pinstripe wrote:

> (a) Will Linux run on Dell, IBM and/or Compaq computers or do I need
> special machines made by Sun Microsystems or other providers?

Yes, will run on Dell and the like, but depends on what hardware you have.
No, you do not need a Sun.

> (b) Am I right in thinking that Star Office is more or less the Linux
> equivalent of Windows Office? With spreadsheet, database, word processor,
> calculator and calendaring/contact management functions?

You can use OpenOffice for spreadsheet, word processor and presentation.
Database stuff is in the works for version 2. For calculator and
calendaring and contact management there are a million possibilities. Some
of them come with the GUI you use, some are web based.

> (c) If I go to a Linux system using Star Office, will any commercially
> available brand of Linux (Mandrake, Red Hat, etc.) permit me to run Star
> Office?

Some if not most of them include OpenOffice in their distribution. The
commercial aspect of Mandrake and the like is that they charge you for
creating the distribution and some paper manuals. There are distributions
such as SuSE that are also freely available, but then you do not have paper
manuals.

> (d) Where can I find a web-site, magazine or other source of information
> that will fill me in on a basic level on what I need to convert my small
> office (three networked computers) from Windows to Linux?

Google is your friend. First make a list of things you really need, then
find a distro you like. Begin with experimenting with it before converting
your office, or ask somebody that can help you with that.

--
Ruurd
..o.
...o
ooo

"pinstripe" wrote in message
news:420919e2$1_2@127.0.0.1...
> 1. Where is the FAQ for this group?
> 2. If not answered in the FAQ, please tell me:
> (a) Will Linux run on Dell, IBM and/or Compaq computers or
> do
> I need special machines made by Sun Microsystems or other providers?
you need nothing. linux was developed for dell, ibm compaq x86. and
later ported to others like suns

> (b) Am I right in thinking that Star Office is more or
> less
> the Linux equivalent of Windows Office? With spreadsheet, database, word
> processor, calculator and calendaring/contact management functions?
> (c) If I go to a Linux system using Star Office, will any
> commercially available brand of Linux (Mandrake, Red Hat, etc.) permit me
> to
> run Star Office?
> (d) Where can I find a web-site, magazine or other source
> of
> information that will fill me in on a basic level on what I need to
> convert
> my small office (three networked computers) from Windows to Linux?
>
way i heard is that, ms office do the jobs. but windows is suck at
defending itself from the web even when you do notthing at all meaning
without any user accidents, you'll have headache one way or another. even
with automatic update from ms and you followed the rules from ms strictly
and well. plp lose alot of tiem and moeny from it. that's where linux is
strong. when windows was shaken by net, linux was stable. even with virus
and warms. so you might want to thinking of mix up the two well, if you
want to avoid feature headaches from it.

hope it helps...

> Please don't bother answering any of the above questions if they are
> already
> answered in the FAQ. Thanks in advance for your help.
>
>
>
> ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet
> News==----
> http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+
> Newsgroups
> ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption
> =----

The above answers were very helpful and I thank R. F. Pels and News for
them.

Just one comment to News regarding the vulnerability of Windows to virus,
worms, etc., I was able with the use of a good anti-virus program up-dated
twice daily (because you never know just when the day's virus definitions
will be released) to keep the system free of infection, deleting unopened
every unexpected attachment even from people I knew and scanning every
attachment for virus before opening it, no matter who it came from.
However, I DID find that Windows crashed on a fairly regular basis for no
apparent reason, often at the most inconvenient times. One of the major
reasons that I am thinking of Linux is the stability of the Linux system
compared to Windows.

Once again, thanks to both of you for your assistance.

"News" wrote in message
news:QT9Od.5265$oO.2960@newsread2.news.atl.earthli nk.net...
>
> "pinstripe" wrote in message
> news:420919e2$1_2@127.0.0.1...
> > 1. Where is the FAQ for this group?
> > 2. If not answered in the FAQ, please tell me:
> > (a) Will Linux run on Dell, IBM and/or Compaq computers or
> > do
> > I need special machines made by Sun Microsystems or other providers?
> you need nothing. linux was developed for dell, ibm compaq x86. and
> later ported to others like suns
>
> > (b) Am I right in thinking that Star Office is more or
> > less
> > the Linux equivalent of Windows Office? With spreadsheet, database,
word
> > processor, calculator and calendaring/contact management functions?
> > (c) If I go to a Linux system using Star Office, will any
> > commercially available brand of Linux (Mandrake, Red Hat, etc.) permit
me
> > to
> > run Star Office?
> > (d) Where can I find a web-site, magazine or other source
> > of
> > information that will fill me in on a basic level on what I need to
> > convert
> > my small office (three networked computers) from Windows to Linux?
> >
> way i heard is that, ms office do the jobs. but windows is suck at
> defending itself from the web even when you do notthing at all meaning
> without any user accidents, you'll have headache one way or another. even
> with automatic update from ms and you followed the rules from ms strictly
> and well. plp lose alot of tiem and moeny from it. that's where linux is
> strong. when windows was shaken by net, linux was stable. even with
virus
> and warms. so you might want to thinking of mix up the two well, if you
> want to avoid feature headaches from it.
>
> hope it helps...
>
> > Please don't bother answering any of the above questions if they are
> > already
> > answered in the FAQ. Thanks in advance for your help.
> >
> >
> >
> > ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet
> > News==----
> > http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+
> > Newsgroups
> > ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption
> > =----
>
>



----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

M. Gould wrote:
> The above answers were very helpful and I thank R. F. Pels and News for
> them.
>
> Just one comment to News regarding the vulnerability of Windows to virus,
> worms, etc., I was able with the use of a good anti-virus program up-dated
> twice daily (because you never know just when the day's virus definitions
> will be released) to keep the system free of infection, deleting unopened
> every unexpected attachment even from people I knew and scanning every
> attachment for virus before opening it, no matter who it came from.
> However, I DID find that Windows crashed on a fairly regular basis for no
> apparent reason, often at the most inconvenient times. One of the major
> reasons that I am thinking of Linux is the stability of the Linux system
> compared to Windows.
>
>

And my comment: I just recently installed FC3 dual-boot with the XP
system I've been running for 3 years. I never had a problem with XP
crashing. Now I've been hearing for a long time about how stable Linux
is, too. In the three weeks or so that I've been running Linux, I've had
Gnome crash on me twice. Just "bloop" and I'm looking at the login
screen. True enough, the kernel didn't crash, but that's scant comfort
if all your apps just disappear. Very little practical difference.

In my experience, if you are getting frequent crashes -- regardless of
the OS -- you should investigate the possibility that you have flaky
RAM. That will bite you in the butt real good. Just "wham" for no
apparent reason.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Rod

> is, too. In the three weeks or so that I've been running Linux, I've had
> Gnome crash on me twice. Just "bloop" and I'm looking at the login

that's cuz you're running developer's version. all new versions
of softwares are stilling being developed, even the recent stables(this
is way i see definition of developing software). i recommend you to stay
behind a little. fc is still being developed as well. simply it's not
product complete yet to my view. only redhat and companies sell it as
product with lower cost. i personally still use kernel v 2.2. most of
new features of linux kernel are still experimental literally. and they
dont' finish up the project that well in my observation. heard them
talking kernel source tree is getting trashy and someone needs to clean it
up nicely. and i noticed programmers experiment lotta things in kernel
and leaves it as it is. you might want to stop getting excited from new
features if you want to get jobs done, and unless the new feature's rock
solid.

if you never got win xp crashed i dont' believe you, unless you dont' use
internet with it. After my fresh installation, i accidently misspelled
web address google in explorer, and visited unknow site. from that moment
explore just redirect page to that, and went out of control. I just
reinstalled it and updated. and after five six month surfing the
internet, win xp's getting trashy again, acting weired time to time,
starting to troubles me a little, and in win xp home ntbackup doesn't work
dammit. i'm about to lose all data again unless i pay them another fee
for gettin backup software! ( paying $$ for nothing ! )

besides what os do you think makes servers desktops even laptops running
356 24/7 stable? well I'll say BSD, but linux is alternative to it and to
windows. you'll see not many use windows for server or even stability.
if your linux system crashes, it's simple. either hardware bios, hardware
incompatiability, non-ecc, screwed up linux configuration, and lastly
software bug the betas. a lot of linux new features don't advance above
beta lol. except one you really need it. if you eliminate all of these
trouble points, your system will run virtually stable, worry free, no
virus, no worms 24/7. and windows is not.

... yeah people recommend to use BSD for safe cuz of nature of linux
development. but i find a little left behind, patched linux is stable
enuf for desktop router with personallized shell script running 24/7

* Rod Engelsman wrote in comp.os.linux:
> M. Gould wrote:


> And my comment: I just recently installed FC3 dual-boot with the XP
> system I've been running for 3 years. I never had a problem with XP
> crashing. Now I've been hearing for a long time about how stable Linux
> is, too. In the three weeks or so that I've been running Linux, I've had
> Gnome crash on me twice.

So? there are ENDLESS numbers of gui's you can use, switch if Gnome is
giving you issues.
--
David
Just give Alice some pencils and she will stay busy for hours.

pinstripe wrote:

> 2. If not answered in the FAQ, please tell me:
> (a) Will Linux run on Dell, IBM and/or Compaq computers or
> do
> I need special machines made by Sun Microsystems or other providers?

Linux will run on pretty much anything - we use a combination of Dell, IBM,
Toshiba and other computers, all running Linux without problems. You may
find issues with some hardware - "winmodems" for example, aren't well
supported, and some printers have only Windows drivers available (blame the
manufacturers!). However, in most instances, you won't have hardware
compatability issues.

> (b) Am I right in thinking that Star Office is more or
> less
> the Linux equivalent of Windows Office? With spreadsheet, database, word
> processor, calculator and calendaring/contact management functions?

Star Office is now a closed source version - most folks use Open Office,
which is based on Star Office, but is open source. All the functions of MS
Office are available, but with better stability. You can also import and
export your files in MS file formats (like Word .doc) if you want to,
though Open Office has its own (more efficient) file formats.

> (c) If I go to a Linux system using Star Office, will any
> commercially available brand of Linux (Mandrake, Red Hat, etc.) permit me
> to run Star Office?

All the big distributions supply Open Office as part of the disk pack.

> (d) Where can I find a web-site, magazine or other source
> of
> information that will fill me in on a basic level on what I need to
> convert my small office (three networked computers) from Windows to Linux?

Perhaps Google would be a good place to start. It will also be worth
visiting the Suse and Mandrakesoft web sites.

Chris

--
Everything gets easier with practice, except getting up in the morning!

SINNER wrote:
> * Rod Engelsman wrote in comp.os.linux:
>
>>M. Gould wrote:
>
>
>
>>And my comment: I just recently installed FC3 dual-boot with the XP
>>system I've been running for 3 years. I never had a problem with XP
>>crashing. Now I've been hearing for a long time about how stable Linux
>>is, too. In the three weeks or so that I've been running Linux, I've had
>>Gnome crash on me twice.
>
>
> So? there are ENDLESS numbers of gui's you can use, switch if Gnome is
> giving you issues.

Yeah, KDE seems more stable. And it has a look that is more comfortable
for a Windows refugee.

My point is just that you are all the time hearing about how stable a
linux box is. "Why, I haven't rebooted my machine since the Carter
administration!" Or how parsimonious with resources it is compared to
Windows. But the comparison never seems to be apples to apples. It's
always about a bare CLI running a server install. Why else would you run
24/7? I don't like writing checks to the electric company *that* much.
When I sleep so does my computer.

The only valid comparison is gui to gui, running equivalent apps. So far
my experience with linux has been mixed. I've been surprised by how well
some things work and disappointed in other areas. In general, I find
that it takes me longer to do things with linux and the apps for linux
than it does in Windows, but I'm still on the steep slope of the
learning curve. Occasionally, if I have something I need to do *now*, I
have to just give up and reboot into XP. But so far, I would be
hard-pressed to say that Linux is functionally *better* in any areas.
Absent a political motivation -- or a particular technical need related
to servers or such -- it's hard to see why one would switch from an
already paid-for, legal copy of XP to run Linux.

Ask me again in a few months.

Rod

pinstripe wrote:
> 1. Where is the FAQ for this group?
> 2. If not answered in the FAQ, please tell me:
> (a) Will Linux run on Dell, IBM and/or Compaq computers or do
> I need special machines made by Sun Microsystems or other providers?
> (b) Am I right in thinking that Star Office is more or less
> the Linux equivalent of Windows Office? With spreadsheet, database, word
> processor, calculator and calendaring/contact management functions?
> (c) If I go to a Linux system using Star Office, will any
> commercially available brand of Linux (Mandrake, Red Hat, etc.) permit me to
> run Star Office?
> (d) Where can I find a web-site, magazine or other source of
> information that will fill me in on a basic level on what I need to convert
> my small office (three networked computers) from Windows to Linux?
>
> Please don't bother answering any of the above questions if they are already
> answered in the FAQ. Thanks in advance for your help.
>
>
>
> ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
> http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
> ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----I I have no idea where the FAQ for this group is,
However I have had success running Debian (ubuntu) Fedora, Suse,
Mandrake on Dells and Panasonics a good way to test is to use the
Knoppix distro which runs entirely from the disk in order to test your
hardware without discovering what does not work as advertised following
a live install. You should not require a special machine.
Open office which comes with most distros is the functional equivalent
of microsoft office with the exception of the database feature, for that
you would need star office.
All distros that I have used are binarily capable of running star office

www.linuxjournal.com
www.linux.org
www.sourceforge.net
this news group and others like it.

I would reccomend purchasing one of more of the following titles,
Running Linux
Linux in a Nutshell
Wicked Cool Shell Scripts
MultiTool Linux
Learning Linux

There are others, I just can't see them all from my desk.