[Digikam-users] DigiKam on windows instability

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Hi,

Þann mið 25.ágú 2010 00:22, skrifaði Paul Verizzo:
>    I've all but given up using digiKam on Windows.
> ---
> So maybe in the next week I'll take an old Windows 2000 box
> I have, install Ubuntu or other distro, and use my KBV
> switch for the monitor and keyboard that I use on "The
> Mothership." I'll still have to deal with the image files
> remaining on the Windows box where they automatically get
> backed up by Carbonite. Does anyone know if digiKam running
> on LInux can read and scan the files on Windows via the
> usual ethernet?

According to my limited knowledge, having a Windows box with 
your images and a Linux machine besides with Digikam is no 
problem. Latest versions of Digikam support remote album roots.

Just share your photo folder/partition in Windows, and take 
care that your workgroup is the same on both machines (My 
Computer-->Properties-->Workgroup on Win - editing 
/etc/samba/smb.conf or installing a Samba GUI of some sort 
on Linux). The linux user should be present on win (can be 
the same on both, but...) and depending on the distro there 
may be some firewall/hosts configuration (mostly automatic 
on *buntu and similar).
This means that the fileserving is done through the smb/cifs 
protocols which are thoroughly tested and robust.
And your photos would be accessible through 
Network-->Windows-network-->Workgroup-->Share (or 
smb://user@wincomputer/share/ )

There are many ways to do such a setup (better tutorials on 
the web). Maybe some other linux distro would be 
'friendlier' for a long-term Windows-user (I'm not 
distro-flaming, but I'm often installing for 'new converts' 
either LinuxMint (based on Ubuntu, good support) or even 
PCLinuxOS - it has some internationalization/codepage 
problems, but works well if one does not use some exotic 
language). Ubuntu is always getting better towards new 
users, but I've got doubts about Kubuntu.

On an old machine there can be performance issues, even with 
some diet window manager; you would want to run Digikam 
properly. Thumbnail generation and some of the editing can 
use quite some resources.

And you would probably want a decent fully working graphics 
driver, color management and a full speed (Gigabit) network.

just my 1 cent;

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