RE: tlug: Office suite for use under Linux

["Jonathan Byrne--3Web" <jq@example.com>]

-----Original Message-----
$B:9=P?M(B : Frank Bennett <bennett@example.com>
$B08@example.com(B : tlug@example.com <tlug@example.com>
$BF|;~(B : 1998$BG/(B4$B7n(B16$BF|(B 17:17
$B7oL>(B : Re: tlug: Office suite for use under Linux



>I know next to nothing about Windows, so I need the learner's
>version of this answer (sorry!).  The Japanese version of Windows
>3.11 is not 16-bit?


Hi Frank, and welcome to the TLUG list.  I hope you can make it up to Tokyo
for one of our meetings some time.  All versions of Windows 3.11 are 16-bit,
but therein lies the problem.  The Windows software that is worthwhile is
all 32-bit, for Windows 95/NT 4.  (OK, I know I'm opening to myself up to
all the jokes about there not being any worthwhile software for Windows, so
I'll get it out of the way myself :-)   )

There is a an emulation package that runs 32-bit Windows 95 applications,
emulating a complete Pentium CPU, but it's not freeware, it's not cheap, and
it doesn't run under Linux.  It's written by a third party and runs under
(working from memory here) two or three commercial UNIX systems (I don't
have the URL in my office, unfortunately).  Like you, I find that there are
things that I really *need* Windows for, in three areas: file exchange with
people running Windows (I have the English version of ApplixWare; file
import is not exactly what you'd call either robust or current), its
superior support for Japanese and the huge amount of Japanese applications
that are available, and the fact that there are just some core apps that I
use all the time and which have either no equivalent or a not-so-good
equivalent under Linux.

Basically, your options are probably as follows: 1) Dual-boot on one machine
(I do this at work); 2) Run two different machines, one Linux and one
Windows (I do this at home).  If you really need file exchange with users of
any office suite, you are probably going to have to choose one of these
options (I recommend the second one, if your budget allows).  Linux is a
great operating system, and can network basically anything, but it suffers
from a severe lack of desktop-oriented software, one which only gets worse
when Asian languages get involved.

The Japanese-capable Applix will help this situation a lot, but there will
still be a long way to go.

Jonathan

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