Migration from windows utility

What features/apps/bugfixes needed in a future Puppy
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saintlangton
Posts: 108
Joined: Sat 28 May 2005, 21:49

Migration from windows utility

#1 Post by saintlangton »

Off surfing the web and I came across this:

http://lobby4linux.com/WordPress/?p=37

What hit me was the pinpointing of a major stumbling block for people transferring from windows to linux. :(

What is that stumbling block? Well, here's the quote "I probably would switch except for one thing. I want to transfer my stuff from Windows to Linux" How hard would it be for a utility to search a windows partition, locate user data and configuration data and then set up the linux equivalent programs to similar settings.

Basically an analogous thing to what firefox does when installed on windows (import bookmarks from IE to ease switching and improve useability) but on a bigger scale...

I may be thinking fairly big here but theoretically (in my head anyway) the utility could look for browser bookmarks, email settings, saved emails, instant messaging stuff, data in my documents, my photo's etc.

Then use this info to set up mozilla with all the bookmarks. (maybe the same homepage?) Set up the email client with details of accounts and email addresses and saved messages/sentlog etc. Setup Gaim with whatever settings were being used in microsoft messenger. Setup links in the my documents, my downloads, my photos folders with links to 'my windows documents' etc

Some of this probably would be a huge undertaking - I don't really know. Just guessing but some should be easier than others. I'd guess the email and messaging stuff may be a little tricky... :( but wouldn't importing bookmarks just be case of looking in c:/documents and settings/userwhoever/favorities, searching for every "http" and then copying that info over to a new subsection "Imported bookmarks" in mozilla's bookmarks file. Seems reasonably straightforward to me. Also having a link in the folders 'my documents' to my documents on the windows partition.

Puppy could even check on boot if there is a windows install on the hard disk and set up the links then. No more 'where are my bookmarks/settings/documents' woes.

Maybe it may be better to have seperate utilities for email, instant messaging, bookmarks etc? Or perhaps even a wizard to talk the user through it?

Sorry for the rambling, kinda got carried away. Hope you can see what I'm trying to get at... :D

Chris

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Pizzasgood
Posts: 6183
Joined: Wed 04 May 2005, 20:28
Location: Knoxville, TN, USA

#2 Post by Pizzasgood »

I actually had my Puppy Firefox set up to share bookmarks with my Windows Firefox. Now I don't because my brother is the only one who still uses the Windows one. I do still have it sharing with Vector, though.

Basically, I symlinked the bookmarks file in Windows to the location it should be in Puppy. 8)
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