Biting the Ubuntu bullet
So, while my main PC has been busy on a video project, capturing VHS video for copying to DVD, I've been on my secondary machine to do all the other work that still needs doing.
This secondary PC , an older, grumpy thing, has Ubuntu Studio1 installed on it. It's been very hard to get used to, this slower machine and unfamiliar interface, but I figure I'm going to get to this point eventually. I've kept my vow to avoid Vista, I will likewise avoid Windows 7 if at all possible, but to do that I'm going to have to get used to working in Linux on a regular basis. Windows XP will eventually fall aside as Windows 2000, for the most part, has.
I just like the idea of an operating system I don't have to have a license for, you know? Download, install, done.
So, I have two goals for this box. One: to install a Firewire card and drivers, so that I can use this machine for video capture and basic editing. Kino supports IEEE13942, so connecting my camera should present no problem. Haven't tried yet, so that's still a question.
Second: to find a code editor that lets me work as efficiently as Homesite 4.5.2. In place editing and javascript-based extensibility are hard to replace, even if the application hasn't aged well. I've installed Quanta and SciTE, so we'll give those a try and see.
Hell, if I could find one-for-one replacements for Adobe Premiere and AfterEffects for Linux, I'd ditch Windows right here and now. Tonight!
I could install Linux on Michelle's Dell laptop, though the transition would be rough on her and the kids. The advantage is that there isn't anything that Michelle does on a computer that requires Windows, and she could transition without losing any work that she does. She is what you'd call an "average user."
Me, on the other hand, that's a little tougher. I have some very specialized things that I do, and - let's face it - the software manufacturers have been slow to support Linux. Lightscribe, digital video effects, advanced non-destructive non-linear editing are all waiting for support. Wine comes close, but is not only not a panacea, but in many cases I've already tried, doesn't even come close.
I have hope, though.
1 Ubuntu Studio, just in case you're interested and don't already know, is just like regular Ubuntu, except that it comes bundled with audio/video/graphics software. Lots of it.
2 Which is really just Firewire by another name.
This secondary PC , an older, grumpy thing, has Ubuntu Studio1 installed on it. It's been very hard to get used to, this slower machine and unfamiliar interface, but I figure I'm going to get to this point eventually. I've kept my vow to avoid Vista, I will likewise avoid Windows 7 if at all possible, but to do that I'm going to have to get used to working in Linux on a regular basis. Windows XP will eventually fall aside as Windows 2000, for the most part, has.
I just like the idea of an operating system I don't have to have a license for, you know? Download, install, done.
So, I have two goals for this box. One: to install a Firewire card and drivers, so that I can use this machine for video capture and basic editing. Kino supports IEEE13942, so connecting my camera should present no problem. Haven't tried yet, so that's still a question.
Second: to find a code editor that lets me work as efficiently as Homesite 4.5.2. In place editing and javascript-based extensibility are hard to replace, even if the application hasn't aged well. I've installed Quanta and SciTE, so we'll give those a try and see.
Hell, if I could find one-for-one replacements for Adobe Premiere and AfterEffects for Linux, I'd ditch Windows right here and now. Tonight!
I could install Linux on Michelle's Dell laptop, though the transition would be rough on her and the kids. The advantage is that there isn't anything that Michelle does on a computer that requires Windows, and she could transition without losing any work that she does. She is what you'd call an "average user."
Me, on the other hand, that's a little tougher. I have some very specialized things that I do, and - let's face it - the software manufacturers have been slow to support Linux. Lightscribe, digital video effects, advanced non-destructive non-linear editing are all waiting for support. Wine comes close, but is not only not a panacea, but in many cases I've already tried, doesn't even come close.
I have hope, though.
1 Ubuntu Studio, just in case you're interested and don't already know, is just like regular Ubuntu, except that it comes bundled with audio/video/graphics software. Lots of it.
2 Which is really just Firewire by another name.