running windows via kvm module -- any experiences?

[ted leslie]

I went down this road,

I installed SLED for my wife and she was ok with evolution email
and firefox,

but then  "rock star supernova" and the other one, there web site used
windows only codec's and the bastards (MS was tied to the production i
think via MSNBC or something) they even had a chat board that wouldnt
let you in unless you were using MS OS.
Now supposedly with  fluendo the MS media BS should be a thing of the
past.

Her Kodak digital camera worked right away with SLED10, as did her mp3
player. Actually the kodak camera worked MUCH better on the Linux SLED
then on windows or Mac(OSX 10.4) (which i am selling now, because
compiz/beryl just so put it to shame). The kodak software for the mac
and windows was just basic stuff, where as with SLED you were fully
hookedup.
The HP all in one printer sucked for support, i have a parallel
interface, and linux seems to want USB for best support, but i did get
it working in SLED10.

The only issue now is that some web sites (like she is doing a Canadian
passport application) and she even tried on a friends MAC with no luck,
apparently thats a MS OS only site (havnt tried it myself),
so i set up a VMWARE in SLED10 and now she can do online passport,
and anything IE only related. 

She uses open office for xls/doc compat. with no issues.

So she basically is 98% linux, and 2% MS when the need.
the 2% MS venture is only because some yoodles have no idea about how
to put up web content to be not-MS only.

Training need to run linux/SLED  was zero,
just jumped right in an rocked.
But then i did futz with the HP printer however, 
she would be printerless still to this day if it was just
her working the SLED.

the experienced did make me realize that until Linux can make sure 
99% of popular printer out there are going to work and work by
installation by any old brain dead user, Linux isn't quite ready to
replace MS for everyone, but man its close for most.

Your girl friends success is going to depend alot on what version of
linux you use and her hardware. SLED is sweet, but I did drop 50$,
but then i run it on a few machines :)
I hear ubuntu isn't half bad so hopefully it works out for you.

I WOULDNT advice VMWARE on WIN host with LINUX guest,
in my experiencs of late in projects deplying VMWARE on windows to run
linux, i had to abort, the <S version of VMWARE seems to be a dog,
or maybe they just struggle becasue MS OS makes it difficult,
but you gotta do a VMWARE hosted on Linux and have vmware host the MS
OS.

-tl



On Tue, 2007-01-30 at 18:06 -0500, Matt Price wrote:
> Hi there,
> 
> My girlfriend is buying a new computer a month or two from now and I'm
> hoping to convince her to let me install ubuntu feisty on it, and set up
> a windows VM using the new KVM module and rdesktop.  The idea of the VM
> is to let her use software she feels she 'really needs' -- right now,
> this is MS Office, endnote and Dreamweaver (I'd like to make all 3
> disappear, but that's another, longer-term project).  
> 
> Her main objection right now is that the person trying to convince her
> is a known linux ideologue who spends hours at a time hacking on his
> machine, and that she has no interest whatsoever in hacking -- she just
> wants her computer to work for her in a fully transparent way.  
> 
> So I am looking for stories from people who have done this successfully,
> and if possible some web postings that explain how easy it is to do, who
> transparently it works, and how happy customers are when they get a look
> at the superior OS which is GNUlinux (or ubuntu, or gentoo, or debian,
> or whatever).  cross-posting to the 3 communities I sort of belong to
> (ubuntu, debian, toronto lug), sorry if you get multiple copies.
> 
> Thanks loads!  Looking forward to lots of success stories,
> 
> Matt
> 
> 

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