[ILUG] Small office project

[Steve Jacobs]

I am a new-ish Linux user. I manage a leased linux web server, and I have
recently "SuSEd" my home and office - an old computer is set up as internet
gateway and server - four other machines are dual booting SuSE - windows
workstations - all running SuSE 7.3. Two are mostly used by my kids, who
actually enjoy the games a lot. However, we seem to be stuck. There are
still too many things that we can't do (or haven't figured out how to do) in
Linux that we can do well in Windows. Trouble with printing, and fonts in
Star office have driven us back to using windows even for basic
stuff..though my kids at the start wanted to use linux for everything!

Has any body ever explored or laid out -step by step- the route to take to
wean a small organisation (or even a home network!) away from Windows and to
a totally Linux - open source solution? Actually, I don't mind including
some commercial software if it fills the need...

The requirements as I see it would be:
1. Network setup - including file sharing between computers and setting up
an internet gateway.
2. Office suite - migrating to star office or ??? > yet still be able to
import from /open /export to MS files - I know this is available, but
haven't figured out how. Is there a star office migration guide? And what
about font and print troubles I've had?
3. Setting up a shared database - I am a pretty experienced Access user and
know how to set up shared access databases splitting the 'front end' from
the tables - I also use MySql a lot in web sites - but I don't know how to
set up something that will do the same thing as Access does on a lan.
4. Desk-top publishing? You need to at least put out newsletters or
brochures sometimes.
5. Wysiwyg web development - I am a Dreamweaver Ultra-dev power user, so
until Dreamweaver is ported to Linux or I can find and learn another
solution, I may be hung on Windows. This probably isn't an essential
requirement for the small office project, but some easy web design program
could be useful.

I'm sure some of you have been through this already, but I am stuck.

Also, this is not just for me. I know of several... and I'll bet there are a
lot more... small companies, organsations and charities that would love to
migrate away from thier current dependance on rag tag mixtures of windows
versions and probably some illegal software to a workable linux office -  if
only they could be shown how. Is anybody out there doing this? Would anybody
out there like to collaborate and work out how to help people do this?

Steve Jacobs