Sounds like Linux needs someone to write a Linux version of "InstallSheild".
I have to admit, Linux all over the map on this one in general: If one is using Ubuntu or another Debian based Linux, then Synaptic is pretty easy. With over 20,000 packages in the repository, ones chances of getting some pretty niche software are pretty good. I never use all the packages for doing various sorts of esoteric math, for example.
Then there is the advent of cnr.com: if your distro is supported by CNR, it will be incredibly easy to install software it supports. Is CNR going to become the Linux InstallSheild? I don't know. I am watching that one with interest.
For new folks to the platform. most of what one needs will be already packaged up someplace: For the more experienced, the standard config / make / make install is pretty routine, but nothing I would ask a desktop user to do. I would expect in a corporate setting that the support team would know how to do it.
I use "alien" all the time to pull rPms into Debian: OpenOffice does not package .debs for example. So why doesn't dpkg just call alien if it needs to? Dunno. it seems like it should. Not the same thing as a unified format, but a short hop to making it a unified package install. Not all RPMS install on Debian based systems, or course. The Linux Standards Base seems to have helped out there though: I have had less problems recently than I used to with it. Things are in more standard locations.
As for students: I would ask: students of what? Computer Science students should have absolutely no issues here. There is no better OS for learning how a computer works than Linux. And maybe learning it will have one of them someday write the InstallSheild program we need...
Other students just needing a computer to write term papers should not either. OpenOffice is standard almost everywhere, or easy to install. Business students just need a presentation package or spreadsheet: No Problem. Covered.
Science students? Linux is your very best friend: There are more niche packages for things like Astronomy or math or whatever than on any other OS. And it should be fairly easy for the teacher to put together the install instructions.
Typing classes? : There are several typing tutors. I need to run one and learn how to type myself.
History. English.
I can't think of a student classification that should not be able to use Linux as it stands today. It might need a bit of guidence from the school as to the best version for the need at hand, but Ubuntu / Mint should cover most of the cases I can think of.
Where all this unravels a bit is the small software developer wanting to support multiple platforms with their code. How does one write for OS.X and Linux from a common code base? Sure, it's easy to make everything gtk based, and all, but then the app looks like X on OS.X. MS Windows is no problem: the gtk package for it is already pretty mature, and looks windowsy.
Installation
Posted by
Notthisday
at
2007-05-24 11:16
Thanks for the answer.
About the students I had in my mind: of course I never thought about computer science students, they should be able to figure out there problem themselves. But I have a set of example use cases in my mind (friends, etc.) which I use to check if Linux can be useful for them or not.
First:
a) A student who studies central Asia cultural development. He uses several helpful tools (most often tools for specific languages not supported by any OS out there) mostly put together by other central Asia culture students who happened to have few bits of computer knowledge. Such a niche software even has too few users as you could integrate into every repository. Still, the software does its job. But now even if the developer would be able to port his program to Linux, there would be *no* way to spread it to all the other users as long as they do not agree on one distribution.
b) Students are people who try new things. I have several friends who have only limited computer knowledge but love to just surf around web pages and download and install new software. There are big web databases for Linux software (kde-apps, gnomefiles, etc.) - but there is again no way at all to simply point and click. Try to find only half of the gnomefiles and kde-apps applications in Debian, it would not work.
c) Geology students using specific applications - even if the isv would like to support Linux, again which distribution should it choose? Yes, there is LSB RPM, but everyone hates it (ask Fedora guys about LSB RPM, and you will be unpleasantly surprised).
Of course, CNR.com might come to the rescue - I hope more for the OpenSuse attempt with their open build server. Still not where it should be, but it might reach that goal sometime, and since its open companies (isvs or companies offering services to isvs) themselves could use it.
Anyhow, about the common code base, that is easy to answer: Qt. Looks perfect everywhere :)
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New user?
I have to admit, Linux all over the map on this one in general: If one is using Ubuntu or another Debian based Linux, then Synaptic is pretty easy. With over 20,000 packages in the repository, ones chances of getting some pretty niche software are pretty good. I never use all the packages for doing various sorts of esoteric math, for example.
Then there is the advent of cnr.com: if your distro is supported by CNR, it will be incredibly easy to install software it supports. Is CNR going to become the Linux InstallSheild? I don't know. I am watching that one with interest.
For new folks to the platform. most of what one needs will be already packaged up someplace: For the more experienced, the standard config / make / make install is pretty routine, but nothing I would ask a desktop user to do. I would expect in a corporate setting that the support team would know how to do it.
I use "alien" all the time to pull rPms into Debian: OpenOffice does not package .debs for example. So why doesn't dpkg just call alien if it needs to? Dunno. it seems like it should. Not the same thing as a unified format, but a short hop to making it a unified package install. Not all RPMS install on Debian based systems, or course. The Linux Standards Base seems to have helped out there though: I have had less problems recently than I used to with it. Things are in more standard locations.
As for students: I would ask: students of what? Computer Science students should have absolutely no issues here. There is no better OS for learning how a computer works than Linux. And maybe learning it will have one of them someday write the InstallSheild program we need...
Other students just needing a computer to write term papers should not either. OpenOffice is standard almost everywhere, or easy to install. Business students just need a presentation package or spreadsheet: No Problem. Covered.
Science students? Linux is your very best friend: There are more niche packages for things like Astronomy or math or whatever than on any other OS. And it should be fairly easy for the teacher to put together the install instructions.
Typing classes? : There are several typing tutors. I need to run one and learn how to type myself.
History. English.
I can't think of a student classification that should not be able to use Linux as it stands today. It might need a bit of guidence from the school as to the best version for the need at hand, but Ubuntu / Mint should cover most of the cases I can think of.
Where all this unravels a bit is the small software developer wanting to support multiple platforms with their code. How does one write for OS.X and Linux from a common code base? Sure, it's easy to make everything gtk based, and all, but then the app looks like X on OS.X. MS Windows is no problem: the gtk package for it is already pretty mature, and looks windowsy.
About the students I had in my mind: of course I never thought about computer science students, they should be able to figure out there problem themselves. But I have a set of example use cases in my mind (friends, etc.) which I use to check if Linux can be useful for them or not.
First:
a) A student who studies central Asia cultural development. He uses several helpful tools (most often tools for specific languages not supported by any OS out there) mostly put together by other central Asia culture students who happened to have few bits of computer knowledge. Such a niche software even has too few users as you could integrate into every repository. Still, the software does its job. But now even if the developer would be able to port his program to Linux, there would be *no* way to spread it to all the other users as long as they do not agree on one distribution.
b) Students are people who try new things. I have several friends who have only limited computer knowledge but love to just surf around web pages and download and install new software. There are big web databases for Linux software (kde-apps, gnomefiles, etc.) - but there is again no way at all to simply point and click. Try to find only half of the gnomefiles and kde-apps applications in Debian, it would not work.
c) Geology students using specific applications - even if the isv would like to support Linux, again which distribution should it choose? Yes, there is LSB RPM, but everyone hates it (ask Fedora guys about LSB RPM, and you will be unpleasantly surprised).
Of course, CNR.com might come to the rescue - I hope more for the OpenSuse attempt with their open build server. Still not where it should be, but it might reach that goal sometime, and since its open companies (isvs or companies offering services to isvs) themselves could use it.
Anyhow, about the common code base, that is easy to answer: Qt. Looks perfect everywhere :)