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Why I Have Not Migrated
© Copyright Darrell Anderson.
(Winter 2003–2004)
After several weeks in early 2003 of intensively focusing on learning some fundamentals about Linux, I gave up and decided to wait several months before trying again to look at migrating to Linux. Linux simply was not ready for my desktop. I read that KDE 3.1 was better than 3.0, that a new version of XFree86 was soon to be available, etc., so I decided to play the waiting game. I do not have a broadband connection, nor am I proficient at compiling source code so I’d have to wait several months to obtain any new Linux distros containing the new updates. I tried again in late 2003 and spent a lot of time tinkering with Linux. I am comfortable working within Linux, but Linux still is not ready for my desktop.
I do use Linux for my CD recording. I never had any success with CD recording on my NT4 system. The Linux K3B program is a joy to use.
Yet, even as I continue learning how Linux works under the hood, there are several key reasons why I do not migrate.
- KMail does not support 1) basic text formatting and coloring, 2) unique session profiles to allow maintaining mail for different people and organizations, and 3) running concurrent sessions like Eudora. There are other email client options, such as Mozilla or Evolution. I am not interested in those offerings because I want only an email client. Generally, I do not like multi-purpose software tools. I want a browser that is only a browser, an email client that is only an email client. I have little use for calendars or PIMs, etc. I also am not interested in pretending to write in italics or bold, etc., by playing the dumb game of using asterisks or underscores. A future email candidate is Thunderbird.
- In Windows I have been using Phoenix-Firebird-Firefox. I tried using the Linux version but ran into too many quirks. I am hoping the final 1.0 release is better. I could use Mozilla, but I do not want all the bloat. Konqueror is a another option, but the program seems to crash often on my system.
- OpenOffice uses a single document interface (SDI), and lacks a polished PDF export tool like the macro tool provided by Adobe for Word 97. I also am waiting for people to produce some exhaustive reference books for OOo, as well as for the macro language. I am no fan of on-line help and tutorials; I like dead trees.
- No convenient way to convert my many Word 97 macros. The task of manually converting discourages me dramatically.
- No easy firewall maintenance interface like that provided by Kerio 2.1.5. I want to monitor both outgoing as well incoming streams and on an per-application basis. Some people might argue that with Linux being open source I do not have to worry about outgoing viruses, Trojans, or phone-home nonsense. I believe that will change as Linux becomes more popular. I want a nice intuitive graphical interface to deal with the Linux iptables. Based upon what I have read, I believe Linux can be configured with individual and specific rules, but must be done by hand. I do not have the time to learn Linux iptables at that level. Not now.
- Lack of a WYSIWYG HTML editor. For a long time now I gave been breaking myself away from FrontPage, and learning to write directly in HTML. However, FrontPage still provides some useful tools, such as verifying all links in a site, checking for link errors in a project, reporting slow-loading pages, or updating all project links when changing a file name. As much as purists like “coding” their HTML pages by hand, I think a simple WYSIWYG interface helps non-professionals with early design, quickly inserting links, creating templates, making global changes, etc. I read that Quanta is supposed to add WYSIWYG support, but in January 2004 I am still watching and waiting. Yes, there is Mozilla Composer—.
- Lack of a GUI grep tool. I struggle with regular expressions, but a grep tool is still useful for many straightforward global search-and-replace tasks. The KDE KFind tool is a joke. I much prefer the Find tool on my NT4 OS. I toyed some with PowerGREP for Windows and I’d love to see such a tool ported to Linux. The PowerGREP author has ported his text editors to Linux, so maybe PowerGREP will be ported too. If only I could learn the basics of regular expressions—.
- A file undelete recovery tool. Perhaps one exists, but I haven’t stumbled across one. My understanding is file recovery is not possible in the Linux file system, and one is limited to using Trash Can methods only within the GUI.
- An Insert key toggle utility like ITK. I am not a touch typist and I have occasional “fat fingers.” I accidentally press the Insert key at least once a day (Caps Lock too). This tiny Windows utility provides a soft beep sound every time I toggle the Insert key. Nice. Simple. Does anything like this exist for Linux? Not yet, although the next revision of KDE (3.2) is supposed to provide better support for accessibility and disability issues. Windows already provides a “Toggle Keys” utility and Linux developers need to address that issue. However, many people seem to realize that the Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, and Num Lock keys are toggle keys but fail to realize that the Insert key is a toggle key too.
- I am not a professional artist or graphic designer. I have only a handful of drawings on my computer that I personally created. I use Visio, and as you might guess, an old version (4.0). The program suits my basic needs fine. I do not see anything with the same abilities as Visio, although the programs Kivio and Dia might.
- Of the many programs I investigated I noticed many use the core programming GNOME Tool Kit (GTK). I dislike the look-and-feel of that environment—the icons are personally annoying. Additionally, I have a 17 inch monitor set at 1024 x 768 and many programs using that environment displays fonts that need a magnifying glass to see.
- Another reason I have not yet migrated is installing Linux. I don’t understand why Linux vendors don’t keep updated CD images posted and instead play the nonsense game of having to install updated files. Most vendors already upload CD ISO images for downloading, therefore if vendors can take the time to upload patches, how much extra time is necessary to simply patch the original ISO image and upload the new image instead? I have a dial-up connection and that likely will not change for several years. The only chance I get to download files using broadband is when I travel to the big city to visit family—once or twice a year. Like many ignorant web site designers, Linux vendors seem to think that everybody has broadband.
After my last two attempts, I’m comfortable declaring that I want a minimal or lightweight distro. I have a K6-III+ CPU and an older 66 MHz FSB. Some people will shrug and respond that I need new hardware. No, I don’t. I have a very usable NT4 system, remember? And that OS runs crisply on my hardware. I know minimal and lightweight distros exist, such as Slackware, but I don’t have the time to become acquainted with and test every distro. This is an area where Microsoft still shines. Load the CD, install, and go to work.
There also seems to be a timing problem with Linux distros. For example, the Mandrake people released version 9.2 using KDE 3.1 and a couple of weeks later KDE 3.2 was released. Of course, the Mandrake people won’t update version 9.2. Do they do this purposely?
Lastly, some people will recommend I install CrossOver Office. Why? If I want to run Windows apps I’ll just keep using my minimal NT4 OS.
I enjoy watching how the Linux world is unfolding. As a student and observer of human social systems, I find the entire open source movement fascinating. I am sure things will continue to improve, but I am content to wait. I stopped being a beta tester years ago. Maybe now that big companies like IBM and Novell are in the game things will change. We’ll see.
Finis.
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