Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 22nd Oct 2007 09:08 UTC, submitted by Dan Warne
Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu APCMag has a lenghty article on switching from Windows to Ubuntu. "When I was first given this task I had to sit and blink a few times, if for nothing else than dramatic pause. I'm a self-confessed Linux nut, as some of you may know, but even I'm cautious to do away with Windows completely. There's a reason I have a dual-boot Windows and Linux machine. Several of them, in fact. But have I just been conditioned into using Windows because of past experience, or applications, or file formats, or the myriad other reasons that make Windows a comfort zone because it's all so familiar?"
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Education/Science Publishing on Ubuntu
by m_yates on Mon 22nd Oct 2007 14:46 UTC
m_yates
Member since:
2006-04-05

I teach at a university and use Ubuntu as my primary OS, but I must keep Windows XP on my laptop for publishing research journal articles for two reasons:

1. Openoffice.org's bibliography capabilities are not usable. There is no Linux alternative to a program like EndNote.

2. Data plotting an analysis software is severely lacking. There is no good, easy to use Linux alternative to a program like Kaleidagraph, Origin, or SigmaPlot.

If the above two items were eliminated, I'd ditch Windows on all the PC's in my research group. I use Codeweavers Crossover products, but that doesn't work perfectly either.

I feel if the above two things were addressed, Ubuntu could make significant progress in taking market share in education. Making it work in education will pay off later as people want to continue using what they were trained on in school.