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AnonJr
Moderator
United States
5768 Posts |
 Posted - 26 January 2008 : 14:49:57
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Realizing that XP isn't going to last forever, I decided to survey my options for when I will eventually need to move to another OS. I took a copy of Vista that I've had floating around (won it, but never used it) and installed it on my main desktop at home. I also took my laptop and installed Ubuntu 7.10.
I'm going to try to use both for the next 6 months and see how I fare. I'm a week into this, and I'm already ready to trade the Vista part in for a trip over to http://www.osx86project.org/ 
It seems that Vista continues to insist that my second monitor is to the right of my main monitor and not on the shelf above... no matter how many times I move the monitor location in the settings, it moves it back.
And, as I type this, I'm now getting the wonderful "Invalid Key" message on the copy of Vista that came with my new computer! WTF?
As for Ubuntu, I'll probably be insanely happy if I can just resolve the wireless networking issue and get a couple of "must have" games to run under WINE.
I may post more later if I get the time. I'll probably take today to just forget the Vista part of this experiment and install XP on this machine. |
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Panhandler
Average Member
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 26 January 2008 : 15:16:46
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I'd be interested in following your Ubuntu progress/review.
My DW has Vista on her home machine. . .for her, it's an email machine and a recipe book.
I booted her Vista computer and my Win XP laptop at the same time.
The XP laptop won, even though it has a slightly slower processor and a bunch more applications.
I tested Ubuntu (running off a CD) on the laptop.
It was pretty smooth but it lacked the bluetooth support needed for my bluetooth GPS and bluetooth mouse.
Personally, on my new desktop computer I had XP installed instead of Vista.
Two members of my webdesign meetup group are using Ubuntu and it's working for them.
However, the Ubuntu OS is only about two years old (i've been told).
Give it a couple more years and I think Ubuntu might be ready for mainstream general purpose users.
Keep us updated please.
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JJenson
Advanced Member
USA
2121 Posts |
Posted - 26 January 2008 : 18:51:41
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I have to say I have Vista one 2 of my 3 computers and love it if I could get one more copy for pretty cheap I would go all vista personally but to each their own.  |
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AnonJr
Moderator
United States
5768 Posts |
Posted - 26 January 2008 : 20:17:43
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Ubuntu has been around since Oct. 2004 and is based off of Debian - which has been around longer than that. After surveying the Linux options, I found I liked Ubuntu the best. It does still have a few rough edges here and there, and hardware support is still a sore spot, but it beats my last Linux experiment back in the late '90s!
I'll try to update this periodically as I go.
As for Vista, while it has some redeeming qualities, it just doesn't seem to have been made with people like me in mind.  I'm most likely going to cut my losses and roll my main machine back to XP next weekend. |
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Podge
Support Moderator
Ireland
3775 Posts |
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Doug G
Support Moderator
USA
6493 Posts |
Posted - 26 January 2008 : 22:10:47
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For myself, I like Fedora linux. It's more "cutting-edge" :)
And I just got a new computer with Vista Business, for the most part I like it but there are a couple steps backwards IMHO. One, in regedit on my machine, if you search the registry when you get a hit it doesn't seem to hightlight the key in the left hand key list. And the missing "up" in explorer drives me nuts (well, less nuts once I found out alt-<uparrow> does the same thing.
I don't think I'd ever dual-boot a desktop again.
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Doug G
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Computer history and help at www.dougscode.com |
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AnonJr
Moderator
United States
5768 Posts |
Posted - 29 January 2008 : 13:15:34
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Well, I'm a little over a week into my "great experiment" and I'm ready to give Vista the boot and try openSUSE on my desktop instead. Its my understanding (which may or may not be correct) that I can find better hardware support in openSUSE... though I may take Doug's implied suggestion and give Fedora a look instead.
I've resolved all my hardware issues on my laptop (running Ubuntu), and I'm loving it. I've found replacements for a lot of the software that wasn't already cross-platform, and I've got one of the ones that doesn't have a replacement running with WINE. 
I'm still looking for a good replacement for Dreamweaver - I know it will run in WINE, but I've been needing to upgrade for some time as Dreamweaver MX is starting to get a little long in the tooth...
I'm also looking for a good multi-track recording suite and I need to see if my Alesis MultiMix8 (the FireWire one) will work without too many issues. I may just see if I can get Magix Music Studio (the poor-man's Samplitude) running under WINE.
I'll try to post more later. |
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HuwR
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
20584 Posts |
Posted - 29 January 2008 : 13:20:19
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quote:
And the missing "up" in explorer drives me nuts
in vista that is done using the 'breadcrumb' type display at the top of the window, just click on the appropriate level you want to go back to |
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Doug G
Support Moderator
USA
6493 Posts |
Posted - 29 January 2008 : 13:51:53
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quote:
Originally posted by HuwR
quote:
And the missing "up" in explorer drives me nuts
in vista that is done using the 'breadcrumb' type display at the top of the window, just click on the appropriate level you want to go back to
Yep, I know, but sometimes the breadcrumbs don't display, like when you're on a long folder name, and then you have to click the dropdown and try to figure what was the "up" directory in the long dropdown list. But using alt-<uparrow> is a reasonable workaround, except for having to reach to the keyboard.
If I can just get CoolEdit 2000 to run under vista I'll be quite happy :)
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Doug G
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Computer history and help at www.dougscode.com |
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HuwR
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
20584 Posts |
Posted - 29 January 2008 : 14:47:14
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quote:
If I can just get CoolEdit 2000 to run under vista I'll be quite happy :)
have you tried running it in compatability mode ? |
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JJenson
Advanced Member
USA
2121 Posts |
Posted - 29 January 2008 : 15:06:55
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| I have not had a problem running any programs on vista actually. That compatability mode is wonderful. Changes my setting while the program is open but sets everything back perfectly when I am done with it. |
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Doug G
Support Moderator
USA
6493 Posts |
Posted - 29 January 2008 : 21:07:58
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quote:
Originally posted by HuwR
quote:
If I can just get CoolEdit 2000 to run under vista I'll be quite happy :)
have you tried running it in compatability mode ?
Yes I have, with no success. I've had CoolEdit 2000 since, well, 2000, and it's worked through XP. It installs, runs, captures audio and plays audio, but crashes on trying to do any file save or save as.
I've tried two or three other sound editors, but I still find cooledit the best for ripping old vinyl/tapes to cd format. Oh well, I'll just have to move my turntable to one of my XP boxes
Speaking of Vista compatibility, I haven't gotten the drivers to work properly for a PrimeFilm single-frame slide scanner either. But otherwise the software I normally use seems fine on Vista.
I haven't done any tcp tweaking, but vista does seem a bit slower doing file transfers over my network.
I use Vista Business on a W2003 domain.
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Doug G
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Computer history and help at www.dougscode.com |
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HuwR
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
20584 Posts |
Posted - 30 January 2008 : 01:54:39
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| have you tried running it as admin as well as in compatability mode ? there are many cases if you search google where people are running cooledit 2000 under Vista without an issue |
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Doug G
Support Moderator
USA
6493 Posts |
Posted - 30 January 2008 : 17:53:11
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quote:
Originally posted by HuwR
have you tried running it as admin as well as in compatability mode ? there are many cases if you search google where people are running cooledit 2000 under Vista without an issue
Thanks, that gives me some more hope I read some posts at adobe's forum that were less encouraging about cooledit and vista. I've been using my domain account which is added to the localgroup Administrators as well as being a domain admin, UAC is off, the cpu is joined to the domain, and the computer has not much non-ms stuff on it and is only a few weeks old. This is my first venture into Vista, so far so good, I don't have any serious objections to Vista. Maybe my problem is a Vista Business thing, I'm supposed to be getting Vista Ultimate pretty soon. I'll keep plugging away at it, I'm probably just doing something stupid. Thanks for the assistance!
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Doug G
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Computer history and help at www.dougscode.com |
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AnonJr
Moderator
United States
5768 Posts |
Posted - 12 February 2008 : 22:09:31
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Well, so far Ubuntu is running beautifully on my laptop. I've still got a few quirks to work out, like getting my FireWire recording interface to work, and I haven't found replacements for some of my Windows apps, but overall I'd call it a wonderful success.
I wish I could say the same about my desktop... I'll get into more detail when I can figure out why Fedora doesn't like my keyboard and keeps adddddding letters annnnd spaces likeeeeeeee I left iiiin this sennntence 'cause I'm to frustrated to keep tryyyyyyying to fix the typing ooooover and overrrrrr and ooooooover again.  |
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phy1729
Average Member
USA
589 Posts |
Posted - 12 February 2008 : 22:28:42
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