ment types, including PowerPoint 97. StarImpress provides templates, animation and transitions, 3D effects, charts, and many other features.
Figure 8.9 shows StarDraw, StarOffice's drawing program. StarDraw provides a wide range of drawing tools and effects, and works with a variety of file types, including even Windows Metafile (WMF).
In addition to the bread-and-butter applications provided by Applixware, StarOffice provides several smaller, but quite useful, applications. For example, Figure 8.10 shows StarSchedule, which can help you keep track of the tasks on your to do list.
Another popular desktop application is Corel's WordPerfect for Linux, available free of charge for personal use from Corel's web site, http://www.corel.com/. WordPerfect is more a word processor than a complete desktop suite; for example, no spreadsheet application accompanies it. However, WordPerfect does provide many functions and features, including:
A personal retail version (currently available for $69.95 US) adds features such as:
The downloadable version is about 24 MB in size, about a 2 hour download at 28.8 Kbps.
To install the downloaded version of WordPerfect for Linux, change to the directory that contains the downloaded file and issue the following command:DISPLAY=localhost:0
Then start X, open a terminal window, and issue the following commands:cd /download tar zxvf wp.tgz ./Runme
If your downloaded file has a name other than wp.tgz or if it resides in a directory other than /download, you'll need to adapt these commands accordingly.
The install program will guide you through the installation process.
To install the CD-ROM version of WordPerfect for Linux, follow the instructions that accompany the CD-ROM.
Some web sites, including the Corel web site, may provide WordPerfect for Linux as an uncompressed file. If the tar command fails with an error message indicating that the file is not in the gzip format, use the following command to unpack the file:tar xvf wp.tgz
Table 8.1 describes some other desktop applications available for Linux. Notable among these is TeX, a freely available desktop publishing package of unsurpassed power. Because of its powerful and sophisticated handling of formulas and mathematical notation, TeX is a favorite among scientists and mathematicians.
Table 8.1: Other Desktop Applications for Linux
Includes a word processor, spreadsheet, and relational database. Print- and save-disabled demo version available for free download. Registration fee $50 (US).
Includes a word processor, desktop publishing application, and spreadsheet. Linux license $49 (US). Printed manuals $60 (US) per application.
GPLed desktop suite. Currently in alpha release.
Java applets that provide a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation graphics, project scheduler, chart, SQL/JDBC, and CGI gateway. Single-user license $127 (US).
Character-based desktop suite. Single-user license $49 (US).
GPLed desktop publishing application. Sophisticated and powerful but somewhat cumbersome to use.
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