[Charlug] Windows Abandonment Roadmap

Sat Mar 21 02:17:42 EDT 2009

As to developing, I am pushing REAL SQL / REAL Basic. It runs on Linux, Mac,
and Windows.

On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 9:15 PM, Tim Jowers <timjowers at gmail.com> wrote:

> We went to Linux 100% mid 2006. I have not even bother booting my old
> Windows box for close to two years. I keep thinking I'll look on it
> sometime to see if I have any files I'd want to keep.
>
> My wife never even noticed. I showed her where to click for the web
> browser and that's it. My sister-in-law said "This isn't windows" when
> she used it. I could not get an open format download for cc statements
> from discover so I use their card infrequently now. GnuCash imports
> bank account transactions very well.
>
> The hardware support on Linux is uncomparably better than on Mac. :-)
> My only hesitation now is I wanted to play with the iPhone SDK but
> don't have a Mac. Solution?  I downloaded Android instead. :-)
>
> My opinion of my employer changed drastically last week when they
> announce the roll out of Office 2007. Of course they are doing well
> but that's simply a waste of money. They'd better hand out large
> bonuses if they are willing to blow money like that!
>
> TimJowers
> P.S> As a software developer I can't help but laugh at people who try
> to develop on Windows as it absolutely sucks for hard-core computer
> users.
>
> 2009/3/20 Bob Evans <bobevans19 at gmail.com>:
>  > I'm lazy. I've had VMware for Linux for years. I keep an old version of
> > Windows handy. (NT version 4?)
> >
> > If/when I need a windows, I crank up the VMware app.
> >
> > (I barely use it now. Typically, I crank it up if I have a customer with
> a
> > Windows need, & I need to test some code...)
> >
> > -Bob Evans
> >
> >
> >
> > 2009/3/20 Dennis Clark <boomfish at gmail.com>
> >>
> >> On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 1:45 PM, C. Michael Pilato <
> cmpilato at red-bean.com>
> >> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> In general, I'd also like to be able to exchange ideas around what I
> call
> >>> a
> >>> "Windows Abandonment Roadmap".  I want to get myself, my wife, my
> >>> parents,
> >>> my church, and everybody else I can off of Windows and onto Linux.
> >>>  Today,
> >>> many open source software programs can get us some percentage of the
> >>> desired
> >>> freedom, at some interesting costs in terms of still being to interact
> >>> with
> >>> a Windowsful world.  I'd like to share/hear ideas about what softwares
> >>> (either installed or Web-hosted) are best closing that gap.
> >>
> >> Indeed. Despite being savvy with Linux, it has not been my primary
> desktop
> >> OS at home for over 10 years now. I hope to change this situation soon
> as I
> >> recently wiped my previous Debian 4.0 installation and replaced it with
> a
> >> fresh Debian 5.0 installation. I also switched from x86 to amd64 which
> is
> >> why it had to be a reinstall instead of simply an upgrade.
> >>
> >> So why do I believe I will switch my primary desktop OS now after
> putting
> >> it off for so long?  Well, for three reasons:
> >>
> >> Lenny (Debian 5.0) is the first Debian release to include compiled
> >> packages for non-free NVIDIA drivers that support my GeForce 8800 GTS
> 512.
> >> Compiling the NVIDIA packages on my own is possible but seriously
> painful.
> >> The free drivers worked, but did not seem to support independent scree=
ns
> for
> >> my two monitors (it would only clone them). Furthermore I have quite a
> few
> >> Windows games so I want the 3D acceleration support in the non-free
> drivers
> >> so I can use Cedega.
> >> I recently upgraded my RAM to 4GB, and my Windows Vista cannot use more
> >> than 3.5GB (since it is a 32-bit OS without PAE support). My new Debian
> >> install is 64-bit so it can use all the RAM I can throw at it. More
> >> available RAM makes it more feasible for me to run the few Windows-only
> >> applications I still need in a Virtual Machine.
> >>
> >> One obstacle for switching to Linux as my primary desktop remains. I
> like
> >> to use my GeForce card to do GPGPU crunching with the GPUGRID.net
> project,
> >> and although GPUGRID.net has a 64-bit Linux client it requires the CUDA
> 2.0
> >> SDK and NVIDIA doesn't provide a Debian installation package for it.
> This
> >> will soon become a moot point though as GPGPU crunching on my 8800 GTS
> >> generates too much heat for me to do it in my apartment during the
> warmer
> >> months. I expect to have a solution to this before it gets cool enough
> again
> >> to resume my GPGPU crunching.
> >>
> >> I may ask for advice here and there as I get more into using Linux as a
> >> desktop OS. I'll RTFM whenever I can so my questions shouldn't be too
> >> stupid.
> >>
> >> Cheers,
> >>
> >> Dennis
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >> CharLUG at charlug.org
> >> http://charlug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/charlug
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There a=
re
> no
> > exceptions to this rule.
> >  - Stephen King
> >
> >
> >
> > I
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
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-- =

Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no
exceptions to this rule.
 - Stephen King

I
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