http://www.shack.ca/index.php?id=18
I have been trying to install Wine on EeePc for a while..the most popular instruction, to use the Xandros repos at wine.budgetdedicated.com don’t work. They throw an error about a Winbind dependency. So I am reading a forum post that describes this problem perfectly and I wanted to share the reply:
_this is not a wine bug
nor is the repo for xandros
but rather for ubuntu and debian.
either build wine from source a get a package for your Distribution. _
Super helpful.
If Linux is going to win converts, the user base has to realize that the vast majority of computer users don’t compile the software they use. In fact, most mainstream computers don’t ship with the tools necessary to compile from from source.
Maybe some Linux users believe this is a must have skill for anyone that is going to use Linux. If that is the case, hope you are enjoying life on the sidelines because that is where you will stay.
Keywords: Education, educational technology, management, technology
Comments
Careful when you say never...
10 years ago, publishing anything to the web was precise and technical work. Sure, lots of people could run Claris Homepage, and make a page, but actually publishing, with working links and images was way too much for most users. Think about how far we have come today in terms of usability and user-friendliness.
The key I think has been in accepting some limitations. When we choose to use a blog tool to run a web site, we sacrifice some design/layout flexibility in order to get ease of use. You are right I think, that today's Linux distributions are like html publishing of 10 years ago - unlimited flexibility, but at a huge cost in terms of ease of use.
I'm fairly optimistic that it will get there though.
Linux and the associated applications are developed in a different organizational mode that is inclusive, not profit-driven and VERY different to the pyramidal hierarchies that govern most of our lives. Therefore they might not be as quick to come to fruition as commercial products (although I have my doubts about that statement!) but they capture far more ideas that are from the minds of people driven by the desire to share not necessarily the desire to make money as I see it.
There was an interesting document released by OECD last year that may give some background to that mode of development.
We shall see!
I'm thinking that a focus on just what Linux means may answer the original question. There are so many distributions that have their similarities and differences including the applications that are available for each. It seems to me that trying to run wine is counter productive to a serious running of any Linux distribution. I would draw the analogy to installing Windows Vista and then being frustrated because you can't run Garageband through some sort of emulator.
I've settled on Ubuntu as my flavour of Linux and use the Synaptic Package Manager. When I need an application, I just locate it and let Synaptic take care of things for me. I find that it cuts through the maze of all that's available and returns to me a version that will work on Ubuntu for me. Out of morbid curiosity, I"ve used apt-get but quickly returned.
Having said that, I would tend to agree with your original premise that "Linux will never be mainstream" in the current climate. I don't think that it lies in the inability to completely run Windows applications or finding the best localized version, but in the mind set that somehow Linux is in the realm of hobbiests and that serious computer procurement involves one of the other two popular operating systems.
But, the current climate is changing. Open source listings often include Linux in addition to the versions that will run on the other operating systems. As developers continue to refine Web based applications, the reliance on a local application lessons. When running a computer involves just having a great browser, things will change radically.
Why not go whole hog or nothing? Look for equivalent software titles that are native Linux and truly make the project cost effective? I started this comparison: http://dougpete.pbwiki.com/Software%20Comparisons.
Have you looked at an installation of Edubuntu? It comes with a whack of starter educational applications. No idea if it will run on your EeePC machines.
Sounds like an interesting project and I wish you all the best. Keep us in the loop.
Wow! How can you let a difficulty here or there turn you off a whole evolving OS? Have you tried irc chat chat rooms? These are second only to googling for a solution yourself. I find the people in there very knowledgeable, helpful etc. I usually ask my questions in the #ubuntu room or the #hardware room. I don't have any firsthand experience with the eepc, but I suspect I would be ditching the Xandros and going for another linux distro (Ubuntu Netbook Remix etc.) that has better community support.
Now regarding OSAPAC software, I got Photoshop Elements 1.0 running under Wine in Ubuntu with a couple of problems that I did overcome- using Winetricks. I also have Filemaker Pro 4.1 working under Wine. Unfortunately, FMPRO 5.5 won't install properly. When I absolutely must have windows apps running under Ubuntu- I use Virtualbox to which I have installed Windows XP. Works great.
I refuse to go down the Vista path- and frankly going Mac is still sticking with the proprietary model. Open source is the future- there will be bumps along the way- but the old paradigm will eventually die (albeit a long slow death because of the size and bank account of Microsoft). Unfortunately, many of the decision makers are living under the old way of thinking- so until they are out of the way, converted or replaced with those embracing open source, we will have to continue to use work arounds and/or bypass the bureaucracy. Time stands still for no one though....so watch the clock. Open sourse will win.
Take care,
Mark
Great discussion here which I am really enjoying. Doug, I have been fooling around with GCompris a little bit on the Linux side but it is hard to turn my back on all the "free" software Ontario boards get from OSAPAC...Asking teachers and students to change OS is a little easier to sell if they can still run their same applications (and get a bonus addition of the native linux software).
Mark, I am FAR from turned off Linux, I strongly believe anyone in IT that is avoiding Linux is doing so at their own peril. We have two classroom Linux pilots going and a few open source projects in the server room as well. I have to admit, I have not tried IRC as a resource to resolve issues but will add that to my toolkit! My frustration was not with the OS so much as it was with an arrogant post on a discussion board. I hope you are right about the future of Open Source, but I still believe it's success will depend on a more streamlined user experience that acknowledges that most end users can't be (pardon the pun) depended on to resolve dependencies or compile source. I think most of the mainstream distro's get this and the future looks bright!
About the Xandros install, I'm going to take your advice and try Ubuntu.