Appendix C: Open Source FAQ

Q. Can I read and write MS documents from colleagues and share them with colleages?

A. Yes. Both OpenOffice, and KOffice (both office suites present on Linux Distributions) read and write .doc, .ppt, and .xls files. In addition, GNUmeric is a very nice spreadsheet. I'll be honest, however. The rendering of these documents is pretty good, but far from perfect, especially with complex formatting. OpenOffice is better than all the rest, but it has it's issues sometimes. And there is no program that I know of that will open Access files.

Q. Can I run Windows applications on Linux?

A. Yes and no. Windows applications will not run natively on Linux (that is, without help). There are 4 different options for running Windows applications on Linux, and it depends on your needs.1) dosemu – DOS emulation program has been around for a while, and works pretty well, so if you have old DOS programs you want to run, they will likely work using dosemu. 2) WINE - WINE stands for "WINE Is Not an Emulator". It is a set of libraries that allows Windows programs of various types to run on Linux, at near native speeds. However, the list of programs that works with WINE is not long. Check (http://appdb.winehq.com/) for details. There are about 1600 applications in the database, but some of them have issues. There are a lot of games in the database, however. 3) Emulators. There are two - Win4Lin and VMWare. Win4Lin is great – it runs up to Win98, and, if you have a decent machine, it runs it faster than any old machine that came with Win98. It works really well. VMWare is an industrial strength emulator (at industrial strength prices), but can run XP, and is very, very solid. So you can run any Windows application on linux, really. 4) Dual boot - OK, this is not strictly running Windows programs on Linux, but it allows you to use both Linux and Windows on the same machine (not at the same time). So if you have one or two games you can't live without, you can always run them when you want.

Q. How can I connect to the internet with Linux?

A. This is a complex answer, and is one issue with Linux. First, forget AOL (actually my hope is that AOL releases AOL for Linux - but I'm not holding my breath). Second, if you have DSL or a Cable modem, you can connect to the net very easily,the same way you would with Windows (via a network card) although your ISP is not going to support you (until they eventually get their acts together). The big issue with connecting Linux to the net is dial-up. 99% of modems shipped now with computers are called "Winmodems.' Why? Because they are basically glorified sound cards, and all of the modem processing was put onto the Windows OS. So they are less than useless with Linux. However, there is something called the Linmodem project (http://www.linmodems.org) and you might be able to get your modem to work. Once your modem works (either that way, or you can buy a modem that is a real modem), connecting to your ISP via PPP works just great (also, remember they won't support you).

Q. Is Linux user-friendly?

A. Um, well, not really quite yet. The GUI environment (KDE is more user-friendly than GNOME, two of the most common GUI environments) is as user-friendly as Windows. Many of the applications you would use (OpenOffice, Evolution, web browsers, games, etc.) are as user-friendly as Windows. Once you get a bit more complex, the user-friendliness goes away, I'll be honest about that, and many open source applications do not have the polish of their commercial counterparts. If there is one major area Linux needs to improve, it's that. And many people are working feverishly on it. Linux will likely never be as user-friendly as the Mac - the Mac will likely remain the user-friendliness champ.

Q. Can my non-technical staff (or mom/dad) use Linux?

A. I don't see why not. If they are just doing pretty simple stuff, Linux is as easy to set up and use as Windows, and it doesn't crash as often, and is certainly much more secure and stable than Windows, so there is no reason that non-techie users can't use Linux. The interface is pretty much the same as Windows (toolbar on the bottom with a "startish" menu, menus on the top of applications that are familiar, etc.).

Q. Can I sync my palm with Linux?

A. Depends. The older the palm/handspring device, the easier it will be. This requires changes in the kernel (the part of the OS that talks with hardware). Newer devices won't work until someone writes the code for the kernel. There are several options for calendar/addressbook

Q. Can I use my scanner/printer/CD-Burner/other peripheral?

A. Again, depends. Because Linux is primarily driven by volunteer effort, it takes time to get hardware drivers into the kernel, and also, stupidly, the hardware manufacturers are mostly not writing drivers for Linux yet (that is slowly changing). In general, if your equipment is older than 1 year old, it is very likely to be supported. If it is brand new, you might have to wait a bit - so it depends on how critical this is for you. But, a dual-boot machine might be a good solution to this issue, especially for peripherals like scanners that you don't use everyday. Printers are at this point the best in terms of quick support - I'm amazed how fast printer drivers get included.

Q. You've said that no one will support me. How do I get help?

A. I've found that community support is better than commercial tech support any day. What is community support? Unlike Windows (although there is, to some extent, a windows support community), Linux has a vibrant, deep support community. It comes in two forms: general support resources, and application-specific resources. Most applications have mailing lists that you can subscribe to and ask

questions of. There are also general resources - groups of folks who use linux who can help you with general questions. Also, as many of you know, Google is your friend. I've been amazed how many times I've just copied an error message, and the answer just pops right up. Try that with the MS knowledge base!

Q. What are the advantages of Linux, since I'm losing some user-friendliness, my ability to run some Windows applications, and easy use of new devices?

A. That all depends on your point of view, and what your organization needs - I would not suggest that all of organizations switch to Linux on the desktop. But here are the major advantages as I see them: 1) You have a much more stable and secure operating system - don't have to worry much about viruses/worms, doesn't crash much (if at all), and because of the inherent multi-user nature of the operating system, data is more secure. 2) It is far easier to maintain multiple Linux desktops than it is to maintain multiple windows desktops 3) You are not supporting the Windows monopoly, and you are supporting a vibrant culture of small businesses, small developers, organizations and volunteers. 4) It's cheaper - you get what would probably cost you $1000-2000 in software (OS and applications) for free or really cheap. 5) If you want to, you have so much more control over your environment and what you run and how you run it than you do with Windows. You can go in and change the code on pretty much anything you are running, if you want. Your organization can also become a part of the developer community, and see your own application out there, or contribute to others.