Linux theme for window xp

Well it had to happen – yet another Linux distro is now making a concerted effort to go after the mainstream desktop. This time it's SuSE, one of the largest and most popular distros around. One of the biggest complaints people have with Linux is that they can't run a lot of their old Windows applications – especially Microsoft Office.

In this release SuSE has worked hard to create a version of their Linux distro that runs MS Office applications, and that is also generally more geared toward ordinary desktop users. This release is based on SuSE 8.1, but contains key additional desktop applications including StarOffice 6.0, and Codeweaver's CrossOver Office products that let Linux users run Windows programs, albeit older Office 2000 and Office 97 apps, not Office XP.

Before we get into the review, bear in mind that SuSE isn't the first company to make a version of their software that lets users run Microsoft Office apps. Xandros has already released a similar product. So we suspect that this version is going to make a big splash with users and companies looking for an alternative to Windows on their desktops. Installation Installation in this version of SuSE is pretty much a no-brainer. If you've installed Windows then a SuSE install won't faze you a bit. SuSE's installer just keeps getting better and better over time. It took about 20 minutes for us to get everything installed. We did a clean install on one of our Dell test boxes and had no burps or other problems with the installer. Everything went exceptionally smoothly.

We opted to do a customized install rather than the default install so we could include some multimedia stuff and games. We also chose to have all of KDE installed (including KOffice). Since this version of SuSE is geared toward the desktop, there's a lot less applications included than in the Pro version. That's as it should be; most non-techies would be overwhelmed by the number of apps included with the Pro version of SuSE.

Bundled Applications SuSE 8.1 comes with Star Office 6.0 and, if you opt to install it during installation, KOffice as well. The usual array of desktop Linux apps is also present including Evolution, Kmail, Knode, Gimp, Ksnapshot and others. For those who are interested in multimedia, there are also the usual things like CD burning software, Realplayer, etc. SuSE also bundled some desktop games but, frankly, we'd rather just play the ones on Yahoo if we were interested in cards, etc.

One bad thing we noticed was that there was just one very lame IM client included called Kit. We didn't like it and didn't quite understand why a desktop-targeted OS wouldn't include others like Everybuddy or GAIM (more on that below). SuSE needs to make sure they bundle some top rated IM clients. IM is a basic need and users should not have to hunt around on the Net for IM software.

The Gnome Desktop As always, we prefer Gnome to KDE. So that's what we opted to load after our installation finished. The Gnome desktop looks a little bit better this time but we do have some complaints. First, GAIM was not included in the installation. Somebody at SuSE needs to wake up and smell the coffee. GAIM should be installed with Gnome by default.

masinick: Xandros does it better...view full post >

Second, the Gnome desktop was not configured to handle RPMs. In contrast, the KDE desktop had a nice, little "Install with Yast" button built right into the Konqueror menu if you clicked on an RPM in KDE. What did we get with Gnome? An error message and that's it. Since this is a desktop version of SuSE, the ability to handle RPMs with a single click should work on both desktops. Yast should automatically pop up and begin the installation process. There's no excuse to make Gnome users work harder simply to install a program that isn't included with the OS.

For the most part, we're going to give SuSE a little bit of a pass on Gnome this time around though. Gnome 2.2 is just around the corner and we are hoping that in future versions SuSE keeps both desktop environments exactly equal. Given the interview (http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,842875,00.asp) we recently did with SuSE at Linux World, we're optimistic that a fairer, more balanced attitude toward the two desktops might be developing at SuSE.

The KDE Desktop As always, SuSE has done a very nice job with the KDE desktop. The KDE icons for the My Pictures, My Presentations and My Text Documents are somewhat slicker looking than their Gnome counterparts as per the default theme SuSE is using. Interestingly, a configuration menu for our DVD-ROM drive appeared when loading KDE. We didn't see one pop up in Gnome. We opted to have it configured and sure enough a minute later we had a DVD-ROM icon on our KDE desktop. All of the usual KDE apps are available, as is SuSE's Desktop Office Assistant.

Who Needs Gnome or KDE? Some of us simply don't want to bother with full-blown desktop environments like Gnome or KDE. Both love to suck up resources and memory and, for some, are overkill. Not to worry, SuSE has included some lightweight window managers in addition to the two major desktop environments. Don't expect pretty doohickies and slick GUIs. But if you find the need for speed, be sure to give Window Manager a shot. It might just fit the bill for folks with slower machines that don't care about prettiness.

CodeWeavers Crossover Products As we mentioned earlier, SuSE Linux Office Desktop incorporates Crossover Office 1.31. Crossover Office lets Linux users run MS Office (2000 or 97), Quicken, Visio and Lotus Notes, among other things.

Those running MS Office XP will have to wait until later this year, unfortunately, to run it. Jeremy White at Crossover told us that "We're planning on officially supporting Office XP in our 2.0 release, which is currently scheduled for mid March." Right now that product is "…alpha testing now" but is already "…working reasonably well…" according to White. That's very good news for Office XP users and we're looking forward to seeing that version of CO in action. We're not sure if SuSE will release an update to this release for XP users but we sure hope they do.

SuSE has also included Crossover Plugin 1.2 as well, so you can install various Windows goodies including Windows Media Player and Trillian. Crossover Plugin also includes support for TrueType fonts, ActiveX, QuickTime, Realplayer and Shockwave, among other things.

Installing Microsoft Office in SuSE Linux Setting up Microsoft Office using Crossover Office was pretty easy. When you first load your Gnome or KDE desktop, you'll see a welcome menu (Office Desktop Assistant) appear right on your desktop (if you accidentally close the menu, just click the Office Desktop Assistant on your desktop to reopen it). Next, click the "Install Microsoft Applications" link and you'll see a Crossover Office configuration menu open up.

Once you run the configuration setup, you'll see a CrossOver Office Setup menu. Click the application you want to install (in our case it was MS Office 2000) and then follow the on-screen prompts. That's about all there is to it. We just followed the on-screen instructions and we had MS Office up and running in about 15 minutes.

CodeWeavers, the folks who make CrossOver Office, have done a very good job making an MS Office installation pretty much as simple as it is in Windows. If you've installed it there then you can install it on your SuSE desktop without any problems.

Using Microsoft Office on Your SuSE Desktop Once MS Office is installed, using it is pretty much the same as in Windows. You'll see a big blue "E" for Internet Explorer on your Gnome desktop. And you can launch other MS Office apps by clicking on the Windows Applications icon on your desktop.

We found performance to be very good-- all applications including IE launched in about the same time as they would running on a regular Windows desktop. We were able to use Word (which we wrote this review with), Excel, Powerpoint and the rest without any problems.

Generally we prefer to use native Linux applications whenever possible though. We still prefer Open Office or Star Office to MS Office in Linux. However, for those who really need MS Office, SuSE (and CodeWeavers) have produced a very useful solution. Some individuals and companies will really appreciate the added flexibility of having their Windows apps available in Linux.