D--: what makes VirtualBox superior to VMWare, in your opinion? I like Virtualization stuff, but vmware has worked so well for me that I haven't really bothered to look at anything else (save bochs and qemu, but those are mostly useful for kernel development and not as much for vm needs).
Btw, as for the ALT+0151 thing, it should be possible to set up some keyboard mapping to give you the shortcuts you want... on windows as well as linux 
-f0dder
VirtualBox has a kernel module that gives it ring-1 level access to your CPU. Its commands are executed natively, rather than emulated. Only the attached hardware devices run through emulation. This results in a massive speed up, especially on older hardware. However, its OS support is very limited. It is good for XP or Linux, but you will never get it working with most DOS variants or QNX, all of which VMWare handles perfectly.
Regarding the ALT+0151 thing, do you know how to do this from Xfce and while using the SCIM input method? I do not use xim because I need to be able to input non-English text. All the guides on the Ubuntu Web site assume xim in a Gnome environment.
Derrick, I'm wondering why you're stuck using Ubuntu. Why not Ubuntu Studio or Sabayon? Telling a Linux user not to customize is like telling an addict not to take another hit. 
-zridling
I could use either, but I don't. Xubuntu is my preferred distribution, and on my hardware the RT kernel of UbuntuStudio would not offer any significant advantage. Regarding customization, I think my main target was tweaking outside of /home/--where packages are apt (GAW HAW HAW, APT-GET IT? HAW) to overwrite any of your customizations through routine updates pushed onto the system. There's nothing wrong with dropping in some new Gtk themes or window decorations in your home folder. Well, nothing except root being retarded and unable to use themes placed anywhere outside /usr/share/ ... Oh well, I guess that makes for one ugly Synaptic.
I'm not arguing against Photoshop or QuarkXpress, but professional shops use those apps and their prices reflect that. Little ol' Zaine Ridling pissing around editing and resizing his own digital photo collection can get the same results from a hundred different free and shareware apps rather than shelling out $899.
-zridling
I couldn't agree more! That's why I said I can use the Gimp for some basic things. If I need to work up an avatar image or add stupid text to the graphic of a cat, Photoshop would be like using a tank to kill a gnat. Heck, it's even fine if your digital work doesn't extend much beyond tweaking white balance, curves and levels with a couple glances at the histogram. Similarly, I said Scribus is great for making a little newsletter, a card or a flier. You would be stupid, however, to use it for designing a newspaper or typesetting a full-size novel.
Open source software has great solutions that do more than enough for any casual user! It only falls short in the area of professional function. But again. That's why those big programs cost so much: professionals use them to produce material on which they earn a living.
I've been able to make the switch quite well, but then my work has to do with data analysis and databases, not editing movies and graphics. Now if you use FileMaker, for instance, you won't get that kind of UI beauty on Linux, but I have to use MySQL anyway given the very large data sets I work with. So that depends on what you do as 'work.' For example, check out slideshare.net, which can import and use a wide variety of formats, starting with ODF.
-f0dder
Once again, I'm in complete agreement. If your tasks involve databases an non-win32 programming, I'm sure Linux has many fantastic solutions. Even in 2001 all the comp science people were geeked about KDevelop. I've never been a C programmer or a KDE user, so I never bothered to look at it. However, I'm sure it's even more amazing today. There are a lot of careers where Linux may offer better software solutions than Windows or Mac.
However, its software is not effective at meeting the needs of people who do typesetting, graphic design, audio mixing or video editing at a level beyond the casual user.
Moral of the story: Linux makes a fabulous desktop and I suffer no setbacks keeping mine for average use and old school gaming. However, I also need a workstation, on which I install the professional software packages that have the features I need to do my job. I work at the workstation, and I kill time, surf, browse, chat and watch movies on my Linux desktop.
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