet and 56 K modem PCMCIA card in addition to the
internal modem.  So far Win98 is pretty happy with the internal modem and
seems to recognize the Xircom modem but doesn't seem to want to work with
the Ethernet port.  RH8 tells me that eth0 failed during boot up but uses
the port when plugged into a LAN.  RH8 doesn't seem to recognize either of
the modems.

RH8 does recognize that I have a combo CD/DVD player.  Getting music out of
the CD is virtually automatic -- I don't have to perform extra steps to
mount the CD as I did with RH7.2.  But for some reason, drivers for the DVD
were not installed.  None of this is insurmountable.  It just forces me to
make a choice of taking time away from things that I consider important to
fix the Linux or continue using Windows when Linux is inconvenient.

I do like the games that come with Gnome and KDE.  I like Chessmaster on
Windows better than GNU Chess which RH8 included in the Gnome games package.

The short answer to your question seems to be Linux has improved across the
board in the couple of years that I have been playing with it but the office
tools required for my day to day work activities don't quite satisfy me.

Joe Clark