[Slightly OT] Linspire Newsletter Discusses Linux Programming

[Bob Warren]

Dan:

I don't think it's even "slightly" OT! I found the same article so
interesting, I sent a copy to Kevin and Mark with the following comment:

I thought you might be interested in the attached article. Hopefully, it
might soon be possible to say to the author:
"With RR, general programming (at least) in Linux is easy".

Although I find Linspire among the most promising of the Linuxes in terms of
simplicity and practicality, like many current Linuxes it does not work
100%, at least not for me. For example, I didn't manage to get my network
printer going. Also, since it aims at attracting users who are more
familiar with the Windows interface, it offers KDE only which is the most
similar to Windows. But as you might have seen on the List I recently, I
stumbled across Ubuntu with the simpler and better organized Gnome
interface, and not only did everything work, but RR looked very beautiful in
it.

The only thing that is holding me back regarding the full use of RR in Linux
is the current lack of a browser control, which is not only important in
terms of the kind of programs I write, but also important for the
introduction of vector graphics (SVG) that RR's drawing facilities also
lack. At the moment I am hanging fire in the hope that RR will see their way
clear to solving the technical issues involved and giving us a browser in
Linux as soon as possible. I wish I weren't the only one talking publicly
about it. I think that RR could have a great future in Linux, and perhaps
merits more attention than it seems to be getting.

Bob

>I've been experimenting for the past year or so with Linspire, a
>desktop Linux distro that has taken a LOT of the pain and annoyance
>out of trying to be a Linux *user*. I get their newsletters in email.
>Today's by Tom Welch talked about the lack of usable drag-and-draw
>user interface IDEs for Linux coding. SO I posted a note on their
>discussion board about the subject, pointing out of course Rev (and,
>in the interest of fairness, RealBASIC).

>The article makes for an interesting read if you care about software
>development on Linux: http://www.linspire.com/
>linspire_letter_archives.php?id=10

>Also, I suspect one or more Linux mags might buy a review of Rev on
>Linux from someone more knowledgeable about Linux than I.