[SWLUG] Giving up Windows

[Steve Anderson]

Hello all

I'm looking to knock my reliance on Windows on the head. Virtually 
everything I do on a daily basis I can do on a Linux machine now... 
virtually. There's still a couple of things I'm looking to get right 
before I make that step, mainly to do with video.

I record stuff to DVD+RW on my domestic DVD recorder, extract the DVD-VR 
streams (different to regular DVD-Video) to my hard drive, edit out the 
adverts, put in proper chapters, add menus and then burn to DVD+R. On 
Windows, this is done using the TMPGEnc tools rather nicely. Has anyone 
got any suggestions of ways to do this on my Linux box? I've managed to 
install TMPG MPEG Editor and DVD Author using WINE, but there seems to 
be a problem showing directory trees which makes it impossible to 
extract the MPEG streams in the first place. The software runs fine 
otherwise, even if all the windows are #0000FF instead of a pleasing 
grey hue.

Any suggestions regarding either an open-source alternative (preferable) 
or a fix for WINE-ing it?

I also piddle about with my digital camera, taking short video clips 
which come off as MJPEG AVI files, to do little montage things. Any 
suggestions for a non-linear editor? I've tried Kino but it's entrenched 
in 'real' video (DV codecs and the likes), and so doesn't like my little 
scrappy efforts. Again, open-source is preferable but if there's 
something WINEable, I'll be happy to try. (I have a licenced copy of an 
oldish Adobe Premier as well as some things that have come with video 
and Firewire cards but they may be a little heavyweight for a 1GHz box.)

Finally... any suggestions for something to organise photos? I'm a Gnome 
man and have no KDE software at all, and would like to not have to 
install loads of QT libraries just to organise some snapshots! iPhoto on 
the Mac is lovely, so anything along those lines would be fab.

Thanks in advance, y'all.

Steve