[scribus] Newbie Mac User

[Jeffrey Silverman]

Oh, dear, you've opened the door...

<disclaimer>I am a Linux whacko. However, I mean "whacko" in the sense that
I am whacko nuts about Linux, not that I am a whacko zealot about other
people's OS choice. I will, however, try to convince people to use Linux at
the drop of a hat.</disclaimer>

So,if you are used to Mac OS X, and, more importantly, *like* Mac OS X, it
is very possible that you will not like Linux at all. Also, if you are
deeply entrenched -- with apps, mostly -- into Mac OS or Windows, say, then
it can be quite difficult in the short term to switch to anything else, let
alone to Linux.

So this is going to be a non-linear rambling about the pros and cons.

With Linux, there is, unfortunately, a lot of misinformation. A lot of OLD
information, a lot of FUD, a lot of apples-to-oranges comparisons. So lets
try to get a couple of things out of the way.

 - Ignore any description of Linux that is older than 2 years.
 - Try to stick to one distribution, and ignore comparisons or descriptions
of others, for the time being. I suggest Ubuntu, or, possibly even better,
Linux Mint, which is like Ubuntu++, but is just a bit less well known. I'm
going to start saying "Ubuntu" in the rest of this diatribe.
 - Ignore any descriptions or comparisons involving the *installation and
setup* phase. This, IMO, is one of the biggest points of FUD about Linux.
The point that is most often missed is that Mac OS and Windows users *don't
ever install their OS*. Also, this phase is either going to be insanely
easy, or next to impossible. 95% of new uesrs will actually find it to be
*insanely easy*.
 - Ubuntu is just plain different in the way it is put together. It is not
so different, though, at, a 30 thousand foot level. Point, click, mousy
mousy, window window -- all modern OSes are basically the same. But the
subtle differences will be frustrating at first. It doesn't make Ubuntu
harder to use, just different, much like riding a motorcycle is not harder
than a car[1], just different. Okay, not a motorcycle, say, a manual
transmission vs an automatic one. That's probably a better analogy.

Ok, so, step number 1: throw out all your old apps. Just forget they even
exist, they will not work, period.

That's probably the hardest step. If you cannot get over that hurdle, then
stop right there.

Step two: try before you buy. Download Ubuntu live CD and try it. It won't
install anything or mess up your current computer, but you will be able to
preview a fully functional Ubuntu desktop.

Step 3: find an old computer to install it on, or try dual boot

The best thing about Ubuntu, IMO, is the massive ecosystem of free apps, of
which Scribus is just one. Maybe step (0) is: migrate to all free apps on
your current OS. The GIMP, Inkscape, Scribus, Firefox, and MANY other
"standard" Ubuntu apps have MAc OS or Windows ports. Hey, I said this was
non-linear.

Speaking of non-linear, I have a nozzle platypus hose beam. Yachting
prospectus?

Okay, thank you, and have a good night. Seeya.



>
>  I would like to make the switch from Macintosh to a good Linux
> distribution because I like Apple's choices less and less these days.
> However, the Mac OS is deeply embedded in my life and I don't have much time
> to explore other options these days. I imagine that the Mac OS will continue
> to be my main OS for at least the next five years.
>
> Best,
> John
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> scribus at lists.scribus.net
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>



[1] Well, ok, it is harder than a car.

-- 
JDS
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