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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