In a world gone mad..

i moved to linux during the last few weeks. two machines (work and laptop) are running ubuntu. my workstation at home is running gentoo.

here’s the deal: linux is really an option. it’s still missing a lot of stuff and it has a lot of things that you have to get used to. but overall it is a very interesting option. for me, window$ just didnt move into the right direction anymore. i loved when the went to 2k and then to xp. but vista? are you kidding me? osx never was an option either. awful UI. i just hate it. i only wish i could have it’s superior suspend/hibernate functionality.

and there we are with the pros/cons of linux:

cons:

• and this is the biggest issue! no directory opus! this is the number one reason for staying with window$. (if you ignore the obvious number one reason.. gaming.. :)
• suspend/hibernate barely works – sometimes
• smbfs/cifs far from perfect
• desktop experience far from perfect
• openoffice is cool for many things, but m$ office still rules.. if you know your way around word, with it’s shortcuts and the ui, it’s a weapon.. of course there a times when latex comes in handy.. which is not what i need when i write this stupid letter..
• audio/video – linux is pretty close here, but ‘media player classic’ and winamp still rule imho
• the obvious problems.. dealing with your hardware, the boot process, boot&fb splash stuff, .. you name it..

concerning the desktop experience: it’s the little things here.. dnd with task switching, gfx driver situation, global shortcuts (xbindkeys, xhkeys, are you joking? check out opus.. :), lots of other little things..

pros:

• desktop experience far from boring :) – i love the way i can configure all of it..
• (perceived) performance – example: my intellij starts in about a quarter of the time it takes when running windows
• solid foundation – it’s just so much better to have a solid bash shell beneath your desktop. all that cmd.exe and powershell crap.. cygwin is an ok option, but linux just ownz window$ here..
• not supporting m$ – this – imho – is actually a big one. it feels good to know that i wont spend any more money on new m$ licenses. my old xp licenses will do. no need for a vista upgrade.

overall i’m pretty happy with the switch.

i wonder for how long.. :)

tfdj

Filed by The.French.DJ at 1:22 am under Rant
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they’re doing great work, over there at The Codehaus. but :) i wonder: wouldn’t it be nicer to have forums instead of mailing lists? or at least have forums, too.

well, maybe that’s just me. but with mailing lists and irc as the only options i just keep things to myself and write all this shit in my blog.. maybe that’s best for everyone.. :)

[quick update] what i mean is this:

subscribing to a mailing list is quite a step for a little developer like me. exposing me to all the stuff that’s going on. more than my little brain can handle.

entering irc, well, is very synchronous. and exposing me directly to other beings. a horrific thought.

a forum, oth, would allow me to post a question and subscribe only to this post.

tfdj

Filed by The.French.DJ at 6:39 pm under Rant
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