[LINK] Microsoft is dead

[Craig Sanders]

On Sun, Apr 08, 2007 at 12:19:47PM +1000, Howard Lowndes wrote:
> Craig Sanders wrote:
> >i've been saying for a long time that the only people who really need MS
> >Windows are home computer users and gamers.  Office users are actually
                                                ^^^^^^^^^^^^
> >better off with Linux (or with Mac). quantity and quality of games is
> >the only thing that Windows has over these platforms, and games aren't
> >exactly relevant to most office work.
> 
> Not true.  I think I mentioned here a couple of weeks ago about trying 
> to get some M$ specific apps running under Wine, especially flight 
> planning software, pilot duty hours software, Jeppsen databases to 
> update flash cards for TSO'd GPS units in aircraft (if you don't use the 
> approved software then the GPS is no longer TSO'd and the aircraft can't 
> operate legally.  I had to admit defeat and fall back on Winders.  These 
> are very specialised "office" applications that will only work on M$.
> 
> I even had a call the other day from a couple who had just sold their 
> wool classing business.  Their microscope cameras, scales, hygrometers 
> were all DOS based and built on full length ISA cards.  You try getting 
> new mobos with ISA slots...  they were after second hand gear which I 
> had in abundance.  I also know of a local insemination laboratory that 
> uses DOS based equipment to drive their sperm spill labelling machine.

are these "Office Users" ?

No.

they're specialised niche-market users.



btw, the dos-based stuff will almost certainly run under dosemu. if you
can find a M/B with ISA slots....but you'll have better luck getting an
old motherboard to run with linux & dosemu (or even just freedos) than
you will getting the same to run with a recent, supported version of,
Windows.


getting obscure windows stuff to run under Wine is very much a
hit-and-miss affair - mostly "miss".


craig

-- 
craig sanders <cas at taz.net.au>

Unseen University had never admitted women, muttering something about
problems with the plumbing, but the real reason was an unspoken dread that
if women were allowed to mess around with magic they would probably be
embarrassingly good at it ...
		-- Terry Pratchett, "The Light Fantastic"