On Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:57:51 +0000, Larry <noone@home.com> wrote:

> T.C. <Devil505@spamfence.net> wrote in
> news:oajf45dq0jrjj7e8t6r6n1sj26rpiidl15@4ax.com:
>
> > Maybe, but would the applications the OP might wish to use run under
> > Ubuntu too?
> >
> >
>
> Probably not. Lots of software, especially free/shareware, seems to be
> coming ported more and more to multiple OSes, so it pays to have a look.
>
> We're not quite locked into Windows like we used to be. Many Linux
> programs, such as Open Office, have been ported to Windows, which greatly
> expands their popularity and support. Running Abiword, for instance, on
> all the boxes makes using it on any box without retraining lots more
> pleasant.

I'm all happy about alternatives to the big and common products
getting more mature and competitive - even if it quite often just
means that the pressure on the companies providing the software I
actually use increases to improve their products - it gets on my
nerves though when someone feels inclined to answer a question like
"how do I do XYZ under Windows" with "install Linux", especially when
the one answering doesn't have much of a clue about the specific needs
in respect of software or the demands in respect of the hardware of
the one asking...

What people who answer that way only too often forget is that many
people don't consider soft- or hardware as a hobby and are
(understandably so) not willing or able to spend the required time and
effort into trying to reacquire the same level of proficiency with
alternative software as complex as Office or an operating system...

....not to mention that the hardware support of most Linux distros
still is considerably more restrictive than that of most recent
Windows versions, nor the fact that some people prefer for
compatibility reasons to privately use the same specific software they
use at work, their buddies use or that's simply considered common in
their field...

If an alternative actually is a valid one for the person in question
is something that usually requires to know some more specifics about
the working environment and demands of that person - in my experience
the simple advice "install Linux" more often than not is a ridiculous
one for the reasons mentioned above - from a serious advocate of
alternatives (like Linux, Mac OS, Open Office, Gimp etc...) I'd expect
more than just such a statement...

T.C.