If it gets to be a pain I'll start to use a Linux based 3D drawing

program. It is getting

better and better every revision. Here it is. Called Varicad. If necessary

I'll

learn that if Microshit gets more obnoxious than they already are.

 http://www.varicad.com/.

In that case I won't need dual boot on my note book computer.
Heck if I had known about this XP activation problem in the first place
I never would have ordered my notebook dual boot. I would have gone
with Varicad and forgot Rhino.

http://www.linuxgazette.com/issue54/frost.html
http://www.cocreate.com/english/products/2d/index.htm.
http://www.bentley.com/academic/products/linux2.htm.
 http://www.vx.com/
http://opencascade.org/.

Paul Lamar

Paul,

Vari Cad looks similar to Solid Edge and Solid Works. It does parametric
solids, something Rhino does not do. I would be willing to bet that the
surfacing capability is pretty poor. For mechanical design this is no big
deal. The place that Rhino really shines is surfacing. It is at least as
good as, and in some cases better than, some pretty expensive packages.
Hopefully Rhino will be ported to Linux if the demand is there.

Taking a different tack from you, I am going to order a  Linux only lap top
and use it for my internet server/browser through a router and hardware
firewall. I am tired of all the virus BS and constantly having to monitor
and buy the latest greatest software to protect myself. Now we have a
situation where you have to whip out your credit card or get infected with
some horrible bug....a bit of an interesting twist on the age old protection
racket.

I am also sick of Unigraphics' business practices. I have a license of Solid
Edge which I purchased, but decided to forego the $1500/yr maintenance fee
on. These guys have a user group that you can't even access without software
codes. So NO support is available and they do their best to ensure that the
new releases are not compatible with older machines or software, and vice
versa. No drivers available for download even if you paid them the 5K for
the software in the first place. I think I will be trying out VariCad to see
what it can do.

They will all loose out eventually to the open source companies. Have no
fear. The ironic thing is Microsoft was one of the companies that pushed for
open source IBM hardware. Now they will loose the war on the open source
software front.

Monty

 
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