What is the single, most needed, currently non-existent app?

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dgt84 · Post by **dgt84** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 10:20 am

Just wondering what everyone thinks is the single, most needed, currently non-existent application for Gentoo, and maybe even Linux in general.
By application I don't necessarily mean something like an accelerated X server; it could be anything from drivers, to filesystems, to general applications like office software. Post your opinion, and why!
-dan

erwan · Post by **erwan** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 11:32 am

1) A groupware server

Something like MS Exchange, where you can share your planning, agenda, contacts, etc.

2) An incremental backup software

Where you can select directory to backup, and they'll be synchronised on the backup server every night by making diffs. If you have a disk crash, so you can just take the last version on server

And of course, drivers for all vendors who are not helpfull with linux community !

jackymac · Post by **jackymac** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 11:35 am

An MS Access-like program, maybe as part of OpenOffice. Basically, some quick and dirty way to make database applications with a form for a frontend, and to also be able to share Access databases in an MS office that uses them heavily.

If anyone knows of such an app, please enlighten me!

sgaap · Post by **sgaap** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 11:50 am

MS acces: star office adabas?
Exchange: openmail (or something) from HP (or use horde)

Naan Yaar · Post by **Naan Yaar** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 11:56 am

tar does incremental back-ups fine (both based on date and a list). Commercial solutions like BRU do incremental back-ups too.

erwan wrote: 2) An incremental backup software

Where you can select directory to backup, and they'll be synchronised on the backup server every night by making diffs. If you have a disk crash, so you can just take the last version on server

And of course, drivers for all vendors who are not helpfull with linux community !

Camoes · Post by **Camoes** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 12:23 pm

well what i am really missing is Emagic Logic or Cubase SX.
Sure there is Ardour, but it is so user-unfriendly to use u really cant force any who is doing music in a professional way to even consider it.
Logic is really the only app i am missing.
Best is, it wouldnt even be hard to port it, i guess, as the new MacOS is based on FreeBSD, but Apple sometimes is even worse then M$

dgt84 · Post by **dgt84** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 12:37 pm

Though i've never really owned a copy of 3d studio max

, I do wish that there were something like that on linux. I know that there are a few great 3d programs such as blender, and even maya is ported (but $$$), it's just that I thought that it had one of the easiest to use and logical interfaces out there (blender, to me, is CRAZY! I need to get some tutorials or something!) Also I loved the fact that the entire app is object oriented; everything, including the user interface, is a plugin.

As for incremental backups, they are relatively easy, and one can even write his/her own small script if needed. Just tar it and send it along.

I have heard complaints about professional music software though... Not much to be done about that for now I suppose... (though I am trying to get into linux coding, and I'd love to get more involved with Gentoo)

sgaap · Post by **sgaap** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 12:58 pm

Blender has some tutorials on their site (I agree, blenders interface has a steep learing curve)

Programs that I really miss:

SPSS (statistical analysis program)
Reason (music maker)

and (of course) some games (gta3>runs crappy with wine/bf1942), and the ut editor

christsong84 · Post by **christsong84** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 12:58 pm

nice big fat GUI (yes..I like the pretty stuff) for something similar to BackupExec?

charlieg · Post by **charlieg** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 1:42 pm

Without doubt it's an Exchange-like application that's missing. There are lots of (ugh) web solutions, but nothing that you can plug Evolution, Kontact, and your various other personal groupware apps into.

Outlook and Exchange are probably the most undervalued application combinations when it comes to assessing Microsoft's dominance of the Enterprise market.

Koon · Post by **Koon** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 3:28 pm

Yes, I agree. A lot of us corporate users need a decent Groupware calendar server, not a creepy PHP interface with buggy backends. The problem is most people wait for a standard for calendar client/server comm to begin to work...

-K

ricril · Post by **ricril** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 3:36 pm

A bibliographic database software that interacts with OpenOffice the way EndNote does with Word

Ricril

geek · Post by **geek** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 3:41 pm

A nice stable goupware server with similar functionality to Exchange 2000. Icing on the cake would be interoperablity with OSX, Win-2000/XP, and *nix clients.

bassbrnr · Post by **bassbrnr** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 3:55 pm

FruityLoops
Macromedia Fireworks

krusty_ar · Post by **krusty_ar** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 3:59 pm

charlieg wrote:Without doubt it's an Exchange-like application that's missing. There are lots of (ugh) web solutions, but nothing that you can plug Evolution, Kontact, and your various other personal groupware apps into.

Outlook and Exchange are probably the most undervalued application combinations when it comes to assessing Microsoft's dominance of the Enterprise market.

I don't know the status, but the german gov is financing an exchange replacement (i don't remember the name but there's a link from the kde pim page). I will allow korganize to connect to it as well as MS Outlook and Evolution (initially via the commercial plug-in that lets it connect to exchange).

Methinks the client is coming with kde 3.2

wHAcKer · Post by **wHAcKer** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 3:59 pm

some macromedia apps 'd be nice. I had to use a few for school (multimedia means windows-media in our school :/) but i was banished to my parents's pc (300mhz

)
and yes an acces-like proggie in openoffice 'd be fantastic, then i can convert my parents's box too :p

Nicom · Post by **Nicom** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 4:17 pm

The only things I have used windows for that linux has no alternative is some types of games(RTS, mmorpg etc.). I'm a regular user, I don't need databases, or access things. Just web, email, multimedia, games, CD burning and other fun things. Actually I thought of something; Tmpgenc like video converter that has support for nearly any vid format to another( I used divx to mpeg2 alot).

Mongrol · Post by **Mongrol** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 5:23 pm

A corporate desktop mass management platform. Like Novell's Zenworks or Microsoft's Intellimirror/SMS . Until we get something like this, linux hasn`t a hope in large scale corporate desktop deployments.

bashir · Post by **bashir** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 6:07 pm

Koon wrote:Yes, I agree. A lot of us corporate users need a decent Groupware calendar server, not a creepy PHP interface with buggy backends. The problem is most people wait for a standard for calendar client/server comm to begin to work...

-K

The german gouvernment has made an exermination about it.

Since september last year there is an project (very promissing) to solve these problems.

Have a look at the screenshots

greets

bashir

Naan Yaar · Post by **Naan Yaar** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 7:35 pm

Well, established solutions like NIS, home directories over NFS, network and cross-platform transparency of X11, etc., have been solving most/all of what things like Intellimirror purport to solve. Intellimirror type solutions are essential on Windows due to its PC-single-user heritage, unlike Unix/Linux.

Mongrol wrote:A corporate desktop mass management platform. Like Novell's Zenworks or Microsoft's Intellimirror/SMS . Until we get something like this, linux hasn`t a hope in large scale corporate desktop deployments.

Naan Yaar · Post by **Naan Yaar** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 7:44 pm

Samsung Contact? Lotus Domino?

geek wrote:A nice stable goupware server with similar functionality to Exchange 2000. Icing on the cake would be interoperablity with OSX, Win-2000/XP, and *nix clients.

basvdzalm · Post by **basvdzalm** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 8:05 pm

charlieg wrote:Without doubt it's an Exchange-like application that's missing. There are lots of (ugh) web solutions, but nothing that you can plug Evolution, Kontact, and your various other personal groupware apps into.

Outlook and Exchange are probably the most undervalued application combinations when it comes to assessing Microsoft's dominance of the Enterprise market.

Something like an Exchange for Linux? Check out www.exchange4linux.org and find out that your wish has come true!

"exchange4linux is a production/stable server solution to store/exchange workgroup data on Linux in a style simular to Exchange. Main goal is to provide Outlook users a free and open server alternative on Linux."

It is *almost* the perfect MS Exchange alternative. There are a few disadvantages at the moment. Exchange4Linux offers around 80% of the functionality of MS Exchange, it is not as fast as MS Exchange and it works only with MS Outlook. But the developers are working very hard to fix all these issues. For now, Exchange4Linux is rock solid and a lot cheaper (server is open source; client is MS Outlook with a closed source MAPI connector). Highly recommended!

Kind regards,

Bas

charlieg · Post by **charlieg** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 10:02 pm

All the non-beta solutions offered above are propietry. As we all know, you can't have propietry apps running on Linux. That's like taking the Lord's name in vain. Oh RMS. I did it again!

tphamm · Post by **tphamm** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 10:36 pm

erwan wrote: 2) An incremental backup software

Where you can select directory to backup, and they'll be synchronised on the backup server every night by making diffs. If you have a disk crash, so you can just take the last version on server

Something like Amanda?

erwan wrote:And of course, drivers for all vendors who are not helpfull with linux community !

802.11g wireless cards, for instance.

ebrostig · Post by **ebrostig** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 10:53 pm

The application that I miss most of all is : A program that will pick the winning lotto numbers every time I run it!

Else, I'm really not missing anything... Oh yeah one more thing.. I wish Forte Agent would port Agent Newsreader to Linux. Pan just doesn't cut it.

Erik

What is the single, most needed, currently non-existent app?

What is the single, most needed, currently non-existent app?

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