Migration Tips

This started as a answer to a post to a mailing list. I have put together some things I found out to be helpful during migrating from Windows to Linux. Some of them I had to find out the hard way – maybe you can learn from my mistakes 

David Cartwright has also put together some points under the title: Microsoft strategies for lovers of freedom and justice.

So, let’s move:

1. Keep your data concise: Make your servers available to your linux-box so you do not need to store seperate (unsync’d) copies of the same files in various places. For accessing windows-shares read up on samba (there is a tutorial here on LinuxBasics.org). For accessing Novel, there are the ncp-utilities.
2. Keep your mail concise: If you do not have it yet, set up an IMAP-server (maybe on a linux-desktop-machine you keep running) and point your mailreaders there. Like this, you will know which mails are read and which ones are not. No matter from which Mail-client you access them. Outlook, O-Express, Mozilla, Netscape, Thunderbird, KMail? support IMAP.
3. Keep your working-environment concise:
   1. Install your TrueType Fonts in KDE!
   2. Use multi-platform applications! Install OpenOffice.org and Mozilla on the laptop and all windows-machines you work on. If you are currently using MS-Office for work, then you even can tell OOo to use .DOC as the main format for storing files.
   3. As the next step, start using the OOo-file-format and convert the templates you use to OOo-format. OOo’s .DOC-Import is so good, I even converted my AmiPro documents to OOo by saving them as .DOC in AmiPro and then opening them in OOo.
4. Choose your tool wisely:
   1. If you are under preassure, do your work in windows!
   2. If you have (at least some) time, do everything you can in linux.
   3. When doing work based on something you already have on your disk, use the windows-program. When creating something new, use the linux-program.
   4. If your time runs out, switch over to windows to get it done on time.
   5. Notice how things will change: You will notice that more often you will turn to the linux-solution if things need to get done, now!
5. Decide that you want to use linux:
   1. Take your time for 4.2.
   2. Buy hardware that is supported by linux. This is tough! Make sure you can use it before you buy it. This needs money + time = commitment!
   3. Use k3b instead of WinOnCD?, tar/bzip2 instead of WinZip?, grip instead of CDDA, kpatience instead of solitaire, hack instead of doom, …
   4. There is a nice site that lists commonly used Windows-programms and their Linux-counterparts at http://www.linuxrsp.ru/win-lin-soft/table-eng.html. Thanks to Steve Kist, who pointed this out.
   5. Try a little Wine. Some Windows programs run nicely on it and if there is no counterpart for Linux, this might do the trick.
6. Discover the power of the commandline: Read the man pages of the following tools: mmv, rename, wget, grep, tar,… Find out about redirection and pipes!
7. Dual-booting slows you down:
   1. If you have the hardware: Don’t dual-boot! Have a MS-Machine running right next to the Linux-Machine. KVM-Switches are a great help here, though I noticed they do not like laptops.
   2. If you do not have the hardware for 7.1) → Get it
8. Check out the remote-control possibilities you have! You can work on your Win-PC from the Linux-laptop and vice-versa (using VNC).

Using these techniques, I have migrated all my office-tasks to linux. The only reason to keep a win-pc around is the proprietary hotel-software we use.

BTW, As of Version 1.1, OpenOffice has a PDF-Export button which is as easy as the printer-button but generates a printout to a PDF-File.

So, good luck and have fun,

Stefan