My partner doesn’t do much on the computer except web browsing and writing. The Scrivener writing program had a Linux version at some point that was abandoned.
I wanted to see if anyone personally has used Scrivener with Wine and if it is fussy or not. How has your experience been?
I could set it up for them, but they’re not a tech person and will probably reject Linux if it breaks all the time and they have to get me to come fix it.
Extra irrelevant info: trying to decide on having them try Mint or Ubuntu. Fedora is my daily driver and I typically use a headless Debian install for servers, but I heard Mint and Ubuntu are pretty perfect and low fuss for Windows users.
I can’t speak to running Scrivener, but other folks have that covered, so I thought I’d weigh in on your “extra irrelevant info.”
If it were me, I’d just give them Fedora. I set up my partner’s computer with it and they were fine. They adapted to Gnome like it was nothing, and everything went smoothly.
If you’re worried about the UI, you could use some Gnome Extensions to set it up like Windows (dash to dock, Arc Menu, etc.) or set up a KDE, Cinnamon, or XFCE spin to work like Windows.
Mint is an okay choice for beginners, true, but if you’re setting it up for them and will be their tech guru, any significant advantage is kinda lost. You’re the one who’s going to set up the starting packages and the DE and all that, which nowadays is about 90% of the advantage Mint has over Fedora when it comes to beginners. Because of that, since you’re tech support, you should just set up what you’re most comfortable running support for.
That’s just my opinion, though.
Have you gotten them to try an alternative program? And if they REALLY need scrivener in particular, then you can try installing it in something called “bottles”, though it will probably require a bit of setup to work correctly, though my personal advice to anyone who needs a windows only program that doesn’t have a Linux port or alternative is to just… Use windows.
i think the most important part is that if they switch to linux, you are now their IT support, and they will rely on you. be patient and understanding with them, even if stuff is not necessarily broken.
It has a pretty solid rating with cross over office. The problem with anything running in wine and interacting with the file system is that you see a meta file system that’s different than your normal desktop system. It can be confusing for non-power users.
If he drops Windows for Linux, he might as well opt for a free writing software. I read that Manuskript has pretty much all the features of Scrivener and is somewhat similar so the learning curve should not be too steep.
Maybe best to set it up in a separate partition or PC for a trial.
See also : https://alternativeto.net/software/scrivener/?license=opensource
Totally unhelpful, but I love Scrivener.
Not sure there’s really much point in trying to push people to use Linux if they aren’t interested in computers.
Imagine if someone came up to you raving about switching to a new car brand that has a 5% higher top speed and 10% more fuel efficiency for your money but the handbrake is in on the roof, you change gears with buttons instead of a gear stick and you fill the tires with water instead of air
Most people don’t care about what software runs on their computer and just want the default because it works the same way everyone else’s does
Only way Linux gets into the mainstream is if consumer hardware with it preinstalled gets popular, the steam deck is a good start
It’s their partner. Maybe OP just wants to get rid of microsoft in their home network and the household, which is not an absurd thing I think.
I’m probably going to be unpopular for saying this but I think at some point you just have to settle. What practical difference does it actually make to your life if someone else has windows on your network
It has, I think.
A little different, but I hope you’ll see my point.
My family members use netflix on our smart TV. The netflix that says in it’s privacy policy that they’ll scan your network to know what devices you have.
I have never agreed to that outrageously unacceptable privacy policy, still, my devices are scanned by that garbage service, and by that they have insight on what devices I have, when am I around (at home), the network services that those devices run (any android app can run a network service in the background), and probably the OS along with it’s version that your device runs. These information can be quite telling about your personality, your life situation and other private matters.And it sucks that companies are allowed to do things like that with their software but I would imagine you wouldn’t be very popular if you try to tell them they can’t use Netflix anymore
Could always put your machines on a different subnet to the smart TV?
Preinstalled on consumer hardware like Chromebooks in every school or for some unfathomable reason some of the nursing homes I work with?
I always worry with those kinds of installations that I’m going to become permanent tech support because Linux problems are far less universal
Also if they need to run Photoshop or full fat Office they’re kinda screwed
Libreoffice is essentially full fat Office at this point. If you need any , more than what it offers, you’re more likely than not a computer savvy person already. Photoshop is hard to fully replace though. I ran it in wine for a long time, still haven’t found a good alternative.
Photoshop runs in wine? Gave up on trying to run it on Linux long ago not that I have a license for it anymore anyway
There’s stuff like photopea but the web based ones kinda suck and are full of ads
Probably old versions from when you could still buy it instead of rent
Yes, I found a guide for getting Photoshop CS6 running in wine (PlayOnLinux wrapper). A recent update to something broke it for me, but it might still work for others.
Ok if they are browsing and reading emails BUT you are the administrator. But apparently s/he has a Windows only program s/he relies on… Using Wine will only increase the probability of the program crashing
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Honestly, I’ve found that for non tech-savvy people making any sort of major change results in confusion and frustration. Unless there’s a reason that you’re wanting them to switch at this particular point in time, and unless the impetus for the change is coming from them…just leave it, don’t mess with a setup they’re comfortable with.
I’ll likely get downvoted for this.
It doesn’t seem like there’s any advantage for them in switching to Linux.
It’ll just make their experience harder for no real gains for them.
I wonder how much functionality of Scrivener you could get in Obsidian. I found an article about someone setting their Obsidian vault up to run a workflow similar to Scrivener.
Obsidian is my Scrivener replacement. It’s not the same, but it’s a great tool that actually gives me more of what I wanted from Scrivener.
Go with LMDE5. It will run faster the Windows has never ran on that hardware.
Just let them do what they want to do. They can live their life the way they choose.
Cant say for sure about Scrivener, but Bibisco has a native Linux version and it runs great on my MX 21.3 laptop. Working to convert my GF too, as we both write a lot and her laptop (same model as mine)gets hot for no reason with Win 10, not to mention its Windows…
I’ll try dropping scrivener into Bottles as a test and report back, but I think a native app is a must for a full time writer.
EDIT: Scrivener doesn’t just install in Bottles/Wine from what I can see. It failed for me, and I’m working on the dependencies, but as another commenter pointed out, the meta filesystem would likely be a deal-breaker for most on-tech-savvy users who need easy access to their files to share them.
Linux makes a fantastic writing / research machine but helping folks make the transition to Linux can be difficult.
Everyone comes at it from a different angle and with a different intensity. Sometimes just letting them explore available options can be what they need. I’ve found that allowing the transition to be an open, running conversation, can be really helpful and much less stressful. There’s a lot to learn, even with Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, etc…
If you haven’t found them already, here’s a few personal favorite writing apps/systems (in no particular order) I’ve enjoyed using over the years.
Fadein https://www.fadeinpro.com/
Focus writer https://gottcode.org/focuswriter/
Wordgrinder http://cowlark.com/wordgrinder/index.html
Emacs org-mode https://jacmoes.wordpress.com/2019/09/24/creative-writing-with-emacs/#Manuskript_and_the_cork_board
Nice i look at these
Fadein works great on Linux! I second this!
Love that I can easily switch from phone to laptop when working with Fadein.
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Why do you want other people to switch to Linux? I don’t understand making fuss with relationships for an OS. Especially if they have Windows programs. Plus now everytime there is a problem, s/he will always call you. What does s/he think?
