ubuntu?

[Dark Overlord]

While VMWare does require a copy of Windows also installed, there are others that do not require Windows to be installed. One of which was called Crossover Office, I think it is called Crossover Linux now. You can find it at CodeWeavers - Your Home for Windows Compatibility on Mac and Linux


This was a project developed out of an emulation program developed several years ago, and has improved dramatically over the years. I wished I had seen this thread a couple weeks ago as I had heard somethign about they were makiong a major push on supporting graphics type applications but I don't recall where I read it now, otherwise I'd post a link to it.

[tom120934]

Codeweavers is a company selling a proprietary version of Wine (see : Wine HQ), a free implementation of Windows internals allowing you to execute some Windows software. I wrote "some" because compatibility is not always perfect, so don't expect to use a Photoshop or a 3DSMax under Wine like you would under an full Windows installation.

See : CodeWeavers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for more information about CodeWeavers.

There is another company selling another proprietary version of Wine : Transgaming and its Cedega products. It's a Wine enhanced for games. See TransGaming Technologies - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Wine is fine, and its creators comitted an enormous amount of work in it. Give a try if there is a piece of software you can't live without on a Linux box. Wine will have less overhead than a full virtualisation of Windows, but will be less reliable too. It's up to you to test which solution works better for you.

[RallyMaster]

I've tried a couple revisions of Ubuntu and while it's a clean OS, I still think it's too much of a hassle to put that much time into figuring out how to work something.

[tom120934]

I can't really agree with you on your last point.

When you say it takes time to "figure out how to work something", remember we were only talking about running Windows software on Linux. Ever tried to run Mac software on Windows ?

I challenge you to mention here any everyday activity you can't achieve on Linux, except games. By "activity" I don't mean "running 3DS max" but "doing some 3D CG". Another examples :
- Browsing internet
- Reading & sending e-mails
- Listening music
- Editing video
- Doing some 3D or 2D CG
- and so on ...

Any idea ?

[Prothero]

I know Linux has it's fans, and I can actually see and understand why it is so popular with certain people and could be good for certain things, but personally, I can't stand it. It's like learning another language. There is a logic to it, perhaps more so than Windows in some ways, but it is still the equivalent to learning Japanese. And I have neither the time nor inclination to do either.

I uninstalled it off my system after a few weeks, having torn all my hair out trying to figure out how to install Maya. Having read COUNTLESS tutorials, all of which seemed to require a degree from MIT to follow, it just wouldn't work. I don't need to go to a fraction of that effort in Windows, and at the end of the day the programme is hard enough to get your head around without having all that additional frustration of simply INSTALLING it!! And the same applies to all the other apps I use (many of which aren't available in Linux anyway). Windows just works, progs install quickly and easily, and it runs pretty much everything. Any benefits of Linux (of which i'm sure there are plenty) are simply not worth all that time, effort and hair loss FOR ME... but i understand others will find it better suited to their needs and much easier to get along with.

To anyone who says Linux is easy (and I know many of you will), it's not. If you have the skill to use Linux, it's akin to having the skill of learning a language. Some people just have a knack for it. A friend of mine speaks 4 languages. He has a superb ear for picking up foreign languages. It's very impressive. Same with Linux - if you are predisposed to a skill for understanding the computing language in order to make things work, then great, maybe it will be easy for you! I, unfortunately, as like many others, am not. Only way to find out is to try...