Vector Linux SOHO 5.1.1 Issues

[Cannoncreek]

Our office of 50+ computers is siwtching to this version of Linux.

I was wondering are'nt some of the programs proprietary (check spelling) on this version.

Heard it had RealPLayer and Adobe PDF Reader? I'm just afradi that if we switch to this version we might get burned by the copyright zealots or somthing.

Thanks for reading. :-)

[Cannoncreek]

BTW, i'm also concerned with the hardware compatability of some of our comupters:

These computers are using an intel Celeron 2.8 Ghz processor and this motherboard:
http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Products/ProductsDetail.aspx?detailid=531&DetailName=Specification&MenuID=44&LanID=0
Board's Features:     
VIA® P4M800 & VT8237R
Realtek ALC655 6-Channel audio CODEC
VIA® VT6103L 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet PHY
Integrated S3 UniChrome Pro 2D/3D Graphics

The one's in bold is what concerns me the most. :-(

[retired1af]

Our office of 50+ computers is siwtching to this version of Linux.

I was wondering are'nt some of the programs proprietary (check spelling) on this version.

Heard it had RealPLayer and Adobe PDF Reader? I'm just afradi that if we switch to this version we might get burned by the copyright zealots or somthing.

Thanks for reading. :-)

Don't recall seeing realplayer, but Adobe PDF reader is free. As far as I know, everything included with the package is either free stuff or open source. Load away.............

[newt]

I, also, cannot recall realplayer or adobe pdf reader being included in the 5.1.1 SOHO ISO - I'm farily certain they are not due to licensing.  So you should be fine in that respect.

The hardware concern is another beast - If I had to guess I'd bet that you can get them working just fine but it's only a guess

[Cannoncreek]

newtor & retired1af: Thanks for the clarification :-) I must stop this habit of opening 20+ tabs on mozilla when hunting for a Open Source O.S. :lol:

Anyways so if I were to install "Vector Linux SOHO 5.1.1" on lets say less thans 100 computers in our office I would'nt be burned by the makers of this product. I mean I might get sued for installing that many using only one copy?

Real sorry for asking something as dumb as this. :-(  I'm pratically a newborn when it comes to Linux. :-(

[newt]

Anyways so if I were to install "Vector Linux SOHO 5.1.1" on lets say less thans 100 computers in our office I would'nt be burned by the makers of this product. I mean I might get sued for installing that many using only one copy?

To begin with you should have a "test" system that you try it out on first to make sure things will work as you expect and that the hardware will be usable as expected.  Also, you can determine any extra steps that will be needed for the rest of the systems.  Since you're looking at a company-wide changeover you should definitely spend some time testing it out on a single system first.

Regarding the legalities of installing VL SOHO 5.1.1 on 90+ computers, you _should_ be fine but DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.  Please send a PM to one of the devs for a concrete answer (try vector, JohnB316, or Joe1962).

[lagagnon]

You also might want to consider user reactions and requirements to Linux in general before beginning the changeover. I was involved late in a change from Win to Linux at a non-profit organization that had about 30 Windows machines. That was 2 years ago. At the time Firefox could not deal with one governmental reporting website due to the bad coding of that website - but it was a vital one. Secondly, OpenOffice made a mess of one vital reporting spreadsheet. It was a deal breaker just those two things alone and it was decided to switch back to Windows due to the annoyance factor experienced by the users. Alll that stuff needs to be investigated and  a solution in place beforehand.

If I were to do such a changeover I would first of all remove IE and MS Office on a few machines and substitute OO and Firefox on a few Win machines and see how the users take to them first and get their feedback, then slowly roll out Linux on a few machines and get more feedback before doing a massive changeover. Just my humble opinion - but I'm sure you have thought all that through....

[retired1af]

Point well taken!!! There's nothing worse than listening to 100 users bitch and moan about new software and how it's SOOOOOOOOO different than what they've used before! 

[GrannyGeek]

Heard it had RealPLayer and Adobe PDF Reader? I'm just afradi that if we switch to this version we might get burned by the copyright zealots or somthing.

It's been several months since I had a computer with 5.1 SOHO installed, but I don't believe RealPlayer or Adobe Reader were installed by default. Both RealPlayer and Adobe Reader may be downloaded from their respective maker's Web sites and easily and legally installed. Or don't install them at all. There are open source alternatives that are sufficient for many users.

I think lagagnon gave some good advice about easing into a switch from Windows to VectorLinux. People tend to be very resistant to change and to want to use what they're used to.
--GrannyGeek

[rbistolfi]

I agree with lagagnon and Granny, I think could be nice to have a thread about nice open source apps for Windows, hmmm I will start it at the Lounge.