Bharat_Naik wrote on Apr 1
st, 2011 at 4:38pm:
OS commands such as @Shell ( ), CreateAProcess ( ), RedirectProcess ( ) and @Asynchshell ( ), how are they handled in Linux? Do you find enough utility programs for Linux to do the job outside of Sesame with those commands?
I was looking at using Linux when we had to update our server (Windows 2000 Server extended support ended about a year ago). I have done a number of installs at home and am very satisfied with it. I use Ubuntu Desktop, which is
much more user-friendly than most Linux versions. If you have a spare hard disk, definitely download a copy and install it. If you would like, I can send you an
extremely detailed step-by-step installation process not only for the basic install (which doesn't need it) but also for the minutia. For instance, there is a package called "Microsoft core fonts" that installs Times New Roman, Arial, etc.
Linux hardware support nowadays is
much better than previously. I have had some problems with combinations of particular video cards with particular motherboards -- but the mobos are from circa 2004 and the video cards are AGP 64-128MB, so they are pretty old too. You can easily fit an
extremely robust install on a 40GB disk. I'm talking The GIMP, full Libre Office, video editors, video codecs, PDF editing, etc. If you REALLY go crazy with free software you're looking at maybe 10GB of disk space. NVidia has full-blown Linux drivers, so their cards work pretty well. Samsung and HP have good printer support.
One caution: If you do do an install, disconnect all your other hard disks first. If you don't, the install will automatically install multi-boot software and you'll have to uninstall it later (which is a minor annoyance but not a
problem). Just select the boot drive during power up or restart. Linux will be able to read and interact with your Windows drives once they are reconnected, but Windows won't recognize the Linux drives.
One of my biggest "problems" with Ubuntu is that I turn on the computer and about 20 seconds later the main screen is up. (2.4GHz socket 478 Celeron, 1.5GB DDR, 80GB Western Digital PATA -- the mobo is pre-SATA.) I keep waiting for the rest of the programs to load and then I remember--if the main screen is up it's ready to go.
Go to You Tube and search for Nixie Pixel. She's a Linux/Windows 7 guru with a lot of Linux demos. Definitely check out Compiz Fusion. It makes Windows 7's Aero interface look like a toy.
I haven't tried Sesame yet on Linux but it is something I plan to do in the near future. One thing I do like is the fact that it won't involve any rewrites.
... One last thing ... In a very soon upcoming revision to the Linux kernel they will be adding virtualization as a basic feature.