[Charlug] Windows Abandonment Roadmap

Sat Mar 21 07:55:47 EDT 2009

Bob,

   Interesting to hear of another technology. No doubt Sun dropped the
ball on Java WRT Linux. Now java has real competition in the run
anywhere space. Mono, Rails, REAL BASIC, ... I'm just as excited to
see how Android will affect the Linux and the Java landscapes.

Tim

On Sat, Mar 21, 2009 at 2:17 AM, Bob Evans <bobevans19 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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
>> >> screens 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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>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > 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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>
>
> --
> Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no
> exceptions to this rule.
>  - Stephen King
>
>
>
> I
>