Gene Y. wrote:
> No, unfortunately my favorite genealogy program only runs on Windows so
> that is what I am running. (XP) I hope to migrate to linux eventually.
Don't forget that Linux offers WINE, a Windows emulation that can run
much of Microsoft's software, and a lot besides. It might be worth your
while giving it a try. You'll need about 5-10GB free on your hard drive.
The good news is that you can try it out, on Linux, without having to
replace your computer's operating system first. In fact, you essentially
run Linux as you would any other Windows program, through a program
called a "hypervisor", which provides Linux with an environment that
looks to Linux like an "empty" PC.
It's called virtualisation, and we use it a lot at work. (Thanks Jon for
getting me into it!)
It's not that fiddly to set up, and it's great for trying out new Linux
versions - when you've finished the try-out, you can just delete the one
or two files that contain the "virtual machine".
The even better news is that you can do all this for free!
I apologise in advance if you already know all of this, but the
instructions that follow might be useful for others who want to tread
the same path.
Getting the hypervisor
----------------------
Go to http://preview.tinyurl.com/2h5kxa
Select "Sun xVM VirtualBox 1.6"
Go through the song and dance to download the version you need (you
DON'T have to give your details), and then install it.
Getting Linux
-------------
Now download the CD/DVD for the Linux version you want. I'd suggest
Ubuntu Desktop Edition (http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download),
and
the rest of the instructions will reflect that.
Setting it up
-------------
Run xVM. Create a new virtual machine, and set up the obvious settings
for it. You probably want to give it about 6GB disk space. When you get
to the point of customising the virtual machine, tell xVM to pretend
that the .ISO file (that you just downloaded) for the Linux distribution
is the virtual machine's CD drive.
Now tell xVM to run the virtual machine. It should "boot" the Linux CD.
Click inside the virtual machine's window, fill in the obvious questions
in the obvious way, and let it do its stuff.
When it's ready to reboot the virtual machine, Ubuntu will tell you to
remove the CD, and press ENTER. The trick is to come out of Ubuntu at
that point, go into the virtual machine's settings in xVM, and tell it
to reconnect the virtual machine's "CD drive" to the physical one on
your machine. Re-enter the virtual machine, and press ENTER to let the
virtual machine reboot. It should start up Ubuntu.
Customising Linux and loading your software
-------------------------------------------
Now, final step - when you've got into Ubuntu and logged in, click on
Applications -> Terminal. In the terminal window, type:
sudo apt-get install wine
It will ask you for your login password, and then go off and try to
install 'wine'.
Assuming that succeeds, all you need to do is put your Family Tree Maker
(I'm guessing it's that) CD in the CD drive, wait for the CD to pop up
on Ubuntu's desktop, double-click on it, and then select the setup
program. That's when you'll find whether it's worked or not.
Whether or not it does, you now have a Windows PC running Ubuntu, and
you can tinker with it to your heart's delight without damaging your
Windows setup. Just don't forget to "pause" your virtual machine before
you close xVM, so that you don't lose any data in the VM.
Feel free to email me off-group if you've any questions, or hit any
brick walls along the way. If you do succeed in running your genealogy
software, let us know - others might like to try it too.
John
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