[TriLUG] Re: Linux for the desktop

[al johnson]

On Friday 07 November 2003 01:09 pm, you wrote:
> Janyne Kizer wrote:
> > The missing pieces for us are -- desktop publishing (Microsoft
> > Publisher-like application), easy to use graphics program (they have
> > GIMP but find it to be overkill and I agree).  We have not had a demand
> > for a project management applications (Microsoft Project-like) but I
> > think that the organization could use it and I am looking for a more
> > fully featured one than MrProject.
>
> For "easy to use graphics program" are you looking for something
> like Paint Shop Pro?  I know CorelPaint was available for linux
> for a while on a free (as in beer) basis.  Have you looked into
> that? (Actually, I don't know if it is still available or not, sorry.)
>
> For the other two, well, those of you saying that the linux desktop
> isn't there yet, there's a concrete need that has yet to be met.
> Time to get working. ;-)
>
> Cheers,
> Tanner
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Tanner, you've just brought up something that I think Tri-lug might be able 
to do to improve the desktop, when you mentioned "CorelPaint was available" 
..."for a while.... " 

   Wouldn't it be smart if Tri-lug could create a software library of  Linux 
software which might be useful to members in the future. Maybe I'm just 
ignorant and there's some website already doing this,  if so kindly disregard 
this message. Or maybe there are some legal problems with doing this. If so 
I'm sure someone will be happy to tell me what they are. 
Naturally I'm talking about  saving the source code for GPL programs, and not 
those programs which are still protected by copyrights  Since we can't 
predict what will be useful to Linux users in the future, we 
ought to start collecting applications which look like they might be useful 
in the future.  Since it's impossible to predict what might be useful in the 
future, we probably ought to try and save all non-copyrighted applications , 
and save only the source codes.  In case you're thinking 
that this might be expensive, remember that CD's are dirt cheap and source 
code can be compacted into very little space.  

In other words, we probably ought to start a Tri-lug software library. 

Now let's hear from the "SCO lawyers" who'll probably tell us why we 
shouldn't do this, because they already own all the Linux software in the 
world  :-)) ---- Al Johnson.
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