Web Design: Linux or Windows?

**stephenTMS** · May 21, 2007, 02:56

I already done a search for this as I thought it would be a topic that would regularly come up.

I have been looking at switching to linux but I was just wondering what people thought in terms of web design and programming abilities through linux. I know you can get things such as WINE which will run windows programs like photoshop etc. but is there any WYSIWYG code editors for linux?

Also, how many others use linux and have a web design passion?

**AutisticCuckoo** · May 21, 2007, 03:15

I use Linux, but I don't use a WYSIWYG editor since I like to see what I'm doing.

Vim does it for me.
I use The GIMP instead of Photoshop, which suffices for me. I'm not a graphics designer, anyway.

I have a dual-boot machine with ~~Virus~~ Windows XP on one partition, so that I can test in IE. I know you're supposed to run IE over WINE, but I've never tried it.

**Dan Schulz** · May 21, 2007, 03:55

It really doesn't matter either way. I personally prefer Windows (and am considering running Linux through an emulator), but I do know of others (such as Tommy) who do things differently without negatively impacting their ability to get their work done.

**Dark Tranquility** · May 21, 2007, 04:47

I use Windows/ OS X most of the time for web design duties myself, but with Linux distributions you can easily produce similar stuff! Things may be done differently but it is not a big deal IMO

**lightningstriker** · May 21, 2007, 07:59

I know someone who got pretty much everything she needed to design with working on ubuntu 7.04 setup quite fast, even photoshop cs2 worked pretty well I heard. (http://blog.publicidadpixelada.com/h...untu-10-steps/)

**stephenTMS** · May 21, 2007, 08:13

got a copy of Ubuntu running on a separate hard drive. Will see how it goes for now. I am finding it quite hard to adapt but I have only been using it for about half an hour.

**drhowarddrfine** · May 21, 2007, 17:34

A year ago I completely switched over to FreeBSD. I do everything I did on the Windows box, both coding and graphics, but I feel I have more freedom and flexibility plus the help is decidedly more professional.

**pjleonhardt** · May 21, 2007, 21:52

I don't use WYSIWYG editors, but Nvu is available for linux. It is installed on my computer, and it looks alright, but I use Screem because I prefer the code editing only.

http://www.nvu.com

**firepages** · May 27, 2007, 16:15

OT but IMO don't use WINE, install vmware and load XP or 2000 on it for flash, photoshop etc, far stabler and you dont have to worry about what apps or versions run under WINE, in vmware if the guest OS supports it then it will work.

**ethanp** · May 28, 2007, 07:49

I would not consider Linux a good platform for developing websites on, mainly because you are going to have to go to other machines in order to really test your websites. Linux has a bigger advantage with programming over design.

If you have an extra machine to keep running Windows, then by all means switch to Linux. There are plenty of tools to develop websites, and the extra computer can be used for testing.

OSX is probably the best web design platform since you can emulate the other operating systems, and hence their browsers. However, it is not free like Linux.

Linux is very nice (especially with recent improvements). Just keep in mind about testing your stuff in IE.

**firepages** · May 28, 2007, 08:07

mainly because you are going to have to go to other machines in order to really test your websites

you ever actually used linux ?

I have Internet Explorer 4,5.5 & 6 on Ubuntu via vmware or via an application server .. though I usually just keep vmware running, I don't use WINE because it can be buggy, vmware however is the real thing.

I use Konquerer as well which I am told should be similar to safari on mac.

**drhowarddrfine** · May 28, 2007, 08:55

I would not consider Linux a good platform for developing websites on

Linux has a bigger advantage with programming over design.
There are plenty of tools to develop websites
Linux is very nice (especially with recent improvements).

Talk about contradicting yourself.

you ever actually used linux ?

No, I don't think they have.

I have not touched Windows in a year except for having a spare Windows box to test in IE.

**ethanp** · May 28, 2007, 09:51

[Have] you ever actually used linux?

Yes, in fact.

Linux has a bigger advantage with programming over design.
There are plenty of tools to develop websites
Linux is very nice (especially with recent improvements).

Umm ... I was trying to express my only dislike towards Linux for web development is only a matter of testing websites.

I have Internet Explorer 4,5.5 & 6 on Ubuntu via vmware or via an application server .. though I usually just keep vmware running, I don't use WINE because it can be buggy, vmware however is the real thing.

Congradulations. I do this too in Parallels. You are missing the fact that you cannot emulate IE for Mac on Linux, at least I have never been able to nor have I heard of anyone doing it (at least easily and legally).

I do apologise that you may disagree with my reasoning, but I stand in my belief that Linux is not a good design platform.

**firepages** · May 28, 2007, 14:36

you are probably right that I can't do the IE on mac thing, to be honest, it never crosses my mind to do so these days.

I personally think linux is far more web-developer friendly than windows, I would not know about on mac .. someone gave me an aqua imac ... I put ubuntu 5.04 on it .. still not sure what else to do with it.

**Dan Schulz** · May 28, 2007, 15:58

Why would you even consider including Mac IE in your testing regimen anyway? It's been dead for four years now for crying out loud.

**AutisticCuckoo** · May 28, 2007, 22:27

Originally Posted by Dan Schulz

Why would you even consider including Mac IE in your testing regimen anyway?

Perhaps to make sure that the content is still accessible to IE/Mac users, even if the layout may look odd? At least that's why I test in IE5/Mac.

There's a big difference between not 'supporting' a browser and excluding it on purpose.

**Dan Schulz** · May 28, 2007, 22:35

Bah. Just give them plain text instead. Problem solved.

**AutisticCuckoo** · May 28, 2007, 23:07

That's fine by me ... but you still need to test to verify that they get the plain text.

**firepages** · May 28, 2007, 23:23

when was the last time here anyone had an IE/Mac hit ? (seriously I am interested) or amaya or better still lynx ... I still get the odd lynx hit not not a clue what they may see..

lol ,
# apt-get install lynx
# lynx google.com
" Your client has issued a malformed or illegal request."

**AutisticCuckoo** · May 28, 2007, 23:52

I usually have a few IE5/Mac hits a day on my blog and we see some on the office site, too.

Lynx hits are not unheard of on my blog, either. I very rarely encounter Amaya, though.

**ethanp** · May 29, 2007, 05:32

I think AutisticCuckoo made the same point I would have about testing in IE5/Mac.

I would not know about on mac .. someone gave me an aqua imac ... I put ubuntu 5.04 on it .. still not sure what else to do with it.

**vgarcia** · May 29, 2007, 06:54

I don't bother with IE5/Mac. I just unstyle specifically for them by @importing my stylesheet with single quotes

A Mac is still a good idea for Safari testing though. Testing in Konqueror is NOT the same thing despite the code they may share.

**ethanp** · May 29, 2007, 07:23

That is another good point, Safari and Konqueror are not exactly the same.

I still hold that a Mac is a good machine for a web designer. Although the price is a bit high, so Windows serves a slightly more viable option. Linux can probably work in most situations, but the setup of everything you would need is not as easy as in Windows and OSX for most people.

**firepages** · May 29, 2007, 18:18

I am sure a Mac is a good machine for many things, but I am also sure that linux is a fine platform for web & general development.

If we take the view that you have to test on a Mac then no other platform but a Mac (one that lets you run win32/*nix via VM) is of any use at all since neither win32 nor linux can (AFAIK) emulate mac.... unless Apple allow vmware & others to legally support it.

If I could legally run OSX under vmware then I would ... still not sure I would install IE5 but anyway, until then I can live without testing for Mac/IE5 as you can probably live without testing in Lynx (please don't tell me you do

) .

I realize that Konqueror is not Safari, but I have noted similar issues in both so will have to do for now.

**ethanp** · May 29, 2007, 18:43

I did not say that Linux was not a good platform for web design (note I did not say development...). I just said that Windows, I think, is better for web design than Linux.

I think you can live without testing on Macs for the most part. Safari is important to test in, but a lot of developers work fine without testing in it.

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