Vista Service Pack 1 finally showed up in my Windows Update.
I have had some fun with Vista lately. My C: drive was approaching capacity and Vista told me that I couldn’t extend it. I succeeded in the end but it was unreasonably difficult. Vista makes simple things needlessly complicated, like keeping your software and data separate, e.g., (read how to change the user profile location in Vista).
Foolishly, arguably, I am running an “OEM” version of Vista on my main Vista PC; i.e., an original equipment manufacturer’s version–I am the manufacturer. This was cheaper than a regular copy but the downside is that it’s tied to a particular PC. I cannot install it anywhere else. From a disaster recovery point of view this is not good. (I bought my regular copies in the US for a fraction of the ripoff UK prices).
Yesterday, when it seemed I may have a failing hard drive, on top of a corrupt version of Vista, on top of a too full C: drive, I went out and bought a spare hard drive, just in case. I couldn’t get a Seagate 500Mb drive and so came home with a Samsung 750Gb drive. Would Vista accept this? Luckily, in the end, I didn’t have to reinstall, so I didn’t get to find out.
I was fully backed up but my Acronis TrueImage recovery CD declined to boot — or, rather, it crashed on startup — potentially complicating a recovery if I’d needed to do a bare metal restore.
The cumulative effect of being told, or of fearing, what I could and couldn’t do was wearying. Being able to say
Excuse me, this is my computer, just DO IT
is one of the joys of Linux. Not being treated like a thief is another. Not needing serial numbers and keys and subscriptions is another. Dispensing with anti-virus and similar software is another… for now.
Now that the Asus EEE PC has been updated, and with Intel’s Atom processor on the way, Microsoft should be worried.
Unfortunately, I still have quite a long list of applications that are not yet available for Linux, but some of the better ones are in progress.
I’m hoping to buy a new laptop this summer, with
- Ubuntu pre-installed
- 8+Gb RAM, no hard drive (instant power on)
- built-in wireless networking (preferably 802.11n draft 2.0, if it isn’t too power hungry, or even WiMAX)
- an Atom processor, with a decent battery life
- a price tag of $550 or less
This is where the market is going, and it’s why Microsoft has recently extended the life of Windows XP. Vista just won’t run on machines like this.
Microsoftie Eric Lignam recently blasted people for installing Vista upgrades without ever owning a qualifying product. Legally his case may be inarguable but a more important point is being overlooked and, given the growing number of ways that Microsoft is trimming its prices, who can tell where the official discounting really ends?
(I paid £100 for Microsoft Office 2007 last year and was recently offered it by Microsoft for £38.)
The point is that soon Mr.Lignam may have to pay “customers” to use Microsoft software.
In the airport on my way to Sicily the other day I was offered a chance to buy a ticket to win a brand new Bentley car. I declined, saying that, alas, I wouldn’t even take the car if it was offered to me for free — much to the surprise of the man selling the tickets. It’s just not a headache I have any need of. A cheap and cheerful electric or hybrid car would be another matter, however.
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The EEC PC is high on my list for something to replace a TRS-80, but I do wonder about the size of the keyboard. As a touch typist, I really want a full size keyboard. Also, I really do not want to have to use Windows in any shape or form. Once you’ve got one running Linux I’ll follow suit.
You’ve seen this? Coincidence, of course.
Surely you mean a TRS-100? I thought the Neo from Alphasmart was a candidate?
Agreed, I am willing to pay for a decent keyboard –I also type– and the EEE PC isn’t quite there yet, but I like where the market is going.
Somewhere yesterday I came across the line “now that we’re all Eee’d out…” and I thought that only happened in nightclubs.
No, I hadn’t seen the cartoon but, on the subject of mazes, I did stumble on this.
FYI: Asus EEE with atom processor
That’s the trouble with nostalgia, one misremembers. You’re right, it was a TRS-100. The Neo remains a candidate, but the temptation of the ASUS is also strong.
A friend is wrestling with a Palm and IR Keyboard right now, and anything that solves that particular problem must we welcome.