Jump to content

The definitive linux post: Making linux work as a digital workstation.


Recommended Posts

I?ve been using Windows XP for the past 2 years and I?m tired of it.

The constant patches, the security woes, all the updating, it?s pain

(I don?t think Microsoft is evil, just sloppy). Anyhow, I want to

explore switching over to linux. I need it to be fairly plug and play

since I?m NOT a command line expert.

 

Here?s my setup:

 

UMAX SCSI scanner running Vuescan.

 

HP 7660 printer. I?ll be adding a designjet as soon as they have one

that uses the gray inks.

 

My editing program is Corel Draw/Photopaint 9. I?ll be upgrading to

11 at some point.

 

Can this be easily configured to run on linux (I think Photopaint can

be run under WINE)? Has anyone done this who is less than a computer

expert? What linux distribution is the most user friendly?

 

I?m not opposed to having to tinker a little bit (considering I spend

an hour or so a week keeping XP updated). Any thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Umax is notoriously bad about allowing access to important technical information for open source drivers. Here is a link to find out if your scanner is compatible: http://www.sane-project.org/sane-mfgs.html#Z-UMAX

HP is usually pretty good, they even write their own linux drivers. It looks like the 7660 is supported, assuming that is a photosmart printer:http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_printer.cgi?recnum=HP-PhotoSmart_7660

Corel at one point made native linux versions (windows versions that were tested and modified to run under WINE). I just looked at the WINE application database and it looks like 9 works pretty well, but not 11.

I'm not sure what distro you should go with. Fedora is the new name of Red Hat's consumer version. People seem to like it. Mandrake is also popular, as is SuSE. As far as applications, you always have the native GIMP to work with it. I find it suits all my needs quite well. It doesn't do CMYK or more than 8 bits per channel yet. If you need more than 8 bits per channel, you can get cinepaint which is based on GIMP and developed by some hollywood film studios and supports 16bits per channel. All of this is of course free.

Good luck.

 

Tim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Codeweavers 'Crossover' will enable Photoshop to run under most Linux environments with some minor limitations; color management quirks, etc. Beats the heck out of GIMP, and CodeWeavers folk are good people.

 

Also not sure why you spend an hour or so a week keeping XP updated. I've got hundreds of Win2K desktops and a half dozen servers to support, and it sounds like you spend more time tinkering with XP than I do my entire environment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, if you do it right, you can deal with most windows XP security issues fairly easily. The first thing is to strip yourself of admin rights. You should never do any sort of everyday activity as an administrator. If file permissions are setup correctly (important stuff can only be touched by the administrator) than a virus or worm shouldn't be able to get very far. Also, use a proper firewall (sygate just gives them away), get a copy of spybotSD and a good virus scanner. If your only problem with XP is the security issues then it will be easier to fix those than it will be to switch over. This is coming from a die-hard linux user.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"using Windows XP for the past 2 years and I?m tired of it"

 

So the stupid discussion about linux vs windows reached this forum at last^^

only accepted answer(as I know from other forums): windows sucks, I love linux, its much cooler, all clever people use it etc etc, all other answers out you as stupid ignorant^^

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah.....so true :-)

 

Hey, the mainstream Linux distros are getting pretty polished, and the more demand for Photoshop there is, the faster Adobe will release a native Linux version of PS. Think about a Linux distro optimized and written around PS - whoa, gives me chills. Zoom!

 

I've found peripheral hardware support to still be far, far more fickle than the linux crowd admits (scanners and such), but the mainstream gear works pretty good. Good competition means we'll all benefit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you are tired of XP security issues, and want to move away from Microsoft, then Apple is a much better choice than Linux for photo editing. That is assuming that cost is not playing a big factor here. Obviously, converting your current PC to Linux using free software is going to be WAY cheaper than buying a new computer and software on the OSX platform.

 

Despite claims by some of us Linux users, applications run in emulators such as WINE do suffer a performance blow due to some of the required translation. It's not always noticeable in some apps, but it's still a factor to consider.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you ignore the nasty mountain of a price increase, moving from XP to OS X is indeed the better solution.

 

"Linux is only free if your time has no value." (David McNett)

 

Companies like linspire.com have made great strides to bringing Linux to the desktop, and it may be worth it to you take a look at them before you make a final change, but really, going with Apple will probably be a better solution in the long run (if, as you've stated, your goal is to eliminate MS from your computing environment).

 

Just my 2 cents.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That IE security issue -- still not fixed -- is no joke. It was one thing when if you updated your patches you'd be OK; it's something else entirely when the OS has such flaws that no update is available for an exploit that could rip off all your financial data.

 

I'm trying Linux, again, after about four years, but on a stand-alone machine with a KVM switch (keyboard, video, mouse) to reduce desk clutter. I still don't think it's there, but it's getting pretty close. The Suse 9.1 professional is a damn fine production.

 

I'd also consider Mac, but with associated software costs of switching it just doesn't seem worth it. Besides, I like building and tinkering with my machines...

 

G.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been following WINE for almost tens years - it strikes me that the programs it is most capable of running very well are usually a version or two out of date. This has been the case for as long as I can remember. Great tool, but it has an extrememly difficult task to perform - it speaks volumes that it is even capable of doing what it does. Disclaimer: I haven't checked on it lately.

 

As to Linux for photography, I don't know. I've used Linux (as well as other Unix or "Unix-like" operating systems) exclusively in my home for ten years. Meaning, I used ONLY Linux (or OpenBSD, or Solaris, etc). No Windows. What finally brought me to installing XP on a PC a little over a year ago was a need for Photoshop, color management, and support for printers, scanners, digicams, and the ability to burn DVDs. Windows strikes me as the right tool for the job, if you've got an investment in PC hardware, no interest in using Linux for its own sake, and no budget for an Apple.

 

Funny that we are going in different direction - you, having used Windows, and considering switching to Linux to do image work, and me, having used Linux for ten years, and finally installing Windows to do the same thing :)

 

As the guy who alluded to a Windows vs. Linux holy war, I hadn't seen anything of the kind in this thread, until he brought it up.

 

Anyway, in case I wasn't clear above, I suspect (especially if you are command-line-adverse) that XP (or OS X) is probably the right tool for you, at this point. Yes, the distributions get more and more polished, but I've still yet to install one and NOT need to hand-edit XF86Config to get things just right (if you don't know what this means, then just trust that it's something you really, really, don't want to do).

 

By the way, you've got nothing to lose checking out Linux and seeing for yourself. Even if you don't have the disk space to do a full install, there are a variety on small distibutions you can burn onto a CDR, which you can in turn boot off of and play with at your convenience, without committing to anything like buying another disk or deleting Windows. One such distribution is <a href="http://www.knoppix.org">KNOPPIX</a>.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jeff, perhaps staying with Windows is an option after all. We have a few Linux and Windows machines (and a an old Sun SS) at our place. On the Windows machines we simply do not use Outlook/Express or IE. This helps to keep things secure.

 

Also we run our computers behind a Linux gateway so all our IPs are 'private'. This is not 100% effective but it helps, too. Even if you only had one computer, it would be useful to have the gateway between the line and your computer.

 

For DTP or photography, the Mac would be the best Unix system due to its colour management etc. I don't know about Solaris though it may have high-end software only. Let us know how you go.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jeff,

I too was interested in the same goal. I have been watching Linux desktops for a number of years and they are geting better every year. This year I tried Xandros. It is a distro run by ex corel folks. It came really close but no cigar for me. It will auto sense and install a variety of hardware very very well. It auto mounts even usb harddrives and has a MS Explorer like file manager so it makes it easy for a Windows user to migrate.

The color management is a problem ( not that MS has color managemetn), I could not get the full res out of my monitor and video card and the variety of printer drivers for photo quality printers are still not available. It could be a very nice desktop for an average user but digital image editing is not really an average use of a computer. It demands performance and the full use of the pheripherals. It will come soon, so stay tuned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<I>Do you just auto update your stuff or let it go?</i><P>I update manually whenever MS makes a big stink about some new security hole in IE. Which if you think about it means I still only bounce my systems every other month on the last yearly average, which is the same frequency I have to bounce my NON windows systems for updates anyways. Not using IE on your home desktop is easily the biggest fix for Windows systems since the corporate level content filter gateways I use for big clients aren't really viable for home use. Mozilla/Firefox is a solid product worth using until IE gets it's act together - if ever.<p>Logging into a XP/Win2K box with no admin rights won't result in much, other than half your applications not working and the same vermin still able to cause havoc. Feel free to blame this on Micrsoft vs lazy ass developers who are to inept to write apps not requiring full access rights to the registry and such.<P>The main difference I notice between Windows and Mac users is Windows users bitch about downloading service packs, while Mac users brag about never having to do it with OSX, but have to do so anyways.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Garry,

Yes, if you don't sign on with admin rights, you should be safer in general. The idea is that all of the system files, and programs files (executables) should be owned by the administrator (only the admin can modify them, which is how a virus works). You'll need to sign on with admin rights in order to do any updates or change major system settings, but you really shouldn't need to do that very often. This is how unix systems operate. As Scott pointed out though, many windows programs stupidly require administrative access. This may be a problem. I personally don't use windows that often, but when I do, I run it as a user without administrative rights. Doing this won't save you from Macro Viruses (word and excell viruses), nor will it stop worms (they generally don't need admin rights), but it should stop some things. Alternatively, you could just not install software that you don't absolutely trust.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"if you don't sign on with admin rights, you should be safer in general"

 

Most attacks exploit the buffer overflow, which can happen no matter who signs in. With the buffer overflow, the cracker can have almost any rights.

 

With non-admin user login and without buffer overflow problems it is better to make sure the firewall is adequate. This applies to Linux too, although there are probably less bugs with buffer overflow problems there.

 

Bear in mind that recent exploits are not just buffer overflow exploits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't know about Wine, but VmWare seems to run pretty much everything - you need windows installed with it, though, but in your case it would just be some wasted HD space - no updates necessary since it runs in a confined environment.

 

Otherwise I do all my photo stuff except Photoshop-retouching and scanning in Linux; don't especially enjoy the "user friendliness" of Windows. You have to see how your stuff works for you, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, and k3wl d00dz use BSD...the guy wants to know if he could use Linux, not of your issues on web bulletins. I can do all I want with all of my systems (including Windows and Linux), it doesn't take me half of my free time to keep any of them working. It might be a surprise for some that the market leader isn't the only game in town...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, almost forgot: the official release of cinepaint that I have tried (recenty) have some serious bugs, I guess the movie studios have their own versions, but the public version I tried ast spring was just too buggy for serious use. Haven't had problems with Gimp on Linux though.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, you can try Linux out without even installing it onto your hard disk. Have a google for Knoppix, it'll give you a feel at least for how things have progressed. Runs entirely off CD/DVD.

 

You can install almost all the current Linux distributions side by side with XP, in a dual boot configuration. My personal favourite is SuSE Linux 9.1. You can buy it and get the manual and the professional version, or download the personal edition for free. Installation is easier & faster than XP, auto updates and easy to configure firewall. My Epson 3170 scanner, HP 7660 printer, camera etc. all work without problems. Vuescan comes in a Linux flavour too, so you should be set for the scanner

 

While Wine will run many windows apps, you should try to convert to native Linux apps as much as possible. The Gimp, while not perfect or suitable for everyone, is good enough for most non-professionals.

 

If you choose to stick with XP, follow some simple tips, take some basic precautions and you should be safe:

 

- set automatic update to automatically download updates, with manual install. Read the advisory and keep up to date.

 

- ditch IE, and use either Firefox or Opera (I prefer Opera, ymmv). They have far fewer security problems, and are not so deeply embedded, so any issues are usually far less serious

 

- ditch Outlook / Outlook Express, as these too are major virus infection vectors. Get something like Thunderbird (Firefox mail companion) or Eudora.

 

Or, get a Mac ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks all. I'm going to try SUSE 9.1 from the ROM and see if I can get it talk to my stuff. I need 16bit and couldn't live without lab color for sharpening so I'll have to try and make Photopaint 9 work.

 

BTW I've been using Firefox and Thunderbird from Mozilla for about a month now. Sweet. I really like T-birds junk mail tools.

 

thanks,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...