'Lindependence 2008' aims to Free Felton from Microsoft Windows...

Why pay $650 for Adobe Photoshop when you can have 97 percent of the functionality of Photoshop for free? That's a question software developers and distributors plan on addressing at "Lindependence 2008," a ...

[Fed up in Live Oak]

Yes, Linux is great until you need to get under the hood. My 70+ year old dad can fix most windows issues, but Linux baffled him. Also, you can get The Gimp (photoshop replacement for Win/Linux) and many other apps free or close to free to get you away from the mainstream providers like Adobe. And don't flame me, I run 60+ servers in 9 countries based on both linux and windows.

[Fed up in Live Oak]

Sorry, didn't mean to sound negative, give it a try, you might find that you like it.

[Steve]

If people would like to support and use Open Source/Free Software on windows. That would also be a great way on transitioning, then call someone like HeliOS to help convert you to Linux

http://www.osalt.com/
http://theopendisc.com/programs/
http://osswin.sourceforge.net/

[No free beer - sorry]

Interesting the article tag line talks about Adobe but refers to MS and Linux in the body of the article. Confusion between a SJC based company and one in Redmond?
Anyway on to my comment.
Regardless of OS or application software, computers require support.
Hardware or software support is not free.
The idea that your computing experience will be free if your run opensource software is simply not true.
If you do not belive me try it out. By the way you should include your time in the equation when you do the math.

[Sha Right]

I'm a big supporter of open source software, and use quite a bit of it. However, the article opens with a bold quote that it then fully fails to back up.

"Why pay $650 for Adobe Photoshop when you can have 97 percent of the functionality of Photoshop for free?"

What is this magic application? I've worked with the latest version of Gimp and various offshoots, and it's more like 5% of the functionality with 1% of an acceptable UI.

Would someone please point me to a free tool that truly offers "97 percent of the functionality of Photoshop."

[Rick]

Nice job on listing the date & time..

'WHEN: 1-5 p.m., July 13, 1 6-9 p.m. July 15, 6-9 p.m.'

huh ?

[nfty9er]

Well I know something completely 100% free.
Tuesday night ladies play free pool at Fast Eddy' Billiards in Capitola.
And on Wednesday night men play free. So there.
LOL

[Geek]

The best solutions for noobs in my opinion:

1. Try GNU/Linux on a Live CD which makes no changes to the hard drive. If you don't like it or you run into issues, just reboot and you have your Windoze back.

2. Put GNU/Linux on an old machine, keeping the primary Windows box for those times (like taxes) when Linux does not have the software you need.

Why pay $300 for MS Office when Open Office is free? I do my school work on OO and notice no difference.

Why run MS Outlook when Evolution is very similar? But no virus & spyware to constantly worry about.

Linux isn't for everyone. For those who just want to browse the web, use office applications and send email, it's a great solution. For those who like to try different types of software with out having to shell out hundreds of dollars, Linux is great.

It took me a while to get the hang of Linux but I am now free from Microsoft except for tax time. I now have more software to choose from than I can possibly every try out. I can modify the code if want.

Best of all, there a great community to interact with. Help those that need help and get the same in return.

[mountain folk]

wtf is this coming to felton?
half the town doesnt know what a shower is.

Why would they care about linux?

[JCD]

Keep in mind... one of the reasons one's 70 year old father can use Windows is because he's used to it. They have achieved a sufficient level of saturation that they've become very pervasive. This says nothing about ease or good design, simply that everyone knows it. There is something to be said about having even your weird old neighbor who knows a bit about something.
I'm a big opensource person & don't touch uSoft or related unless necessary - which does happen and I don't regret if it works well. However, I do agree; if you have software that works and it's free, no reason to pay Senor Gates (et al) for theirs.

[RobtA]

Ya know those Vista features that drive you nuts, if you're used to XP? If you love them, then you'll love Linux even more!

Actually, I'm using Linux right now. But I'm not a noob.

[UNIX]

rules.

Best OS.

[Juan]

The main problem with Linux has been hardware driver support. Most hardware manufacturers write drivers for Windows and ignore Linux. So, if your wireless network card doesn't have native support from your "flavor" of Linux, it can be difficult to get it working. This is especially true for cheap hardware from Fry's etc. I like Linux. Its very stable and runs forever without problems which is ideal for servers. The average consumer isn't familiar enough with what's "under the hood" of their computer to use Linux without a lot of frustration.

[helios]

The average consumer isn't familiar enough with what's "under the hood" of their computer to use Linux without a lot of frustration.

No, that's not true...at least for the several hundred installs I've done in the past two years. We've streamlined the desktop for our clients so they don't HAVE to go under the hood. I've written the scripts and small apps and incorporated them into the install so if they can run Windows, they can run Linux. The hardware support has gotten to be better than Windows in many cases and since they are written into the Kernel, you don't have to traipse around finding the drivers you need. Sure, Linux is not for everyone. I find that people my age and older are so "brand-set" that they won't switch anything they are used to...even if it is broken and has to be fussed with to work.

No...aside from a few hardware issues and I mean very few. we've had great success migrating user and business alike to Linux. The wireless "issues" are being solved at an amazing rate. It all depends on how much you care about making it happen. Some of the worst damage to the Linux reputation has come from people just handing someone a Live cd disk and saying "here try this."

No wonder people don't like Linux in these cases. All it takes is their computer not being set to boot to CD and all of a sudden, Linux is horrible.

Felton should be an interesting experiment. Regardless of your opinion, it's going to be a good start for media recognition. Between the news stations, NPR and the documentary being shot...we should get some exposure.

[jason]

Hardware or software support is not free.

It can be. I am a volunteer for one of the guys that are putting this project on. He has hundreds of "support accounts" he services and doesn't charge a dime for. Some do it for the money, few do it because they believe in what they do.

[exciting]

i just started using linux at work and i love it! i'll be there!

[Feltonite]

A nerd/geek gathering in felton of all places! It will be very interesting to see the local geek population come out of the woods -- there are quite a few around!

[Richard Chapman]

"A nerd/geek gathering in felton of all places! It will be very interesting to see the local geek population come out of the woods -- there are quite a few around!"

That's an interesting line "there are quite a few around", can you back that up with a link to a reliable source?

[JARHEAD]

nfty9er wrote:

Well I know something completely 100% free.
Tuesday night ladies play free pool at Fast Eddy' Billiards in Capitola.
And on Wednesday night men play free. So there.
LOL

YOU ARE THE MAN!. FINALLY ! some usefull information on this endlessly talking light bulb. plus if your lucky. you'll get to see a drunken mr.lake SMOKE every body at nine ball. and he is worth watching!