Nero Burning for Linux 599
ceasol writes "The German company Nero, developers of the award-winning Nero Burning ROM suite for Windows, now release a free version for Linux called NeroLINUX a CD/DVD Burning Software, and include many features from the Windows version. This software is proprietary but free if you registered." The OEM versions of Nero that come with many CD burners aren't sufficient, though; NeroLINUX is free-as-in-beer only if you've registered "a full version of Nero software version 6 or higher," or a "retail version or downloaded version."
Free as in... (Score:5, Interesting)
It's pointless (Score:4, Interesting)
It's only value is that it includes a comprehensive point&click interface, but even though it's stuffed with features, it can't beat the existing, free tools.
Unless you're a Windows user who wants a program he's familiar with, there is no reason to even look at it. Plus, it's not even free-as-beer, as you need to pay for a full, registered version of Nero for Windows.
Re:What? (Score:5, Interesting)
Well, it's free-as-the-beer-you-steal-from-the-convenience-s
Perhaps they account for P2P in their "free as in beer" assessment...
So... dear Linux community what do YOU want? (Score:4, Interesting)
Then put your comments ("they rather release the source, k3b is a lot better, I want to compile this shit under gentoo") where the sun doesn't shine. Mainstream and real competetion equals to commercial stuff (and the author of this message thinks this is GOOD).
Or do you prefer to stay geekie? Sugar-coke, kernel-hacks, geek-elitism, no sunlight, no showers, spots (and clearasil), jokes about years old bsd-girl-daemon-pics? Then let them know it (and greet the openbsd community in that case).
Decide for yourself.
This *is* important. (Score:5, Interesting)
Don't forget that the OS itself is pretty much commodity. Its the apps that count, and for a mature and *decent* app to make it to Linux is important news.
Re:What? (Score:3, Interesting)
So far, every burner I've had from new egg has included some version of Nero.
I'm guessing they have a decent OEM base, but I don't have statistics to really clarify that.
Re:Is it good? (Score:1, Interesting)
This is great to see (Score:2, Interesting)
No, not earth shattering news. I doubt that CD burning software will "tip the scale" of acceptance at most companies and suddenly you will be asked on your first day what your choice of OS is. But the more companies that release their software for Linux the more your average joe will start to consider the platform viable.
Again, not a big deal. But it sure is nice to see.
--
Dan
I'm not cool enough for a real sig.
not a bad idea (Score:3, Interesting)
But if the OEM upgrade fee is reasonable, I would like to have the full windows version of Nero and a consistant GUI on my linux box too.
On the other hand, the price I saw was 50. I am reluctant to pay $50 for a game that has no sale of progressive builds let alone a utility program who's basic functionality is built into most OSs,
Ahh the wonderousness (Score:4, Interesting)
How about stop whining and give them a little support. Nero has been around on windows desktops for quite a while. Not that it's going to be the app that makes 2 million users stand up and switch, at least it's a start. People can now use their 'favorite burning application on linux' if in fact that is their favorite.
The point is joe schmoe doesn't even know what cdrdao is, nor does he want to learn another application. Yet, you say linux is destined for the desktop? I say bullshit. It's not destined for anything.
The biggest hurdle to Desktop Linux, is the current users of linux themselves.
I know this is Slashdot ... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:This *is* important. (Score:3, Interesting)
Saying that you see value in a decent burning GUI is entirely besides the point. What you need are big names as assurances that a platform is not a flash in the pan. With bigname 3D rendering packages supporting Linux, you can now point to Hollywood and say that Linux is going to be around in 5 years. Whether or not you personally need to setup a linux-based renderfarm at a 20k per year per seat is irrelevant. Having the defacto CD/DVD burning suite available on Linux means that someone considering switching to Linux doesn't have to worry whether or not they're going to have adequate CD / DVD burning support. Even if there are better things out there, this is good enough to allay that concern. It's not the quality of the software that is important, but the public's perception of the platform that is important.
Getting Nero for Linux is a definite small step forwards. You can shout until you're blue in the face that kGNOme3B is better than anything else out there, but being able to tell a potential convert that "we've got Nero, and things even better than that," is much more convincing. Real too. And Firefox has made enough of a name for itself that it's also recognized. Now we just need MSOffice, or CodeWeavers to have the cajones to glue together an MS Office box and a CrossOver office box and sell it at retail, and we're all set.
Re:So... dear Linux community what do YOU want? (Score:2, Interesting)
Let's see. Debian. I go apt-get nero. No?
Gentoo. emerge nero. Again no.
Let's see. Will I be able to drag and drop from my KDE or Gnome desktop? Does it fit with the freedesktop standards for menus, etc? And in what way is it better than K3B?
My experience with commercial software on Linux has been universally negative. It tells me what I need to do to have the privilege of running it, including providing some key. I demand a far better experience than I've ever had with commercial software, and for the most part I get it.
Derek
How serious are they really? (Score:5, Interesting)
That, as Milton Friedman would say, distorts the commmunication that one's purchases constitute in a free market. I don't want Nero for Windows--I don't use Windows (save at work, under duress). I have no use for Nero for Windows...but there's no way I can communicate that to Nero with my money, the way they have it set up.
Re:Nero is to K3B arguably what OSX is to Linux (Score:4, Interesting)
In the end the user preferred K3B over Nero. It was easier to use and "just worked right".
Re:Useless (Score:3, Interesting)
However
Nero Express, the OEM version (which is probably
the same as the Linux free version) is a piece of crap!
I've been working on burning some CDs at work using Nero's OEM version. I've begged them to let me use Linux to burn them. Each CD has 8-14,000 files. This just buries the CD burning software and loads the system to 100% usage. I've literally spent HOURS babysitting this process just to burn one CD, then I have to reboot the machine to burn another one.
I've suggested zipping them into a single file, but no go.
I wouldn't take Nero Software to burn CDs under Linux if they paid me!
I routinely burn backups to my Linux CDRW containing 10s of thousands of files and I don't spend hours doing it.
Re:But can it compete? (Score:3, Interesting)
Most "aunt Tillie" I know can use k3b just find. Which is probably because I installed their distro, gave them some instructions on how to use it and told them that k3b is "just like Nero". Of course, it's not exactly the same but for what they use, they look alike.
Most Aunt Tillie users have been introduced by someone and can usually call them if they don't know what app to use for something.
The main problem is usually when you tell them that OpenOffice is "just like MS Office".
I *am* the target market for this. (Score:4, Interesting)
Being able to keep (some of) these tools while I move on to greener pastures will make life just a little easier, and I will feel that my money was better spent.
One doesn't have to read catch-22... (Score:2, Interesting)
Quoting The Oxford Dictionary of English (2nd Edn.) (note: there is a spoiler about the novel in the 'ORIGIN' part, below):
catch-22, noun a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions: [as modifier] a catch-22 situation.
-ORIGIN 1970s: title of a novel by Joseph Heller (1961) in which the main character feigns madness in order to avoid dangerous combat missions, but his desire to avoid them is taken to prove his sanity.
But you were right on one account.
That does not qualify as a catch-22 situation. 'catch-22' cannot be used in every lose-lose situation.
Sorry for taking this discussion completely off-topic, but the parent started it!
Re:I *am* the target market for this. (Score:3, Interesting)
I have to say... I found your innocent comment almost insulting!
Personally I don't think this article's subject is any reason whatsoever to use Linux.
Sure, sure, go burn your stupid CD with the click of a mouse. Wee. Get hooked so nobody else's projects will ever make it. What are you going to do with your mouse when all the other projects are dead and you can't use Nero anymore because upgrades cost too much or your version "is not supported"? Buy something else? Ahh, that's it, you'll take your money elsewhere because you are used to paying out the nose for something you can't even own. Proprietary obsolescense at it's best.
Yeah, I know, "but the article says it's free". For now at least. This article really rubs me the wrong way. I can't stand the fact that it made it here. If I wasn't so tired (and drunk) I'd take the time to write you a script that could handle alot of the most common things needed for burning several types of CD's. Maybe I'll work on that tomorrow just to spite these fuckers.
I use Linux for the same reason I bought a truck that didn't come with an EULA saying I can't open the hood. Alot of developers and admins make better money doing other things besides putting buttons on a bash script and trying to package it like this. I'm reminded of when Visual Basic first came out. All these crapware apps hit the scene doing simple shit like a graphical traceroute and sign-u-on-alot, etc - some eventually growing together and becoming big money. Sickening to think this could happen to Linux where no source code could be available and the whole Idea lost to a generation of "converts".
Think about this. Why bother "Making The Big Switch" just because of something like this? I stuck with the tools I need to get my job done and done well. Stick with Windows. It will make my job of fixing bugs and hammering out workstation and server images alot easier if I don't have to include a bunch of shit that nobody can fix or understand why it broke because there is no source. We leave that bullshit for the Windows Guys. Talk about a miserable bunch, "ah just format it again".
Granted I'm not having the best day either, but that isn't because of the worm/bug/feature going around rebooting Server 2003 right now that nobody can seem to track down.
I realize alot of you think this might be a step in the right direction, but it's not. First of all, how many distro's do you think this will support (or be supported by)? You sure as hell aren't going to see a tgz of source code coming from them any time soon. Secondly, who could possibly benefit from this in the long run? Has history taught us nothing? Is this what we really want to become of each and every app that we use? CD's are allready designed to rot as it is, that itself is bad enough without having to rely on someone to provide us with software to write them.
Despite what you may think of my slant on this there is a very simple fact you cannot ignore: for each person like me, there are 10 Microsofties with a shitload of money and weight to throw around because of the name they carry. That is not to say anything good about the jobs they have, or anything bad about the money I make, its to show what it took to bring Linux here to begin with. It wasn't done by a bunch of mild mannered and sheepish fucktards who did what they were told, that's for sure.
If you don't like my opinion, do what everyone else does, censor it by modding it down.
Re:I *am* the target market for this. (Score:3, Interesting)
The money will at least influence feature sets, while it seems more than a few OSS projects will implement features only when the developers feel like it.
"If I wasn't so tired (and drunk) I'd take the time to write you a script that could handle alot of the most common things needed for burning several types of CD's."
"Can" and "will" are two very different things. If nobody who is able is actually willing to do something better, what right do you have to complain when potential users go elsewhere?
"Maybe I'll work on that tomorrow"
Ah, the battle cry of the OSS movement!
"I use Linux for the same reason I bought a truck that didn't come with an EULA saying I can't open the hood."
I bought Windows for the same reason I bought a car that doesn't require me to be a certified mechanic to operate it. Just because I can open the hood of my car and maybe change the oil doesn't mean I know how to do (let alone enjoy doing) complete engine rebuilds.
"I stuck with the tools I need to get my job done and done well."
I don't want my computer to be my "job." I want it to just freakin' work (or at least a reasonable facsimile) without having to know anything about assembly language. It's similar to why I'm a console gamer.
"First of all, how many distro's do you think this will support (or be supported by)?"
Another aspect that turns me off Linux is the whole "31 flavors" aspect of it. Even if hell freezes over and I find an app to do what I want it to do (and it's more than just some website saying that the beta will be released "any day now"), I have to continue jumping through hoops to try to make it work with my flavor of choice.
"It wasn't done by a bunch of mild mannered and sheepish fucktards who did what they were told, that's for sure."
At least the folks who do what they are told actually do something.
"If you don't like my opinion, do what everyone else does, censor it by modding it down."
A pro-Linux rant on Slashdot? Modded down? You're new around here, aren't you?
The last time I tried installing Linux, the boot disc couldn't find the ATA controller card my hard drives were attached to, giving it nothing to install onto. I've bent over backwards to get XP running reasonably well on my machine, I have no desire to go even further for an operating system that everybody says is supposed to change all that. I'd rather spend my time/fustration on getting an SNES emulator to run on my PS2.