Hey FM, I've used all those apps and there are other excellent projects for example, jahshaka, for compositing, but it can't compare to combustion which I use. Make Human, originally a plug in for blender, which I have also used, is really great for beginners, as is DAZ on pc, but alas, I use poser pro 64bit which has plugins for most of my programs where I can continue sculpting the mesh.
If you look at the programs I have, they are all the highest end of what each company offers, except combustion which is still better than After Effects. I also use Avid Xpress Pro (remember the battle with Cinelerra where you hacked a 64bit before it arrived in the repos FM?), but that works strictly on my 32bit VPC. I am still using gimp. As far as workflow is concerned, I had to do this, it's the only environment which let's all the apps work together seamlessly. Remember Linux is pretty much my personal computing now, all my videos, music, surfing, and using it as a test server on my LAN, for php.
My daughter got a new camera recently. She plugged into my linux machine and it was detected - we opened it and downloaded pics. No fuss or bother.
It just worked ! That's what I like about linux.
What was the make of camera? Good to see more of this stuff working without issues.
My Fuji S700 is the same. Although most new cameras are detected as a Mass Storage Device, so there's not the trouble there has been in the past.
I don't really compare opensuse as an equivalent of windows. It is an entity of it's own - that puts all the basics (and more) on your machine in under an hour. It does many things that M$ won't do - and yes some M$ apps don't run under linux..
Recently, I had to re-install a windows machine and it took many hours to get everything working properly. A good 80% of that time was used only to secure the computer against outside threats.
As for developments in linux - since I have been using it (about 4 years) - I have seen some major leaps forward - while with M$, I have seen them take many leaps backwards.-alastairo
I agree with these observations. I've had to re-install windows for a number of family members. Even when it is re-installed from the factory system restore partition it takes the best part of a day to re-install, configure, update, secure and install the needed software. For the most part the procedure is relatively straightforward, just time consuming but I don't think I've done a single install without there being some problem or other. For the most part Windows does a decent job of hardware detection. But most people who moan about having to configure Linux have never installed a Windows system it's been done for them by the OEM. There's no doubt in my mind that even when I have had problems with Linux installs, sound/video cards etc. I've always got the system installed and configured in about 30% to 40% of the time it takes to get Windows to the same position. If people had to install Windows for themselves they might take a different view.
If people had to install Windows for themselves they might take a different view.
I think this is a good insight. Linux is more for the DIY type of person. Kind of like the difference between having an older British sports car where if you couldn't work on it yourself you probably shouldn't own it and the GM cars with the hoods welded shut so you had to take it to the dealer for work.
It was a Canon. Most camera's work on linux.
I thought about starting a new thread with this, but it really seemed to fit here. Funny, but sad!
From <http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4575.html#>
What came next was a bit of a shock. A few days after the "big transition," I received a frantic phone call. The conversation went something like this:
Bill: Hey, thanks for fixing up my laptop the other day.
Me: No problem. How's it going?
Bill: Well, that's the thing. It isn't going too well.
Me: What's wrong?
Bill: Umm, I think I broke it already. I can't get it to come up. It's there at a blue screen.
Me: A blue screen. No, we took Windows off of it. There's no blue screen.
Bill: No, seriously dude, there's a blue screen with a bunch of words on it and I don't know what to do. I'm afraid to do anything. Can you come over right now?
Me: <painful sigh>
Bill: I have some new beer and it's cold.
Me: I'll be right over.
Bill was outside waiting for me with a cold beer that was already apologetically opened and ready for guzzlement.
Bill: Sorry, man, come on in.
Me: <beer half gone--hey, it's hot in Oklahoma> Let me take a look.
I walk up to his computer and almost spewed what's left of my beer onto his laptop screen and keyboard.
Bill: What? Is it really messed up? Can you fix it?
Me: It's not messed up at all. Let me ask you something--did you happen to lay something on the keyboard or have a key pressed when you turned on your laptop?
Bill: Maybe--why is that bad?
Me: No.
Bill: Man, I knew we should have just put Windows back on it. This Linux stuff is great for you eggheads but for us regular guys, it's the pits.
Me: <motioning for another beer> Has nothin' to do with Linux. Could've happened with Windows.
Bill: <opening my beer> OK, so what is it?
Me: When you were touching the keyboard, you made the computer boot up into the BIOS settings.
Bill: So, Windows and Linux both have that?
Me: It's in your laptop. It comes with it.
Bill: Oh, so how did I do that?
Me: <powering off and on the laptop> I'll show you.
The moral to this story is that people often associate the unknown with their problems. Linux was the thing that was different for him and, of course, it was to blame for his problem.
I trained Bill how to avoid accidentally entering the BIOS, how to
escape it if he does and how to do some basic things in Linux. He's
never been happier and I've never had anyone offer to supply me with
such a tasty beverage
in all my days. I've gained a new admiration for Wisconsin from this
experience and Bill has gained a renewed love for his old laptop.
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