SuSE Linux will run Microsoft Office 382
PizzaFace writes "SuSE Linux is developing a desktop Linux distribution that will allow Windows users to continue using (some of) their Windows applications, including Microsoft Office. The SuSE Linux Office Desktop will be available for $129 in January, and will include Acronis OS Selector for disk partitioning during installation and Codeweavers CrossOver Office for Windows API emulation."
Umm (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not exactly earth shattering news. Whats next? Slashdot reporting that that distibution Blah is going to come with WINE already pre-installed?
Or am I missing something major entirely?
SuSE v.s. Lindows? (Score:3, Insightful)
IMO, SuSE should do well. They have been much more OS than Lindows, and so they don't have to worry about all the bad press.
Reality (Score:5, Insightful)
It seems that they have realized that the transition has to be smooth "SuSE Linux Office Desktop combines the technology and user-friendliness of SuSE Linux 8.1 with proven tools that facilitate the migration from Windows operating systems and applications".
And the biggest advantage of this solution is also brought up the the press release: "SuSE Linux Office Desktop seamlessly enables the continued use of existing data".
The Linux distros must realize (and seems to have realized) that the average desktop user does not care for open source or extra choices. The average user simply wants a productive desktop that is easy to use and works they way they expect it to.
Re:Crossover (Score:5, Insightful)
This is not for geeks. Maybe for geeks-in-training, but not for geeks!
Re:Umm (Score:5, Insightful)
It's just one step closer to what SOME of the Linux community want, easy to use desktop, easy transition from Windows, full Office support.
Downloading a product, installing said product, and getting it to work, are not the easiest things for most to do. This is what you are missing.
Re:Crossover (Score:5, Insightful)
That said, no it's not for everybody. But a lot of users (especially corporations) will find it useful if it is preconfigured so that installing and using Win32 apps is easily and fast done.
Ease of installation is what counts (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually, even for experienced users, it's a relief when we get something like Debian's apt.
What SuSE are doing here is to provide a distro that will run MS-Office with no tuning or tweaking or HOWTOs.
This is at once banal, and important. Seamless compatability with Microsoft products is a key tool in the fight to move users off Windows.
And this news is a sign that SuSE have understood this. That's worth saying.
(Just to give another example, we spent several days trying to make Oracle 9i work with Debian, and RedHat, and finally tried SuSE... it came with the necessary (trivial) user accounts preconfigured, and Oracle 9i installed and ran almost at once.
A drawback of sorts.. (Score:5, Insightful)
It just seems that now Suse and other distros are following this path, this is going to open up a new world of breaches and backdoors that will eventually make it a PITA to use Office on Linux, much like it is on Windows now.
If its just convieience, then why use Linux in the first place?
Re:Linux Alternatives? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Crossover (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Linux Alternatives? (Score:2, Insightful)
Unfortunately, for most people the problem is that they are not named Microsoft Office or Microsoft Word. People like to stick with what's familiar, and the basic office apps (Word, Excel) have remained pretty much the same for a majority of users at least since version 6 (the earliest one I can remember using). Most of what has been added is fluff and feature creep. Also, a lot of people like to use the same program for the same task no matter where they are. My wife, for example, will only write her papers for school in Word because that's what they have at her school, and if she happens to need to make some last minute changes while on campus, she needs to be able to use the camups computer labs. I've tried to get her to switch to OpenOffice, but she won't-because it's not Word.
Re:Great news! (Score:3, Insightful)
The only way out is linux+evolution+Open Office.org..
a combination that doesn't tie your companies head to a boulder like microsoft does.
'Open' Wine? (Score:3, Insightful)
Or have they changed their minds and decided to keep all this cool stuff to themselves, much as others have been doing lately..
MSOffice ablity isnt worth that sort of cost to me personally ( startoffice/Koffice does fine for what i need ), but if its folded back into the open code, then its worthwhile.
Office 11 EULA (Score:5, Insightful)
Mac Office on Linux? (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsoft Office X is far nicer then office 2000/XP and can read all these file formats. Microsoft make good money out of this port so aren't going to stop producing it any time soon. Because Microsoft don't own the underlying OS they are restricted in the number of changes they can make to Office X to break emulator compatability, unlike with WINE.
Yet OS X is based on Free BSD, so a binary compatability layer should be far easier than emulating Microsoft Windows. I realise this wouldn't give us Visio and possibly not Access, but I would take this option up long before running a heavyweight WINE install on my box, plus we would get the nice Mac plugins which ae generally every bit as good as their Windows versions.
I'm a little tired... (Score:2, Insightful)
Typical geek comment with zero business sense. (Score:2, Insightful)
If nobody ever paid for the OS how do you think all of these linux distros would still be in business?? My God, it doesn't take a genius to figure out you need income to pay your employees and stay alive. These free-for-all linux times we're living in will come to a screeching halt within the next few years. Why you ask? Because most of the distros are made by companies that are publicly held and their share holders will demand more revenue. If the OS is so much better than OS X or Windows, why is it such a bad thing to pay for it anyway?
Um, and how do I win here? (Score:5, Insightful)
For $129 I can get an OS that runs Office (but doesn't include it, as far as I can see) and which possibly runs other Windows apps, and which definitely runs Linux apps.
Or, for much less than $129 I can get an OS (Windows XP), that absolutely runs MS Office and which definitely runs vrtually all other Windows apps.
Linux is useful and fun for us nerds, but is a bit of a sell to non-nerds, and I don't see the above selling proposition as favoring SUSE for desktop applications -- Linux has no inherent appeal to non-nerds.
If one really wants or needs to run MS Office, XP makes sense. If one wants Linux on the desktop, I'd go with Redhat 8.0 (with its out-of-the-box non-sucking fonts, except in Mozilla) along with Open Office (excellent free replacement for MS Office) and other software that is designed for Linux use.
Re:Great news! (Score:5, Insightful)
IMHO, the inclusion of emulation layers is the first sign that your system is somehow incomplete or incapable. For that matter, take a look at the entire NT architecture -- the foundation of the Microsoft system is emulation. It can be an OS/2 machine, Win16 or even -gasp- NT....
It could be a nice tool for attracting users with applications that currently only run on Win32, but I'm not sure MS Office is the best example of this. The real issues are going to be legacy apps without Linux counterparts (client/server programs that require ODBC/OLEDB, accounting software, POS, etc.), especially those that support an existing database or proprietary firmware devices. If Crossover can successfully support these, then I think it will have done it's job.
Meanwhile, for those considering a move to Linux they should take a good look at OpenOffice, KOffice, AbiWord and any of the other myriad authoring solutions for UNIX (Emacs, TeX, etc.)
Re:Umm (Score:5, Insightful)
What SuSE are doing here is making the process of utilising Linux *easy* - I feel that there is a group of posters to slashdot that are extremely stubborn and opposed to this notion.
I own a car, I am not a mechanic, when I buy a car or take it to the garage I don't want to be told - 'sorry you can only drive on x type of road, to drive on y you have to replace the gearbox and upgrade the tires - we can give you the instructions but we won't do it for you' - I want to hand over my money and have a working vehicle I can drive on the majority of the roads availble to me. I don't care how it is done - I want it to work.
My father on the other hand is a mechanic - he wants to be able to modify his car as much as he wants, and to be able to drive on all the roads in the world - he would be dissapointed if he could not and probably wouldn't buy a car which would not allow him to do this.
This analogy can be applied to both Linux and Windows:
Linux satisfies the mechanic in that he can strip the car(OS) down to it's nuts and bolts and build it up in any way he wants - however (without such efforts as described in this story about SuSe) if a home user wants to mod the car(OS) so it can drive on a different type of road(run office) it is possible however without the knowledge and tools(Crossover) he cannot do it - instant dissatisfaction with his purchase.
Windows makes an effort to satisfy the home user - it can do a bunch of wizzy things - but it's pretty unreliable and can also be quite complex to setup (albeit easier that Linux) - however it can never satify the mechanic as you can't look under the hood
Linux has the ability to satisfy both types of person - in a far more complete manner that Windows could ever do. It is efforts like these that should be applauded. If SuSE bundle windows compatability with their distro does it prevent the mechanic playing with the inner workings of the OS ? no he not restricted in any way. Does it help the home user that they can install and run Office without finding out what an
(o.k it may not be *this* easy but you get the idea)
The Linux world has some of the most talented programmers working for it - the 'mechanics' of the world are more that catered for, however home users are sadly neglected by both Linux and Windows. The work of Suse, Lycorix, Lindows, Debian is all a step in the right direction as usability and simplicity is the key to Linux succeeding.
Re:Interresting problem for Microsoft... (Score:2, Insightful)
The Win32 API hasn't changed much so it's more of an artificial way to force upgrades on people... If it works don't fix it, right?
Re:Interresting problem for Microsoft... (Score:5, Insightful)
I can imagine that by changing the software to make calls to the newest APIs, there's a smaller chance that these have already been made available to Linux users through Wine/CrossOver, and thus users would find their Office 11 not working on this SuSE version.
Re:Windows 98 won't run MS Office (Score:3, Insightful)
If MS is not allowed to depend on new features in a new OS, it would hardly be worthwile to create new features, would it?
Re:Too expensive for non-geeks (Score:2, Insightful)
Better uses for $129 (Score:4, Insightful)
TWW
Re:Crossover (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:I'm a little tired... (Score:5, Insightful)
OK then...just find me full-featured replacements for:
- Quicken (UK)
- Cubase Audio
- Premier
- Acrobat (full thing, not the reader)
- Exchange Server (calendaring, LDAP/IMAP does rest)
and I'll agree. Got any? The Ksomethingorother Quicken-a-like isn't there yet, neither is GnuCash. Cubase Audio? Hmm. Premier? Nope. Acrobat? Not that I'm aware of, though I imagine this has the best chance of having an equivalent. Exchange Server? Nope, that's why the Kroupware project exists.Nope, sorry. I play zero PC-based games, and I still need Windows. Not even a Mac will do - still no UK version of Quicken (my constant cry...).
Cheers,
Ian
Re:so does this mean.. (Score:1, Insightful)
Isn't Redhat the number 1 Linux distibution? I can't seem to find the free download on their site. Maybe I am just not looking hard enough. I personally am a Slackware guy which does have free downloads but I bought it anyway (support the cause and all that).
Re:Mac Office on Linux? (Score:4, Insightful)
WINE is not an emulator, it's just an implentation of the WIN32-api. Running Office X would also require emulating a totally different processor architecture.
Running OSX-apps on PowerPC-Linux might be possible if someone implement all the APIs necessary (perhaps GNUStep might work in the future to run cocoa-apps).
There are however LOADS more developers for Linux/BSD on x86 than on PowerPC.
That's why I use OS X (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Windows 98 won't run MS Office (Score:3, Insightful)
Given that Windows 2000 Professional and Windows XP uses the memory model pioneered by Windows NT (e.g., vastly improved memory management and much more graceful recovery from program crashes), anyone running Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP or the upcoming Office 11 should run it under the versions of Windows I just mentioned. Windows 95/98/98SE/ME uses an older memory management model, one that has a bad habit of running out of system resources quickly and doesn't gracefully recover from program crashes.
Small wonder why Windows 2000 Professional is so heavily used in corporate environments nowadays.
It will be very interesting to see if the new version of SuSE Linux will support Office 11, including Office 11's XML support. Or better yet, will we see new versions of OpenOffice and StarOffice that generates XML documents that can interoperate with Office 11.
Re:I'm a little tired... (Score:3, Insightful)
A good answer. Yes, that's the actual solution to the problem.
The trouble is...when? I have a full time job, a two and half hour each way commute and a nine month-old daughter to look after.
So whilst I accept your point completely, it's simply not practical for me. That's why I'm prepared to pay Intuit for Quicken - it's my time versus their costs. My time is more rare.
Cheers,
Ian
Why oh Why!!!!???!!! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Open Office (Score:3, Insightful)
em dashes.
To date, every Linux word processor I've tried has looked at an em-dash (the single character that word puts in when you use two dashes--that is, two hyphens--like I'm using them in this sentence) as a letter in a word, and not a punctuation mark.
If I ever get a word processor working the way I want it in Linux that isn't word on wine, I'll post a journal about it.
Re:Has been done (Score:3, Insightful)
The Windows Media Player has a EULA which requires you to "have a license to a qualifying microsoft operating system". This issue has come up with the codeweavers crossover product:
Nothing prevents Microsoft from doing the same thing with the Office 11 EULA.
Re:Interresting problem for Microsoft... (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't think Windows (in all its forms) is as much a moving target as the WINE developers make us think. Most commercial Windows apps want the largest possible customer audience. So most companies develop their apps run on Windows 98 as a bare minimum. If WINE can just emulate the (five years old) Win98 APIs, most commerical Windows apps should work fine (including Office 2000).