PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE.....GROUP PROJECT?

[Sleeping Dog]

In a couple of previous threads we have discussed the dilema regarding the non-existance of true high-end professional software for the LINUX platform.  (Analogues or versions of software like AutoCAD and PhotoShop).

If sophisticated Windows games can be run on a Linux box, then why not Win versions of pro software?  Being a novice, I have yet to try this.  Therefore, I have an idea.

I just got my hands on an old Elpina/PC Chips based slot-one P-300 that I repaired and loaded with 96 MEG of mixed 70-ns memory (DIMMs and EDO.  It now has two HD's....a 1.2 GIG WD and a 1.0 GIG Seagate.  It has a 4-MEG SIS 6326 based video card and I have a second 4-MEG PCI Trident card for doing a Dual-monitor setup.

I also have old Windows versions of PhotoShop 5.5 and AutoCAD Rel. 13.

I WILL SET THIS BOX UP BASED ON YOUR VOTES AND INPUT!  The only criteria are:
1.  It needs to run fast and lean on Linux.
2.  It needs to run those two Win programs (AutoCAD and PhotoShop).
3.  It needs one more document generating program that can cleanly swap files with MS Word.

The hardware and software versions are all about five years old.  Five years ago this would have been a hot screamin' system, even under Win 95.  I designed a lot of industrial machinery, even in 3D on a similar system with only 64 MEG of RAM.

Please make suggestions/vote on the following:

1.  The brand and version of LINUX to load.
2.  The GUI to use.
3.  How to set up the file structure on those two drives.  PhotoShop needs 100 MEG of space and a minimum 300 MEG disk cashe area.  AutoCAD needs 120 MEG of space.
4.  The MS Word LINUX equivalent to load.
5.  How to load and run all of the software.
6.  The best method for Dual-monitor setup with those two cards (must be able to drag between them).

Over the next couple of weeks, I will watch this thread closely for your suggestions/votes and will set up this box based solely on YOUR GROUP INPUT (majority rules).  I will also keep you well informed about how OUR PROJECT is progressing.

You guys have a marvelous wealth and depth of knowledge regarding the LINUX OS and all of its iterations.

THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY PUT YOUR HEADS TOGETHER ON A GROUP PROJECT.  I will not make the decisions.....you will as a group.  YOUR decisions will simply guide MY hands.

This could be fun.

Kindest Regards To ALL.

Sleeping Dog

[the_black_angel]

1. Personal preference on this one - what you know. I like BSD myself so can't make any real sugestions.

2. For the graphical nature of the work i would suggest GNOME.

3. The seagate with the OS and software on it and the WD holding files (i'm assuming large file size)

4. OpenOffice - imports and exports MS WORD files http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/source/features.html

5. Talk about that when we know what you are installing.

6. Can't help here as never set up dual monitor.


Is Photoshop completely necessary? as i would suggest running The GIMP http://www.gimp.org/the_gimp_about.html This is a great program for Graphical Image Manipulation (hehehe)  go have a look at their screenshots.

AutoCAD and such programs i know nothing about but i think you might have to run wine or winex for this and run the windows version...

hope this helps

[ July 16, 2002: Message edited by: the_black_angel ]

[Sleeping Dog]

Thanks for the input/votes Black_Angel.  The intent of the experiment is to run the Win versions of these two very different pieces of software under LINUX to see how they behave.

However, I am going to try GIMP on one of my other boxes.  You are the second to suggest it as an alternative to PhotoShop and my curiosity is now peaked.

Thanks again for the suggestions/votes.  They are noted and logged.

Best to you and yours.

Sleeping Dog

[creedon]

As a confirmed Debian zealot, that's what I would reccomend as the O.S.  Debian is really the only "free" O.S., both in cost and philosophy.  I agree with the GIMP for graphics as opposed to Photoshop; I have both on my computer, and while the GIMP is a little harder to use, it's much more flexible.  As far as a GUI, I would suggest two; my avorite liteweight WM is XFCE, it's fast and not overburdened with addons, IceWM is also very capable.  MS Word replacement could only be Openoffice 1.01; it runs very stably on my Debian 3.0 (Woody) install, setting up my printer was not much of a chore, and, as with all open source projects, it's continually improving.  A possible alternative would be AbiWord 1.0.
CAD is a lot harder; as I've mentioned before, the only ongoing Linux alternative to AutoCAD is LinuxCAD, and it's not open source.  I'm not sure if you could get AutoCAD to run in WINE, but if you did, I don't think you'd be very happy with it.
The suggestions that I've made are based on capability of the various apps, my personal experience with them and the fact that, with one glaring exception (LinuxCAD), they are open source alternatives to Microsoft equivilants; to me, it's much more significant to create a viable system that's running as much open source sotware as possible, rather than using a Linux-based system to run closed source software.

[the_black_angel]

I agree you should not be consentrating on try to make windows programs run under Linux but find Alternatives that run native and are at an equal footing or better than their windows counter parts.

Thats why i suggested Gnome as the GUI as it was Built with GTK+ (Gimp toolkit) and still uses some of its files. If you run Gimp as your Graphics program you streamline all of these.

But with this issue in comes in KDE With its family of Apps ie Koffice, Konqueror, and Kdeveloop.

And also what you want out of it do you want it to look pretty or do you just want functunality?

I personally don't let any microsoft onto my system and it is alot stabler now  

[Sleeping Dog]

That's two solid votes for GNOME and two for OpenOffice with other good suggestions running a close second.

Again, this is a specific experiment in running Win apps on a LINUX platform.  That is why the dedicated box.  (I have two other LINUX machines here in my office that are dedicated to LINUX only OS and application experiments/tryouts.)

I appreciate the reminder about LinuxCAD.  I have researched it already, and a functional package is about 100 bucks.  Here is what I wrote in another thread.
 

quote:I do appreciate your input about LinuxCAD (I appreciate everyone's input).
LinuxCAD on a developmental level is about where AutoCAD was nearly 10 years ago in terms of its 3D capabilities. The package has not yet incorporated such things as 3D rendering or automated CNC tool pass utilities. It does, however, seem like a viable and affordable option for someone needing only the basics of CAD functionality.

One little chuckle that I did get from their website was this last line of the "Free Demo" order form.

LinuxCAD Intel PCs Free Demo Version - $35.00

Best to all of you.

Sleeping Dog

If we, as a group, can put together a viable way of running these rather expensive Win apps efficiently under LINUX, maybe more folks would be willing to start transitioning their OS's if they knew that they would not have to purchase an entirely new library of professional software.  Trust me....that DOES get into the thousands...even sometimes for upgrades.

You guys are Great.

Sleeping Dog

[Master of Reality]

I strongly suggest BlackBox or KDE for teh GUI. KDE is more configurable than gnome (in my opinion). BlackBox will be screaming fast though.

OS- Redhat? Slackware? Debian?

You could try to run the windows version of GIMP on Linux?

[TheQuirk]

1)Debian
2)IceWM/KDE
3)photoshop and autocadon one drive, files on the other.
4)OpenOffice
5)build from source
6)don't know, never did two monitors.

[cloudstrife]

slackware is the distro if speed is what you want...

[Sleeping Dog]

On June 28, TUX did a post about setting up dual head display.  Anybody willing to ask him if he wants to come out to play?

We need this project to be slick and fast and clean......

If you guys, by your input and "votes" make me build a LINUX box that hauls ass, looks good and runs expensive professional Win apps, then everybody will benefit.

I will put together a spreadsheet of "Who-votes-for-what" and post it here too.  We will all benefit from the positive and negative pro and con reasons for using the different solution options.

Let the Fun Continue!

Sleeping Dog

[Master of Reality]

GUI- BlackBox
OS- Slackware
text editor- VI (who needs open office?)
I might try to setup dual monitors just to tell help you out.

[choasmaster]

defiently would have to say openoffice. it works wonders with word files/*bastards at my school use word*/

i would recoment trying a custume compililed version of wine first. then i would try codeweavers wine, then i would say, fork over $15 for transgameing's winex. as for winex, it does run sophisticated games/*diablo II would count as sophistacated, and so would freespace I, i have heard other stories of people running quake3 under winex*/ there is also a group of people working on  a version of wine to run biowares NWN toolset. i i can say is consume lots of caffiene and try try try and try again

[Sleeping Dog]

This is getting REALLY GOOD!

I will post a compilation of your votes/suggestions tomorrow and start configuring the box during the weekend.

First issue for you guys to direct my "hands on".

SETTING UP THE DRIVES.

ISSUE:  Space for (whatever LINUX) OS you decide on.
    partitions ?
    how big?
    put what where on which drive?

Remember....we have two 1 GIG drives and about a fat fourth of that space will be eaten by the apps.

If this old box we are building could speak, I think that it would say:
 

quote:It's wonderful to be loved when you are this old and this ugly!

I'd rather laugh in my beer than cry in my champagne.

Sleeping Dog

[Master of Reality]

15 MB boot parition on the first drive at the beginning.
300MB swap at end of first drive?
the second drive only /usr (700MB) amd /home (300mb)?

I am by no means an exper on partitions. I didnt separate my redhat paritions, they are all under root expect for my boot partition.

[Sleeping Dog]

By the way.....CREEDON.....you are not OLD!

you are only 37 in HEX.

Be sure to put that on your resume'

Fun rules!

Sleeping Dog