Open Source Software vs. Commercial Software:
Migration from Windows to Linux
An IT Professional's Testimonial

Scribus with an open document, exporting as a PDF.

Scribus (Adobe Pagemaker, Adobe InDesign replacement)

Linux has longed for great desktop publishing software for quite some time. When I first came across Scribus, I had high hopes. And, I have not been disappointed. It is right in line with top commercial (and VERY expensive) software like Adobe Pagemaker and Adobe InDesign.

One item that I was a little disappointed is that Scribus does not have a direct way to import Adobe Pagemaker or Adobe InDesign files. Files must be completely re-created. This can cause quite a headache if trying to migrate away from Adobe's software to this product. The developers of Scribus did not want to infringe on any software issues with Adobe.

After using Scribus, I have found that it is VERY easy to use. In fact, many things that I found very annoying in Pagemaker and InDesign are done in such a fashion in Scribus that it makes it easier to migrate to it. Things like being able to select an element and actively move it layer by layer up or down.

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