Page 1 of 1

just a idea for mint

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 2:40 pm
by leagallow
Greetings everyone

well eh.. where to begin? oke, i am just 18 years old and use my vostro 1700 as my main computer. i had vista, (and i have it again, (too bad i know,) but it gets retarded (sounds familiar? where did i heard that before?) anyway i decided to unistall vista and get mint kde. i was very happy with it, wifi everything works fine (i like the cool mint logo by the way). but then, school begun, still no sounds like a problem? here it comes; because i am a student and study for chemistry in the laboratory i need (yes i NEED,) to use ms office exel. i tryed ofcourse Openoffice but isn't a solution. It works pretty oke, different in some ways but almost the same like ms office. So wited in openoffice a exel file for school, but then the problem came. I saved it and when i opend the file in the reall exel and it gets totally messed up. tabel, a graphics where i can not anything, and some errors. If you workt about 3 hours for it and its gone you really don't want it anymore. i tryed to find what's wrong and it seems that the easy things goes oke but when it's get complicated it totally messed up. If you worked 3 hours on a file and when i opend it with exel it died almost totally, the you don't gonna like it anymore. Even how cool linux is.

so i had the idea for a wine specially created for ms office. i don't know if it is a great idea or just worth less crap, but well i thought, cause like mint very much to suggest it in the forum and see where it ends.

Greetings, Roman

so what do you think about?

Your sincerly, Roman

Re: just a idea for mint

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 3:07 pm
by Fred
leagallow,

I have two suggestions for you.

1.) Download and install CodeWeavers "Crossover Office." This program is a proprietary enhanced version of Wine. They specifically support Microsoft Office on Linux. You can download a trial version to see how it works for you before you buy. It has a 30 day trial period I think.

2.) I would have your parents write a polite but firm letter to the instructor, copied to the principle and the superintendent of the school system you attend, asking who is going to be responsible for the cost of the proprietary software that is a de facto requirement of the course. I would point out the discriminatory nature of this requirement and request a written communication stating their position and remedy in this issue.

You might be surprised at the response you get. :-)

Fred

Re: just a idea for mint

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 3:50 pm
by leagallow
1) Seems that i was not the first one with the problem. So i have solution, Great:D! That sounds like i am getting back to mint again :D!

2) haha! that's a cool one! i never tought about that! discrimination is one of the things may totally not being happend on, especially not in the netherlands. i will let you hear about the anwser.

(Roman dreams: how cool shall it be when my school totally turns in to linux? haha, next topic "howto turn school union of 3000 people from windows to linux"?)

Re: just a idea for mint

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:20 pm
by Zwopper
Or try

Code: Select all

apt get install gnumeric
It's better at keeping the M$ formatting.

Re: just a idea for mint

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:31 pm
by yamawho
Fred wrote:I would have your parents write a polite but firm letter to the instructor, copied to the principle and the superintendent of the school system you attend, asking who is going to be responsible for the cost of the proprietary software that is a de facto requirement of the course. I would point out the discriminatory nature of this requirement and request a written communication stating their position and remedy in this issue.

You might be surprised at the response you get. :-) Fred
The wide man strikes again :mrgreen:

The outcome might prove interesting ...

Re: just a idea for mint

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 8:00 pm
by timh
(Roman dreams: how cool shall it be when my school totally turns in to linux? haha, next topic "howto turn school union of 3000 people from windows to linux"?)
Hi Roman !
U r not longer dreaming, I wrote this 2 news a while ago, Netherland “likes” Open Source. :D
Sorry I hope U understand a bit, its german :oops:

http://www.linux-magazin.de/news/open_s ... _microsoft
http://www.pro-linux.de/news/2007/12096.html
salu2
tim

Re: just a idea for mint

Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:32 am
by MagnusB
The major flaw with OOo compability with M$ products is formatting. OOo use a different formatting, which makes documents look a bit weird if you save as *.M$ formats. I would just save the document in ODF format, turn it and say that you can't afford the proprietary software that the school force on you, and explain them how to open the document. Then they have to use OOo or the Lotus Suite (also free, but not open) for Windows, if they say no, ask them how you could be able to do the course without using the proprietary software. You could also claim it to be against your religion to use software that cost $$$ :)

Re: just a idea for mint

Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 1:52 pm
by Fred
MagnusB,
You could also claim it to be against your religion to use software that cost $$$ :)
lol... I like that one. :-)

Fred