Linux and Power Point

[javasaurus]

We're getting some new equipment here, and the manufacturer produces the software to run the equipment for Linux operating system. Everything else here is Windows based.

How difficult is it to get images/text from a Linux system to a Windows system? Is it as easy as saving a .jpg and mailing it to yourself? If the Linux system is not on a network, are there cross-platform thumb-drives? What about compatibility between Power Point and the Linux equivalent?

Any info or links will be appreciated!

Thanks!

Comments

[javasaurus.livejournal.com]

After seeing your post, I read more about OpenOffice. Very cool.

I also learned that there is a version of MS Office for Linux. Seems a little backwards to me. Working for the government, it seems that our IT department frowns on having too many variables in the systems they control. So everybody here normally uses Windows with MS Office. It takes really extraordinary circumstances to move away from that, so we may be forced to pay for Office for Linux, even if essentially compatible freeware is available. Sigh.

Still, this all means that we have options that will work, it's just a matter of working with our IT dept. and the equipment vendor to choose the right solution for us.

Thanks!

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

I don't think there is or ever was a version of MS Office for linux.

There is running Office over "Wine" or other Windows emulation system (Codeweavers is a commercial product for this purpose), but M$ itself has never actually ported ANYTHING to Linux, not even the Windows Media Player they promised about 6 years ago that now tops my list of vaporware.

The thing about emulators? Wine either works or it doesn't and good luck to you, or Codeweavers (built on Wine) costs almost as much as a Windows license, and in either case you still (technically) have to pay for the MS Office license, so as they saying goes, why bother?

Is the point of this saving money on Windows by moving to Linux, or is the point simple data transfer from the geek or two that is using Linux? If the latter, the geeks are the exception and they become responsible for it (and as you say, the geeks in charge of the geeks aren't too fond of this).

Moving to Linux + emulators doesn't save money in the long run. Either you pay for a Linux expert and pay for license and support of the emulator, or you pay for Linux support from a vendor like Red Hat Enterprise as well, and you're still paying almost as much per seat as you were on Windows and now have forced your users through a *partial* learning curve where half the stuff they know, half they've never seen before, and none of it transparent.

Windows emulators are best for the two or three geeks who need them, not something to build a business on.

Is there really Office related material coming from the Linux box, or just images and text. If just images and text, then someone has to stick them into the Office docs, so you might as well, just transfer the files to stick in there and keep MS Office in charge of all else.

With Linux disconnected from the 'net, you also lose the ability to do file synchronization protections through tools like visual source safe.

Really, I'm failing to see the point here...

[javasaurus.livejournal.com]

Oops, didn't realize it was on an emulator.

Here's the deal. We are getting a new piece of really expensive lab equipment. As is normal for such things, it comes with its own software. In this case, the software is Linux-based.

Our IT department doesn't let us hook up anything to our network without approval, and their approvals fit on a very short list. So the Linux machine won't be networked.

Most of our equipment runs on Windows machines. We can easily export data and figures from the equipment software to Excel or Power Point, then transfer (by thumb drive) to our office computers and put it into reports and presentations.

So what we need is simply a way to move data and figures from the Linux machine to our office computers. But it sounds like we can do that using OpenOffice, and exporting the info in Windows format, then a thumb drive.

Thanks again for the info!