[TriLUG] Best Linux Desktop and Desktop Apps?

Cristobal Palmer cristobalpalmer at gmail.com
Sun Mar 12 22:47:19 EST 2006


> Mandriva has been in "Desktop Linux business" since it was created.
> Ubuntu just started.

Before putting my two cents in, I have to respond to that.

(1) In terms of desktop platforms, _Linux_ "just started." I don't
think Mandriva really has a time or or experience advantage, given
Ubuntu's strong Debian connection. What matters is the team and the
community behind a distribution. I'm sure there are many good reasons
to use Mandriva, but the fact that it has been around longer isn't one
of them. Want to make that argument? Look at Slackware.

(2) Have you looked at Ubuntu's website? You should check out
http://www.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/philosophy if nothing else. I haven't
seen another Linux distribution that is anywhere near as user-friendly
as Ubuntu. And the team behind it? Today a security issue with the
Breezy installer came up in the forums. There was a security update in
under 12 hours from that inital forum post (or 90 minutes after it got
digg'ed, if that's more relevant to you).

</soapbox>

Things I can speak to from personal experience:

--GNOME. If I'm going to support people using Linux as a desktop
platform, I want to support them using the desktop that is easiest to
provide support _for_. GNOME wins.

--OpenOffice2 rocks my socks, but (as stated in a previous post) there
are people in certain specialties (eg. Law) that will find it lacking.
Codeweavers has them covered.

--Photoshop > Gimp

*IF* you're a Photoshop power user *AND* you have the whole range of
Adobe apps that really make Photoshop part of a publishing platform.
For the rest of us, Gimp is great. :)

--Evolution (mail)

practically a drop-in for Outlook these days, but do you really want a
desktop app to check your mail? gmail is more portable, mutt as
powerful and accessible from a CLI...

--Widgets

GNOME and KDE both come with tons of these on most distros.

--Calendar

see Evolution

--Address Book

see Evolution

--Gaim (adium)

supports AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, MSN, Jabber, IRC... did I forget one?

Peace,

Cristobal M. Palmer
UNC-CH SILS Student
cristobalpalmer at gmail.com
cmpalmer at ils.unc.edu
ils.unc.edu/~cmpalmer
"Television-free since 2003"



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