Does Windows Vista Suck?
Does Windows Vista suck?… Maybe. =)
I am currently running three Windows XP systems and two Ubuntu systems. I really like Ubuntu and if it wasn’t for certain types of coding, programs, games, and Lotus Notes I would switch to Ubuntu permanently… OH yeah AND Netflix Streaming Videos which requires IE and Windows Media Player 11… You suck Netflix! … okay no you don’t.. I love streaming movies, I just hate your requirements. I want to pick up a new 3G iPhone and MacBook for some iPhone SDK goodness, but that will wait till Summer/Thanksgiving.
This is just a short open question. Does Windows Vista really suck? I would say yes it does suck because it doesn’t bring any new interesting features that my Windows XP installs didn’t already have and it moves everything around to different places so I have trouble helping out friends with Vista issues. I couldn’t even help my friend share a printer over a LAN. (Something I had done for years, but whatever, its working now, and thats another story.) All I hear is stories about troubles with install/upgrades and frustration even with machines from the manufactures. Runs slow, drivers issues, and software incompatibilities are all the issues I hear from Vista (Non-Ultimate) users. And the exact reasons I run XP is for speed, drivers, and software compatibility. So I am very VERY hesitant to switch to Vista.
I have only heard about good stories coming from people who either got “hooked up with” or pirated copies of Vista Ultimate. Ultimate Edition seems to be the only good version of Vista, but have YET to see anyone pay full price for it. They say it runs stable and if all drivers are available it works great.
So why would Microsoft only release an Operating System which has cheaper non-functions editions which their now unhappy customers purchased and leave the pirates and discounted people enjoying the Ultimate goodness? This doesn’t sound like a good business model. Let me know what you think with a comment or e-mail.
Ubuntu VMWare Images
After a quick Google search I found that Ubuntu.com supplies VMWare images (www.ubuntu.com) of Desktop and Server version of Ubuntu.
Download the FREE VMWare Player (www.vmware.com) and you can run a virtual instance of Ubuntu without having to install it on your computer. I am working on a few Web Services (WS) which use Tomcat and Axis that I will install on my Virtual Machine (VM) at home. After I finish coding my WS I will deploy it and test it on my VM. Once everything works the way I like I can take my VM Image and convert it over to the VMWare ESX Servers at work for permanent usage.
Oh yeah and the root username and password is
un: ubuntu
pw: ubuntu
If you want to have some fun with VMs check out the Virtual Appliance(www.vmware.com/appliances) section on VMWares site. If you don’t know what a VA is, well… Wikipedia has a good description
virtual appliances are aimed to eliminate the installation, configuration and maintenance costs associated with running complex stacks of software.
A key concept that differentiates a virtual appliance from a virtual machine is that a virtual appliance is a fully pre-installed and pre-configured application and operating system environment whereas a virtual machine is, by itself, without application software.
Two of my favorites for home are Hasslefree Download App. It will download files, repair it and unpack it, put it on a fileshare and cleanup after itself. All it needs are .torrent or .nzb files. Also Music Player App, a small network appliance designed to be an interface and backend for MusicPD(www.musicpd.org), a music player daemon.
