6 Linux Myths Busted

Myth 5: Windows Software Won't Run On Linux

Any IT professional in a small or midsize business will hear this complaint the moment they begin to contemplate a move to desktop Linux. Microsoft Project users, for example, often cite the inability to work with Project files on a Linux desktop system as a reason to stick with Windows.

Don't Miss:

• Myth 1: Windows + Linux = Network Headaches
• Myth 2: Linux Lacks Business-Class Finance/Accounting Tools
• Myth 3: The 'Research' Is Against Linux
• Myth 4: Linux Is A Desktop Data Nightmare
• Myth 6: Linux Eliminates The Need For Antivirus Software

As with Linux accounting tools, however, the real problem here isn't a lack of alternatives; it's a lack of awareness. Let's break this issue down into two key elements:

1. Product-Specific Alternatives
   Linux alternatives to Windows applications have come a long way over the past few years. Microsoft Project users, for example, now have Linux-based alternatives; one of the most prominent, a free, open-source product called OpenProj, is now bundled with Sun's StarOffice business productivity suite.
2. Emulation And Virtualization Options
   Linux-based Windows compatibility applications are nothing new, but their quality and reliability have increased dramatically over the past few years. These include low-cost commercial applications such as CodeWeavers' Crossover product line or no-cost options such as WINE (basically, a community-supported version of Crossover).

Even a product line like Crossover can't guarantee support for every Windows application; in fact, quite a few Windows apps won't work at all with an emulator. Yet CodeWeavers, for obvious reasons, has focused on ensuring its Crossover software does work well with popular Windows applications such as Microsoft Office, Project, Quicken, and Adobe Photoshop. In fact, depending on the hardware being used and the exact Windows product involved, many Crossover users now notice very minor performance hits compared with running the same software directly in Windows.

Virtualization tools such as VMWare offer another option for running Windows-specific software. While these products tend to demand more powerful desktop hardware (as well as a legally licensed copy of Windows), they ensure full compatibility with almost all Windows software. And virtualization almost always offers a faster, more convenient alternative to a traditional dual-boot setup.

Next Page: Myth 6: Linux Eliminates The Need For Antivirus Software

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