I totally hear you, Scruff. But the problems you outline aren't exclusive to Microsoft, but to 'Microsoft Culture', which includes big time players like Macromedia and Adobe. The 'Linux Culture', or more broadly, 'Open Source' culture is completely different. At least at the moment. Anyone who likes our culture the way it is now should hope that companies like Macromedia and Adobe stay the hell away from it. I say if you have to deal with the devil, do so in a separate hell (windows) rather than inviting the devil into heaven. Instead of hoping for the porting of hell we should be more concerned with the increasing of heavenly functionality through open source initiatives. IMHO, my two cents, etc . In the meantime if you have to deal with the devil, keep him in his place.

I like that

I don't quite feel the same way about companied like Adobe and Macromedia though. They allow their documents to be opened in other applications, and even provide some functionality between some of these apps. Like, Adobe's stuff cooperating with Quark for example. They also don't try to stifle competition. They 'win' simply by creating the absolute best application for the task at hand.

I got my "Boycott Adobe" mousepad when they used the DMCA to sic the FBI on Dmitri Sklyarov:

Sklyarov Background

And as for Macromedia, when the cost of software becomes greater than the cost of the hardware it runs on, something isn't right. It reminds me a bit of the gold rush when the people getting rich were those selling pickaxes and supplies, not the prospectors themselves. Except now the gold rush is over, and the price of the pickaxes still seems to be increasing.

Also they do have something of a monopoly on flash authoring. I don't know of a competing product. That allows them to inflate the price.

If we support these companies with our dollars, then essentially we're endorsing their practices. I'm not saying people shouldn't dance with the devil, that's an individual decision, but it should be a conscious, informed decision. These companies may not be as bad as the one in Redmond, but they're hardly saints.

I get what you're saying. My opinion on the pricing of these app though, is this: These are essentially commercial applications and anything that will be used professionally to turn a profit in a business is always going to cost more. I know the specialty tools that I use daily sure do. Around 100% more than the average joe would pay for 'homeowner' or 'weekend' grade tools. I wish they were cheaper to be sure, but these apps were designed specifically with the professional in mind and not the hobbiest, even though they are the tools every hobbiest wants

Again, I hear what you're saying Scruff. If I had a client who insisted on custom flash and was willing to pay a flash tax my ideological purity would go out the window. But that's the only web development thing I can't do natively in Linux. Hopefully an open source alternative will emerge, could even be a different format as long as there was a save as flash choice or a conversion utility.

hello,
how about some open source tax return software? ok by me if tax cut or turbo tax is ported, i would pay exactly the same price that is charged for the microsoft compatible versions.
but if any programmers want to write a new open source linux compatible
tax prep program, i'll be willing to pay a fair price, or use it free, however the open source programmer(s) want.

Dude, this is music to my ears. Thank you for this post.

Lightwave!
I got Lightwave 7.5 installed with WineX, but it's lacking compared to how it performs in Windows and Mac...menus are kinda screwy, the only plugin I use regularly (UV Edit Pro) doesn't work right, and the Hub has to be killed by force.
No...Blender is not an adequate replacement for Lightwave.

Photoshop....works okay in Crossover Office, but the "Save for Web" feature seems to be unusable.

Flash....couldn't get it installed so far.

I just installed an old version the other day with Crossover Office, and it runs quite well. I haven't tried FL Studio yet because my Linux machine isn't really up to the hardware requirements.

Photoshop and Macromedia suite.

Anyone know if programs like Matlab, Mathematica, and CAD programs work with linux?

Some games, I suppose...among my favorites Civ3 and Alpha Centauri
Please tell me they're already ported

BTW I started "hacking" Civ 1, bought Civ2, SMAP and Civ3 for Windows but didn't bought Play The World because it seemed developers had intentiously(?) kept some features only to seel PTW more, so I lost some trust in them. But going Linux would definitely get them my pardon

Forte Agent newsreader

Battlefield 1942
GTA 3
GTA Vice City
K.O.T.O.R.
Get the picture?....

iTunes (Apple recently released it for Windows, but not Linux of course).

KaZaA (they have released LimeWire for linux, but it's java based, and thus ridiculously too slow).

AOL (the web browser part that is really just a cheap rip-off of Internet Explorer can stay with Windows, but the part that dials up and connects would be nice on linux since it's TUN based and not PPP based. Penggy does the job, but it's a bitch to install and only root can use it.)

HP RecordNow (excellent program for burning CDs. Not that this can't already be accomplished with existing linux programs, but let's face it, how many of us have installed linux on our computers and found that XCDRoast actually worked? I know I haven't, on ANY of my many computers). RecordNow is easy to use and works well.

Family Tree Maker (some linux programs exist and/or are in the process of coming into existance that can read .ged files and other family tree files, but experience tells me that none of these programs have any hope of even coming close to comparing with Family Tree Maker in functionality and ease of use.

Pinball (Comes with Windows XP and can be added to other Windows versions).

SimCity (both 2000 and 3000)

Test Drive 5 (Has a 69' Charger. I have yet to see a linux racing program that has a 69' Charger. That's what's parked in my basement, and that's what I want to race on my computer, not a 3D penguin (although TuxRacer is a lot of fun)).

Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 (so we could make Windows programs without using Windows. Don't even send me a reply mentioning WINE. WINE can run the Windows calculator program and Notepad too, but other than that I haven't had much success).

Myst (Aging, but still a classic)

Finally, the driver for my ATI Radeon IGP 320 graphics chip built into my FIC motherboard that ATI won't release a driver for even though I have emailed them NUMEROUS times about it with no response back from them. Guess I won't buy anything that is made by or uses parts from ATI ever again. Bye bye ATI; if you can't join the modern age you're going to get left in the dust (i.e. people will buy graphics cards that do have drivers).

Quicken (personal finance) - happy to pay the Windows price.
It's the only thing I run on Win4Lin, except for those BAD websites
Rob