=================== After reading the replies/responses/commentary for a while I have a few reminders/observations, and suggestions for a "cheap screw" solution. [my favorite kind of solution!]
From the perspective of the cost to replace/create, the ratio of costs run something like this:
Hardware = 1X, for example, run down to WalMart or BestBuy with
500$ and replace within an hour
Software including customization/macros = 10X or 5000$ in this example, the direct out of the box cost may not be much more, but the time/effort will be several days to several weeks.
data including time/cost to input = 100X or more or 50,000$ in this example
The loss of hardware or software, while inconvenient, seldom puts a company out of business, ==>but the loss of their data files may well do so.
I have poked around with it, but I dont think it is yet mature enough to come close to Access.
Frankly, When a person wants something "simple", I dont think Access can be beat, yet anyhow. My problem with Access is not its limitation is what I can make it do. We have a legit ERP built out of it, but at great expense.
The problem is the knucklehead company behind it. They continuously change it, add new crap you did not need while ignoring the existing bugs and broken functions, and in doing so, flat out break what did work fine. This means that you can not simply "upgrade" because they are so stupid, they actually made changes to code and script useage. So, you end up with stuff that does not work even after a "successful" upgrade..
This costs a bunch of money, and you really are held hostage because they pull crap like pulling OS's from the market as they did initially with Vista (they forced most resellers to NOT offer any more XP machines - they have changed that slightly with the failure of Vista's initial release).
Nope. NEXT move is to GET OUT of anything that ties you to Microsoft.......
snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net wrote in news:899accde-a3b9-4933-814e- snipped-for-privacy@r60g2000hsc.googlegroups.com:
That and the constant price increases/licensing fees/Connection licenses, and license management costs, etc. My company is taking a _very_ serious look at both linux and Open Office. It would save the company a few million dollars a year.
-================ click here to download a free distro.
formatting link
You will need to burn a cd from the iso format to boot/install with and possibly change the boot sequence in your rom/bios to boot off the CD first.
Note that there are two versions. A "desktop" for normal use and a "server" package for servers. v7.10 [indicating an October,
2007 release] "gutsy gibbon" is the latest.
If you want a dual boot system, i.e. both windows and linux/ubuntu on the same computer, be sure and install windows
*FIRST*.
FWIW there is a free 2d cad program that saves files in a dxf format that looks pretty good. easy download/install when your get Ubuntu up. see QCAD v2.0.5.0 at
formatting link
Also if you are running the mozilla/firefox browser, while you will need to install the linux version, you can import all your settings, and bookmarks using the FEBE/CLEO add-ins. You will have to install these in both the windows and linux browsers, but everything comes across with no problems. [click on the tools options then add-ons, then extension in the upper left and then "get extensions" in the lower right.
When I updated from w95 to w98 my laser printer stopped working and I had to get another one, and when I went from w98 to w2k my scanner stopped working and I had to get another one. I installed Ubuntu on an older box that I had, and both the old printer and the old scanner are again functional. I wonder how much of the taxpayers' money the federal, state and local governmental units are p*****g off replacing perfectly good peripherals that stop working with an o/s update?
I am appalled that our local school district and community college, which are always short of funds, continue to "invest" in M/S products, even with "academic" pricing.
Please let us know if your company makes this conversion and how it goes.
F. George McDuffee wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
My bet is open office will be the first to be rolled out, as it's mostly a seamless change. I already have evaluation copies on the laptop that I use for programming and my desktop at work. I've been using it here at home for quite some time.
============ Most likely you are aware of this, but Open Office has their suite available for both Windows and Linux. This could be an easy way to "edge" over into linux.
For people that may be interested click on
formatting link
{general info/background} and to download click on
formatting link
sure to get the version for your operating system Mac/Linux/Windows]
About the only drawbacks I have found with Open Office are that the word processor does not work with word templates, and the spreadsheet sometimes has problems with excel macros. Excel VBA add-ins such as winstat don't work.
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