a lament for linux (ubuntu in particular)

I really like linux. I really super like ubuntu because I am more of a user and not a programmer. Ubuntu is an easy, idiot proof version of linux. Great!

I like that on the ubuntu website it says,
Compatible with all your devices  Ubuntu works brilliantly with a range of devices. No installation CDs. No fuss. And it’s compatible with Windows too! So you can open, edit and share Microsoft Office documents easily. http://www.ubuntu.com/
This is so important as I have a range of devices, and I need to open, edit and share Microsoft Office documents easily.

The lament comes in where these things just aren't true. They are not true and I want them to be true because I strongly support the open software ethic. I want to participate in the community and to share it with others. I think this model applies to much more than just software.

I can show a concrete example of how ubuntu is not compatible with all my devices: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1771972&highlight=epson+printer+workforce
and
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1774191&highlight=epson+printer+workforce

All the info is there. I have also opened, edited and shared Microsoft Office documents easily using LibreOffice, and to my dismay the formatting was totally destroyed. Luckily I did a few experimental openings, editings and shareings of Microsoft Office documents easily. It just doesn't work. How embarrasing it would be had I believed the above statement by ubuntu and this one by libreoffice:

  • You get a simple-to-use yet powerful interface that is easy to personalize – Microsoft Office users will find the switch easy and painless, with a familiar look and feel. 


  • Compatible with all major competitors' file formats. You can easily import files from Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint and many other formats, and can easily save to Microsoft Office and other formats when needed. http://www.libreoffice.org/features/

    • This simply is not true. Cross-platform use reveals incompatible formatting, even while working in  Microsoft Office formats, and while the interface might be similar to Microsoft Office 2003, it is not at all like the two newer versions. Who has Microsoft Office 2003 at work or at school anymore?

    I am told that it isn't ubuntu's or libreoffice's fault. It is the other companies' fault for not opening their code. I can understand that. The thing is that it doesn't change the problems I am having. Which leads to my biggest lament: I still have to use windows for the most basic functions for which I use a computer. Ubuntu is barely useful to me at this point. I just wish they would stop saying that it is.


    ~~~

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