Operating System?

[Miyabi]

Due to the amount it is used in my programming classes, I installed Ubuntu onto my lappy and discarded Vista . . . BEST CHOICE EVER!

I am loving it.  I can't wait to get farther into my classes and start cracking it out and doing fun stuff to it. ha ha.

[Loud_G]

While I liked Ubuntu a great deal, I found that the lack of gaming options for it were the deal breaker as the sole operating system of my home. I had it installed in a dual boot system for a while and loved using it until I had to get a new motherboard and Grub died.

My operating system of choice is XP. It is way better than Vista (if not as pretty). It is not perfect, but out of all the MS products I've used, it is the closest thing to perfection that we are likely to see (ever).

However, if gaming companies would make their games linux compatible, I would switch in a heartbeat.

[Miyabi]

You can use programs such as wine to run games and other such programs that aren't normally linux compatible on Ubuntu.

Here is a link to Wine.  It includes tutorials and such to use it in order to run things on linux.  I believe the example it uses it WoW.\

EDIT:  Here is a link to the how to section.

[Loud_G]

Its true, but WINE doesn't work for everything and it is a bit slow. Really High Res games are not done very well in WINE. Half Life 2 nearly killed it altogether

Don't get me wrong, once my wife and I move into a bigger place, I'm planning on have two computers set up side by side: One Ubuntu and one XP.

[Miyabi]

Oh I see.  Yeah.  Ha ha.  I love Ubuntu.  I don't do a whole lot of gaming.  Although I do plan on getting Diable III when it comes out.  Hopefully I will be able to effectively run it on Ubuntu, or I may have to boot into Windows. -_- ha ha.

[Spriggan]

should allow for more then one selection, I've got 2 XPs and a Vista.

[Miyabi]

I thought about it.  Considering my lappy can boot into Vista, OSX, Ubuntu, Kubuntu. ha ha.

[Miyabi]

I'm double posting again, but I am currently downloading the "Windows Seven Beta M1 Build 6519".  They have rebuilt the Kernel so I'm fairly excited to see what happens.

[Spriggan]

Windows 7 is using the Vista/2008 kernal.

The micro-kernal they were showing off earlier in the year isn't being used.

[Miyabi]

That is depressing.  Where did you see that?

Are they just not using it yet or not at all?

[Spriggan]

There's no reason to rewrite the kernel, the windows kernel is already pretty efficient--why waste time fixing something that isn't broken?

here's people talking about the mini-kernel: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071021-core-of-windows-7-taking-shape-meet-the-minwin-kernel.html

And here's the conformation that they're not using the mini-kernel: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-9951638-56.html

[Miyabi]

Because it is too large.  They also should try excluding all of the files that ""emulate"" (I can't think of a better word offhand) the older Windows versions.  That causes a lot of disc space to also be used.  They could also do away with the fact that Windows self-writes itself.  That causes a lot of problems and is one of the reasons it is so vulnerable to viruses.  I was rather happy to hear about the new Kernel and to see what it would be able to accomplish. :/

I guess I need to keep Windows around for a while though, unless they create a build of WoW for Linux.  Whereas I can make it run on Ubuntu I can't get it to be satisfactory.  Lots of text missing from menu screens and such.  I looked everywhere and tried all the little tricks, but it still won't help.  Also iTunes is nice to have, considering how much of my music is downloaded from there.

[Spriggan]

There's arguments to be made about the version emulation, that would be the correct term since it's not virtualization, being removed--and they might-- they're not rewriting the kernel but that doesn't mean they won't modify it.  Vista's kernel is a modified 2003 kernel, which was the last big re-write (but not a total one) of the NT kernel. 

Again it's the added benefits against the cost and while what you brought up are things that could do better they're insignificant really.  The Emulation doesn't take away significantly to the over all speed of the OS and the self-write negatives have been pretty much negated through more secure code.  Plus rewriting it could really affect compatibility with software, hardware and drivers which I don't think anyone at Redmond want to deal with nor does anyone in the software industry (vista is causing enough headaches).  So if they did they'd have to emulate or virtualize legacy stuff anyway which would negate a lot of the reasons to rewrite it.

Yes it's a pain to get rid of virus on Windows but most AV software handles it rather painlessly if you do get one  so what does Microsoft really gain by rewriting it from scratch?  The only people that would really even care are those that those that monkey around in kernels anyway.

[Miyabi]

I just think we need to stop sticking with the old because it is easy and move on to the new and more efficient.  The only reason we haven't changed is because everyone worries about having to rewrite things for the next evolution.  It hasn't happened on Windoes since NT came out in 95 ( is that the year?)  I think a kernel overhall would be great for a new generation of technology and programs to come out.  By optimizing efficiency we open many new doors.

[Andrew the Great]

I run vista and ubuntu on a dual-boot system. I quite like both, actually, though I'm still annoyed because I never did manage to figure out why my wireless doesn't seem to work in ubuntu. Aside from that, though, I really have liked ubuntu, and I don't really understand the issues everyone has with vista. It works as well for me as xp ever did.