converting VB programs (was Re: developing a K12 Linux distribution)

[Doug Loss <dloss@csrlink.net>]

Bill Tihen wrote:
> 
> Now they also want to use Bewegte
> Mathematik (Math in Action -- a set of free VB programs written by some
> programmer at a University here in Germany.  They look pretty simple maybe
> I should convert them to Java applets.
> 
Although I don't want to discourage you from doing that, you might want
to contact the original author of the programs and see if he'd be
interested in rewriting them in Tcl/Tk or Perl/Tk or something like
that.  They could then be useful across a wider variety of machines (as
could Java versions, of course).  You may find that he already has
something written or is willing to install and learn to use Linux to do
so.  Is Linux getting the publicity in Europe that it is in the US? 
Surely he will have heard of it.  You may want to contact a users group
in his area to offer him some help in installing Linux.  If you go this
way, emphasize that Linux makes it _fun_ to use your computer again, and
that the Linux development community is usually very helpful in
resolving problems that he may encounter.

-- 
Doug Loss                 A life spent making mistakes is not only
Data Network Coordinator  more honorable, but more useful than a
Bloomsburg University     life spent doing nothing.
dloss@bloomu.edu                G. B. Shaw