Running Linux, 5th Edition - Matthias Kalle Dalheimer [141]
Figure 8-43. Selecting a chart subtype
Go ahead and try various configurations and see how the data is represented!
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[*] This section was contributed by Raphael Langerhorst of the KOffice documentation team.
Other Word Processors
Although the word processors discussed so far are the most popular among Linux users, this book would not be fair to the rich environment in which Linux and free software thrive if it failed to mention some of the other alternatives.
Figure 8-44. The final chart
Anyware Office, by VistaSource, Inc.
Anyware Office is an office suite that is commercially made but inexpensive for Linux. It includes not only a word processor but also a spreadsheet, a drawing program, a mail program, and other smaller tools. In some respects, Anyware Office behaves differently from word processors such as Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, but once you get used to it, it can be quite useful and handy. Especially noteworthy is its support for importing and exporting FrameMaker documents. The development seems to have stopped somewhat, though, and it is uncertain what will become of this product.
AbiWord
You can find information about this word processor at http://www.abiword.org.
LyX
The LyX package (also available as KLyX with a more modern user interface) provides a decent WYSIWYG X user interface that works with window managers from standard Linux distributions and uses the LATEX and TEX packages to format the text for printing. If you can live with the formatting limits of the package (most of us can), you may find that LyX/KLyX is an excellent solution. LyX/KLyX does not know how to display some of the powerful formatting features that TEX provides, so if you are a power TEX user, this isn't for you. LyX/KLyX isn't part of most Linux distributions; to try it, you will have to get it from a Linux archive.
Synching PDAs
Personal digital assistants (PDAs ) have become quite commonplace these days, and as Linux adepts, we want to use them with our favorite operating system. In this section, we explain how to synchronize PDAs with Linux desktops.
This section is not about running Linux on PDAs, even though this is possible as well. People have successfully run Linux and Linux application software on the HP/Compaq iPaq line. One PDA product line, the Sharp Zaurus series, even comes with Linux preinstalled, though it does not show up very obviously when using the device. http://www.handhelds.org has a lot of valuable information about running Linux on PDAs.
Using your PDA with your desktop means, for most intents and purposes, synchronizing the data on your PDA with the data on your desktop computer. For example, you will want to keep the same address book on both computers, and synchronization software will achieve this for you.
Do not expect PDA vendors to ship Linux synchronization software; even the Sharp Zaurus—which, as mentioned, runs Linux on the PDA—comes with only Windows desktop synchronization software. But as always, Linux people have been able to roll their own; a number of packages are available for this purpose.
Synchronizing your PDA with your desktop involves a number of steps:
Creating the actual hardware connection and making the hardware (the PDA and its cradle or other means of connection) known to Linux.
Installing software that handles special synchronization hardware such as HotSync buttons
Installing software that handles the actual synchronization of data objects
Using desktop software that ensures synchronization at the application level (e.g., between the PDA calendar and your desktop calendar software)
Checking the Connection
Let's have a look at the hardware first. PDAs are usually connected to the desktop by means of a so-called cradle, a small unit