Quicken & Wine = Bust
Although I have been using Ubuntu 8.04 as my primary operating system for the past month I don’t think that I’ll be doing away with Windows XP just yet. Luckily, I forsaw this problem before I decided to switch so I made a few necessary upgrades to my system that would minimize the annoyances of using multiple operating systems. I went to Fry’s Electronics and purchased swappable hard drive shelf system so that I could easily swap out boot drives. I also bought two hard drives.
I formatted HD1 for Linux: Ubuntu 8.04 and HD2 for Windows XP Pro.
The file systems are now like this:
HD1 = EXT3
HD2 = NTFS
I suppose you are wondering why I have gone through so much trouble just to keep Windows XP in my life… Hrmmmm. It’s quite simple really. I need a few programs that I have yet to find replacements for in Ubuntu. Here’s my list of software that keeps me stuck with XP.
#1.) Quicken
I keep all of my personal finances organized with Quicken software. I tried installing Quicken 2008 on Ubuntu using Wine but have had no luck. It locks up everytime I try to use it. I’ve recently been introduced to a similar program called “GnuCash” but I am having a hard time figuring out how to sync it with my online banking. I’ve gotten frustrated with trying to figure it out and am close to giving up.
#2.) DVD Decrypter
I backup all of my DVDs to an external HDD using DVD Decrypter in XP. Although I’ve been able to find a number of DVD tools for Ubuntu, I have yet to find one that is as simple and easy to use as DVD Decrypter. I’m sure there are some Ubuntu fanatics out there that are rolling their eyes at this but it’s the truth. I tried installing this program in Ubuntu using Wine but for some reason it will not recognize my DVD burner. I’m still looking into it so I might have it remedied before long.
#3.) Games
I’m not an avid computer gamer but I still like to play Civilization IV and StarCraft whenever I get a chance. I’ve managed to install SC in Ubuntu using Wine and it works in campaign mode. Sadly, I don’t play campaign mode. I like to play on battle.net and thanks to some strange glitch in Wine I’m not able to do that. So now, whenever I want to play a game, I find myself swapping Ubuntu for XP. It’s annoying for sure but necessary.
#4.) Photoshop CS2
I love photoshop and there’s just no decent alternative in ubuntu. I’m not a fan of GIMP and I don’t really feel like downloading multiple programs just to see if I’m going to like them. Eh, I’ll stick with Photoshop CS2 for all of my picture manipulation needs.
So yeah, that’s about it. If it wasn’t for these 4 programs I would have completely dumped windows entirely and filled the HDD with movies or something else of higher value. I geniunely want to find a way to make these programs work in Ubuntu so that I don’t have to resort to swapping back and forth. The more I’ve grown accustomed to Ubuntu, the more I dread having to boot up XP. I never thought I would say that in a million years!
If anyone out there has any suggestions as to how I can make any of these programs work in Ubuntu, LET ME KNOW!
One Response to “Quicken & Wine = Bust”
Just out of curiosity (for #2) what do you dislike about k9copy?
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