[scribus] Newbie Mac User

[John Beardmore]

John Morris wrote:
> Jeffrey Silverman wrote:

> ... The biggest issue that is 
> keeping me from migrating to Linux is time. I'm way too busy with my 
> noncomputer life to spend much time on computer issues. The fact that I 
> should "ignore any description of Linux that is older than 2 years," 
> which is in line with my understanding, is telling. I need much more 
> stability than that gives me.

OS releases come and go.  That doesn't mean you have to slaveishly 
install them all.

I tend to install a Linux box and leave it until the hardware fails 
before building the replacement. When the replacement is built, then 
I'll generally use the latest linux.

This is no different to the way I treat MS OSs. I don't have any 95, 98 
or ME installs because they were poor OSs, but I've seen no need yet to 
upgrade 2000 or XP boxes. Where I have upgraded 2000 boxes, it has 
tended to be too Linux though.


> ... (Speaking of virtual 
> machines, I would really like to find one that will run a current Mac OS 
> client installation.

Does the Mac OS license allow this ?  Does VirtualBox allow Mac OS ?


>> 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.
> 
>   I do *like* the Mac OS. I've been using it since 1984 and have grown 
> very comfortable with it. However, as I mentioned before, I don't like 
> some aspects of it. My main issue is all the extra gratuitous graphics, 
> the cutesy buttons and the useless 3-D effects that do nothing to 
> enhance my experience as a user. I don't like these things from a 
> minimalist perspective and I don't like them from my frugal New England 
> perspective. (Why waste CRU on *that*?)

CRU ?


>   I suspect that as long as I'm in my current line of work, I will need 
> access to Word. I'm hoping that some day that access will be through 
> virtualization, hence my search for Mac OS virtualization because I 
> certainly don't want to step down to Windows.

If you worked in a Linux environment but need a platform to run word, I 
would have thought that word on XP in Virtual box would be about as good 
as it could get, especially if you are already experiencing 
incompatibilities with word on Mac OS ?


>>  - Ignore any description of Linux that is older than 2 years.
> 
>   As I mentioned above, this is an awfully short time frame for me these 
> days. That worries me because I don't like feeling as if I *have* to 
> upgrade to the next latest and greatest.

You don't.


> I'm looking for more stability, 
> not less.

You can have as much stability as you like. Once you've got all you 
need, just don't 'fix' what isn't broken.


>>  - 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.
> 
>   I can certainly understand the basic idea of sticking to one 
> distribution. However, that is a minor part of what is holding me back. 
> First, if I move to another operating system, I'm making an investment 
> in that platform. If that platform then falls by the wayside, I've lost 
> my investment, perhaps before it pays me dividends in the form of a more 
> stable platform to do my work. Therefore, I have to choose carefully and 
> I don't necessarily feel qualified to make that choice yet.

I don't think we've yet seen any mainstream linux distro fall by the 
wayside have we ?


>   Second, I am not a run-of-the-mill user. Therefore, I can't expect to 
> be happy with the default advice. I need to evaluate all my option, both 
> for the expected longevity of the platform and for its user interface 
> elements. That evaluation will take time, which is also holding me back.

Accepted. And these are things worth taking time over, though the point 
has been made that regardless of distribution, Gnome, KDE etc are pretty 
much the same internally.


>   I would really like to find a comparison of the different 
> distributions that would help me make that choice, but I understand that 
> it is likely to be out of date before I find it.

Not necessarily. http://www.linux.org/dist/ should get you a short list, 
but from there on in you would have to find some people who can answer 
your detailed questions.


>> 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
> 
>   I suspect that I will combine these two steps through virtualization. 
> Given the heavy dependance of modern operating systems on virtual memory 
> and the abysmal performance of optical drives compared to hard drives, I 
> don't think a live CD would give me a fair test of what it is like to 
> work with Linux. Even virtualization involves a performance hit, but it 
> is a good first step and does not require that I completely take over my 
> computer with Linux by booting from an external hard drive or a partition.

I'm thinking of doing much the same on my laptop under XP. Maybe 
something based on the latest 64 Kubuntu or the Mint variant thereof. 
Always assuming Virtual Box can run a 64 bit OS inside a 32 bit one ? 
I've not checked that yet.


>> 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.
> 
>   Yes. This has been a godsend for me. The fact that I have been able to 
> install small bits of "Linux" on my current machine has been part of the 
> reason that I'm even willing to consider a full Linux installation. It's 
> really a brilliant marketing ploy.

:)   Probably not intended as one though.


>> Speaking of non-linear, I have a nozzle platypus hose beam.

:)   I have a lot of crap in my garage too.


Cheers, J/.
-- 
John Beardmore, MSc EDM (Open), B.A. Chem (Oxon), CMIOSH, AIEMA, MEI
Managing Director, T4 Sustainability Limited. http://www.T4sLtd.co.uk/
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Consultancy and Installation, Carbon Trust Standard Registered Assessor
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