Switching to Linux

[owsf2000]

Since Zonealarm seems to have gotten borked today and refuses to start, I'm just saying to hell with it all and going to move to linux. Not like there's a DRASTIC need for me to be using windows when the vast majority of the programs I frequently use tend to be ported from linux anyway!

I tried Ubuntu a few times and each time it failed to load for me. I just finished testing out the live CD for Slax 6.1.1 and it seemed to work flawlessly. (It seemed to pause at one point looking for a udevadm trigger, but hitting enter made it continue on.)

I'll be loading from the Live CD a few more times before installing it to the harddrive, mostly to test out internet connectivity (Which I couldn't do the first time since I forgot what server I connect to! oops. ^_^ In my defense, after setting it up on windows back in 2005, I never looked at it again and just hit "connect".)

Prior to that, I'm going to look over all the programs I typically use and make sure I have an idea of what to download. Also going to move my bookmarks file over to the external drive so I have a copy of it when I re-install firefox etc.

I may wait until these latest firefox exploits are fixed up first. >_>

Probably the biggest thing I lose will be Zmud, but I guess when I think about it I only used a couple of aliases on that for spellups and speedwalks. speedwalks are automated in the game nowadays (if not the most efficient) and I just recently tiered so I have almost no spellups to talk about! Once I'm settled away in linux I'll look into getting the aardwolf mush client working there. It's windows-only technically, but it's been verified to work under WINE.

Beyond that, what do I use the comp for? Well... not much I guess. Program, mud, watch videos and listen to music... etc. Most if not all of these things are doable in linux. I don't play any commercial windows-only PC games anymore. Last one I bought and played was CivII Gold. (Which I must confess I enjoyed even if I sucked at it most of the time.)

I'll have to check and see how flash works. I do regularly watch Foamy and Homestar Runner, both of which are flash driven. >_>


Oh, before anyone recommends Ubuntu to me, I already tried to use it's livecd and it failed to load to the desktop. I don't know why. Probably similar issue with what made Slax pause, although it didn't give me an understandable error msg. Slax probably had an alternative default in case such things failed. I honestly don't know.

The end result however will be this. Assuming the transition goes smoothly, I'll be Slax only on Freya (this comp) fairly soon. I have a few things I want to purchase between now and october, but after that I will be saving up for a new comp. I'll be buying the parts for that comp and may have Ubuntu installed on that. (I'll be trying to buy hardware compatible with it.)

Once that's done, Freya will be wiped out again and restored to Windows from it's recovery disc, and patched if microsoft is still patching XP by then. Then Freya will be offline until the end of time - and become my dedicated windows machine, mostly for games.

This is just a rough plan of course. We'll see how it goes.

Comments

[spate.livejournal.com]

Ah, Linux. I miss thee, old friend. Well, not too much; still get to use it at work every once in a while. But at home, it's good to be on an OS where having everything working together is Somebody Else's Problem (tm).

Plus I really like my games..

Speaking of games, how is your namesake coming along? ;)

[owsf2000.livejournal.com]

Speaking of games, how is your namesake coming along? ;)

Egads look at that over there!!!

*runs away*

I blame Icefalcon and his tendency to explain the planned interactions between the intended processes using lesbians. We still don't know why Sarah insisted on having such a close relationship with Sally when they have nothing in common and no reason to talk to one another directly.

(Things similar to this actually came up in the irc meetings. ^^)

[owsf2000.livejournal.com]

But to the other point, I'm not a big PC gaming fan. If I can get everything working at first then I should be good until the sun explodes. Plus when I get a second comp I plan on recovering XP for this comp for what little gaming I might do. (CivII mostly if it works in XP) I'll just be keeping that comp offline.

[spate.livejournal.com]

Have you given Civ III or Civ IV a go at all? I found the latter to be a lot of fun myself.. and it runs in Cedega. *cough* my *choke* employer *wheeze*

Incidentally, any update on when the sun will explode? :)

[spate.livejournal.com]

Ah. .. right. So.. *looks around for a secret decoder ring* .. Sarah is collision detection, and Sally is particle effects?

[owsf2000.livejournal.com]

I think one was the sound system and the other was the image class, but don't quote me on that. ;)

For Civ, haven't played any past CivII. I only played PC games at all for like a year while my 586 comp, POS, was in a functional state. Main games I played/owned were CivII, Star Control III, and some jedi first person shooter type. I don't remember the name as I sold it way back then. Still own the other two and will likely try to see how they run under XP whenever I get the multi-comp thing going and have an offline windows comp for limited gaming etc. (Some of my hardware may not work under linux as well, so would likely have those connected to teh XP comp afterwards.)

[kitten-faust.livejournal.com]

What? I don't remember this at all! Maybe if you rephrased it in terms of Utena characters ...