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"Dump Windows, Mac..etc and go with Linux" is pretty funny!

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Scott Gant

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Feb 14, 1995, 10:54:21 AM2/14/95
to
I've read alot on the various advocacy groups about how one should "dump"
this OS or that and run
with Linux. Now, before I begin, let me say that I AM running Linux and
have enjoyed it very
much. It's fun.

But on these different news groups I see people all the time suggesting
to dump other OS's in favor
of Linux, stating that productivity will go up. It's more stable and the
like. But what I find funny is
how will productivity go up?

I really mean this. How will it go up when there really isn't any
programs for Linux? Now before
everyone starts telling me about all this great free stuff you can get
and the commercial stuff that's
coming out in the near future, let me stop you right there. For one, the
business that I'm in, 3D
Graphics and photo illustration, cannot use Linux! Where is Photoshop for
Linux? And I mean a full
featured photo manipulation program with all the features and power of
Photoshop? What about
Alias? Something as powerful as Alias? Ok, how about just general office
work? How about a
spreadsheet with the features of Excel or Lotus? Don't tell me about the
spread sheet program that
comes with slackware.

You see my point? These programs I use all the time on
Windows/Macintosh/SGI. While I really like
Linux and it's stability, there is nothing that it offers me for
productivy in my job.

Now, if I want to maintain a server or surf the net, I'll go with Linux.
But remember, I'm NOT a
programmer. I don't have any of the development tools that come with
Linux loaded on my
machine. I really have no use for them. I can see them being used by
programmers, then in that case
Linux makes alot of sense. But to go around newsgroups spouting off that
other users should
"dump" their OS's in favor of Linux is just plain silly.

On a positive note, I finally got X/OpenWindows up and running on my
machine after hacking on it
for a week! The cause of the problems, my Diamond Stealth PCI card! The
new S3 server in
XFree3.1.1 solved it without much problems.

Hallvard Paulsen

unread,
Feb 17, 1995, 11:30:26 AM2/17/95
to
In article <3hqjnd$t...@deathstar.cris.com>, Scott Gant <sg...@cris.com> writes:
[Stuff deleted]

|> But what I find funny is how will productivity go up?

In general: Most people are more productive when the
OS does not go down many times each day.

|> I really mean this. How will it go up when there really isn't any
|> programs for Linux? Now before
|> everyone starts telling me about all this great free stuff you can get
|> and the commercial stuff that's
|> coming out in the near future, let me stop you right there. For one, the
|> business that I'm in, 3D
|> Graphics and photo illustration, cannot use Linux! Where is Photoshop for
|> Linux? And I mean a full
|> featured photo manipulation program with all the features and power of
|> Photoshop?

First off, I have only tried Photoshop LE (came whith my "Discovery
multimedia package"), and I found it to be well suitable for general
"creative work" (like putting a beard on the queen) and as an "electronic
dark-room". I guess this is what most image manipulation programs are
intended for?

In my work, however, such a product would not be suitable since an
image for me is just data that origins from measurements of light
intensity, but evolves (as more informations is added) through
the use of another image manipulation system into a matrix of
thermodynamic properties. For this I need a system that can store
images as real numbers in stead of graphics. This is not possible
in traditional image manipulation programs. I also need to do
"math on images" (averaging, square root, subtraction, ...), is this
possible in photoshop? I have a lot of data (images) and want the
same "equations" to be applied to all this data. I.e. I need some
kind of scripting capability. Does photoshop have this?

The point is: Photoshop might be top of the line for your use,
to me it is more or less useless. I am using a free package,
full source code awailable, and if had to use Photoshop (I guess
it could be used?) my productivity would decrease significantly.

In general my package can do:
convolutions (any type)
logical operations
all kinds of thresholdings (multi and single level)
fft's
noise removal
arithmetic
statistics
morphing
linedetecting
And so on. The point is it is open ended.

It does not do: The stuff that can be done using
xpaint, pnmplus and so on, but I have those programs
too, and use those when I need to print an image in color
or BW. (And I do get the printouts without windows telling
me that printmanager caused an error in photoshop or somewhere
else.) Some of the prints I save as postscrip files and
include in my LaTeX documents.

I am aware that I might be comparing tomatoes and oranges,
but you talk about "Graphics and photo illustration" and
that is exactely what I am working with. (You also say 3-D, which
I find kind of strange, since all photos and graphics I've ever
seen are limited to 2 dimentions (3 counting time), does PS have
any 3-D capabilities? In that case it is not an image manipulation
package, but some kind of raytracing or CAD program in my world).

|> What about
|> Alias?

What is Alias?

|>Something as powerful as Alias? Ok, how about just general office
|> work? How about a
|> spreadsheet with the features of Excel or Lotus? Don't tell me about the
|> spread sheet program that
|> comes with slackware.

I have tried using spreadsheet programs for manipulating
data from our lab. But soon found that no windows spreadsheet
could import the ASCII text files properly (eighter "line
too long" or problems interpenting the text as nummerical data).
Also the graping capabilities of spreadsheets are not suitable
for engeenering work since multiple x axis are not handled
very well. I found gawk + gnuplot to be a much more "productive"
combination.


|> You see my point? These programs I use all the time on
|> Windows/Macintosh/SGI.

I would guess that almost anything (that is not HW spesific)
that runs on an SGI can be proted to linux. Also using
linux as an X-terminal against the SGI gives you access to
all the programs on that machine. (I've tried X-view and
eXurcion(?) under windows, but:
1. It ran 3-5 times slower on the same HW.
2. Made windows even more unstable.)

|> While I really like
|> Linux and it's stability, there is nothing that it offers me for
|> productivy in my job.

If your job is defined as working with any spesific program,
of cource you need this program to run on your spesific
OS. But if it is defined to work on a spesific type of problems,
then there may be many ways to achieve the same without
that program.


|> But remember, I'm NOT a programmer.

Neither am I. (I still do some programming though.:)

|> I don't have any of the development tools that come with
|> Linux loaded on my machine. I really have no use for them.

Well, you need them to compile any package that comes in
source code form.

|> I can see them being used by
|> programmers, then in that case
|> Linux makes alot of sense.

If the tools are there, the posibillity of making powerfull
programs are also present.


|> But to go around newsgroups spouting off that
|> other users should
|> "dump" their OS's in favor of Linux is just plain silly.

Well, I used to use WP to write my theses. When it approached
50 pages, there was no way I managed to print out the document. This
of cource did not make me very productive. I then swiched to LaTeX
and have no problems what so ever. I just want to advise people
to make a swich before it is to late. If nobody wants to listen
that's their problem, but don't come crying and say I did
not warn you.

|> On a positive note, I finally got X/OpenWindows up and running on my
|> machine after hacking on it
|> for a week! The cause of the problems, my Diamond Stealth PCI card! The
|> new S3 server in
|> XFree3.1.1 solved it without much problems.

Good.

--
Hallvard P.

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