Hi Linux folks and Mark …I am thinking of purchasing an online piano course but it requires Quicktime:
Pianoforall requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 6 (or later) and Quicktime which should be on your computer already
Adobe is fine but I don’t think Quicktime works in Linux?
Quicktime wontt work with Linux … but as it’s only a media player, and Linux can play .mov files, you ^should* be ok … but don’t hold me to that … it all depends how the course disk is authored how easy it will be to use it “properly”
What I’m saying is you should be OK to access all the media … but whether the menu system will work properly may be another matter.
Right, I have emailed the guy and asked him what format his Quicktime files are in. The course is downloadable adobe ebooks with the audios embedded in them.
Tell him you’re using Linux and ask him if he’s got a test sample you can try.
I did tell him I am on Linux. I’ll see what he says- I might ask others on the pianoforum I go on who are doing this course what format the audios are in as well. The price he is charging for the whole course is less than what some music teachers charge for one lesson!
If you can get hold of a sample, I’m sure we can figure it out … but I wouldn’t necessarily spend any money until I was sure.
I mean there are always ways round it … possibly WINE (runs SOME windows apps in Linux) or say an XP virtual machine.
I have also asked on the forum as some have bought it. I have noticed most audios seem to be MP3s which do play on Linux of course. Or maybe it is ogg which also play in ;Linux.
Actually from looking on wikipedia they might be Mpegs which play awesome- I get loads of those audios online and I’m listening to one now in Audacious.
You should have no problem with audio files … Linux has all the codecs
You should also be OK for .MOV video (or any other formaat, come to think of it)
You should also have no problem reading the PDF’s
The only issue I can see is you may have problems getting the video to play “embedded” in the the PDF … but if the video is only linked into the PDF then the video will also be in a directory somewhere on the disk … in which case you can play the video, but in a separate window … if you get my meaning.
Yes I get you Mark. I have got a free piano “noodling” course which was zipped and has audios and a pdf and it works fine. Yes, does say it is embedded, but surely that means a window opens? I think I have had another pdf like that before.
“Embedded” probably means the video is displayed INSIDE the PDF document (no extra window) … but that may be being achieved in one of 2 different ways
Where the video is actually part of the PDF … if this is the case, Linux may have problems (it also may not).
Where the video is elsewhere on the disk, and just “linked” into the PDF … in which case, you’d just need to find the correct video on the disk, and play it in say a VLC window whilst reading the PDF
You know what might happen- think it might be like my piano noodle book- when it is downloaded it will open in two separate folders- the book and the audios.
I am hopeful Mark!
I’d have to take Captain Kirk out and put the other HDD in but want to finish watching Kirk he’s been on pause for about 2 hours lol.
I’ll see what his reply is- anyhow no rush as won’t be able to afford it for a few weeks as not had much work lately- will change in September.