[ILUG] Small office project

[Dunphy Richard-rdunph01]

> 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!

I too have SuSE 7.3, but have no problems printing. Which printer setup are you using LPR or Cups? Or do you just mean printing from StarOffice?

As for StarOffice, have you tried Kword or alternatives? If you get some truetype fonts installed Kword can be quite nice.

> The requirements as I see it would be:
> 1. Network setup - including file sharing between computers 
> and setting up
> an internet gateway.

All this is online, and could be installed already on your SuSE machine. If you look at http://www.linuxdoc.org and the HOWTO sections you'll see many HOWTOs on setting up NFS sharing, Sharing Printers, and Setting up a proxy to the internet.. If you need help, then this list (and the SuSE since your using SuSE) one will help you along the way.

> 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?

KWord imports Word files, and KSpread Excel files. Both are still not quite finished, but are very useful. If you don't mind paying then Applixware is a very good alternative.

> 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.

Not too sure what you want here... Is it that you want to store the database remotely... point the application (access on windows) at that database then work within it?

There are many different products that will achieve this with MySQL or PostgreSQL out there. Have a look at Data Architect from http://www.thekompany.com. I use this to connect via ODBC to a MySQL (and PostgreSQL) database. There was another one, Rekall I think?? again from The Kompany. THere is another one out there but can't think of it's name off hand.

> 4. Desk-top publishing? You need to at least put out newsletters or
> brochures sometimes.

Can't help you with that one I'm afraid. But this might...
http://desktoppub.about.com/library/weekly/aa042199.htm

> 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.

You've already seen some mentions of Quanta, etc.. Although I've yet to find one that is WYSIWYG other than IBM's Webshere HomePage Builder. You can download an evaluation from 
http://www-4.ibm.com/software/webservers/hpbuilder/

 
Hope that's of help
RikD.