#159770 - tepples - Sun Jul 06, 2008 3:25 pm
| In this post, Alphanoob wrote: |
| No longer do i have to scroll to read posts! I have a full sized monitor now! 19 inches of pure awesomeness! RICS with joy! |
Vizio VX32L. 32 inches. Beat that. ;-)
But it's connected to a nearly eight-year-old PC with a Pentium III Coppermine 0.86 GHz CPU. One of my IM buddies called that a mismatch. But I have decided that my next computer will not run Vista.
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Last edited by tepples on Sun Jul 06, 2008 4:17 pm; edited 1 time in total
#159773 - silent_code - Sun Jul 06, 2008 3:51 pm
Beware! Random rant:
Not running Vista... "What I relief," I thought... until I found out, that Toshiba didn't supply XP drivers for my Satellite laptop (besides the Atheros wireless [no wired support under XP, until I installed some driver for the chipset, that works] and [a year old beta?] ATI display driver)... I had to search some compatible ones on the web... at a friend's... after haveing formated and having installing XP already... without any network drivers. X^C
Now I can't even change the brightness of my display (and my eyes are *very* sensitive to that) and I have to go with scarcely updated, buggy vendor specific display drivers that even crash the system occasionally... I never had so many bluescreens with any system. /:^o
So, after Vista got it's SP1, I might try it out again (although that means change and I am being forced to, which I very much can't handle very well), but I fear that it might screw up again (I mean really screw up even basic UI stuff that works perfectly in XP!) and it would all be a waste of time. 8^|
If I could, I would hate Microsoft and Toshiba for that. Microsoft for premature software release (I mean, Vista felt like an alpha version after working with it for a few weeks) and Toshiba for *specifically* not supporting XP, when everybody cried out in pain over Vista. X^(
... And why the heck don't they *let* (via custom firmware, I guess) the HD2600 be supported by the standard driver set? It's an all AMD system, just like my last one (which *was* supported by the standard driver set)... it has an ATI SB... all there, and yet it has to have those damn Toshiba drivers (at least for the GC.)
And Folding@Home won't recognize the GC, too. I could have finished at least five times the work units with it by now! :^C
Well, I could go on. |^\
I mean, it's a very good system, but the enforcement policy they run to make sure you run the latest crap, it's really pulling it down. And for me, there were no other options, as I needed a mobile, yet very powerful system and I had only a very limited budget.
Well, I guess the next laptop will be the new EeePC and then for more computational power, I'll get some decent desktop PC (hooked to a Full HD TV.) ;^)
I am not good at using multiple systems, though. (That's been another reason for a powerful laptop.)
So long.
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July 5th 08: "Volumetric Shadow Demo" 1.6.0 (final) source released
June 5th 08: "Zombie NDS" WIP released!
It's all on my page, just click WWW below.
#159807 - chishm - Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:32 am
I tried Vista and didn't like it, so I installed Ubuntu instead. I now use it as my primary OS, with XP dual booted just in case there's something I can't do in GNU/Linux/X.org/GNOME/Compiz/Debian/etc. Amazingly, I have to boot into Windows so little that it always needs an update when I do.
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#159808 - Lynx - Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:37 am
Chishm, why not just run it under VMware when you need Windows?
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#159812 - tepples - Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:44 am
A lot of people on Slashdot have asked the same question as Lynx. I can see three situations where VMware might not be the right choice:
- VMware and comparable products require one Windows license per PC. If you have multiple PCs, that can get expensive.
- VMware and comparable products need enough RAM to hold two operating systems: the host OS and the emulated OS. If you run Windows Vista, that can get expensive.
- VMware and comparable products tend not to emulate OpenGL or Direct3D fast.
That said, I'm in the market for a new laptop that runs Ubuntu. What brand does anyone recommend?
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#159817 - gauauu - Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:26 am
| tepples wrote: |
| VMware and comparable products require one Windows license per PC. If you have multiple PCs, that can get expensive. |
In the context of dual-booting vs virtual machines, this point is irrelevant. You are going to have to have one license per PC either way.
#159821 - DiscoStew - Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:32 am
Considering Microsoft's announcement to support XP longer (mainly due to problems with Vista), I think I'll stick with that. Although I have never used Vista before, the fact that many shortcut keys are changed from all the previous Windows versions (as well as other stuff) makes me cringe. Why make people relearn it?
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#159823 - sgeos - Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:43 am
Clearly every Vista user should upgrade to XP. =P
M$ botched the transition.
-Brendan
#159827 - chishm - Mon Jul 07, 2008 8:28 am
| Lynx wrote: |
| Chishm, why not just run it under VMware when you need Windows? |
To be honest, it's so rare that I boot into Windows (less than once a week) that I've never bothered to try setting up a virtual PC.
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#159840 - silent_code - Mon Jul 07, 2008 11:23 am
I am also flirting with Ubuntu... but the only problem I have, is that I develop games for Windows in my spare time (when not developing any NDS stuff, that means :^D )... and sometimes I even *play* some, too. ;^)
It would be interesting to have some VM that can boot a real installation from a real HDD, instead of having separate VMs... but that's simply over complicating the whole situation.
Also, last time I tried, I couldn't get Ubuntu to boot in MS VPC2004SP1 (which I own legally, so I'd like to use it, too :^D ), which is a pitty. :^(
I'll go and download the most recent version, I guess.
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July 5th 08: "Volumetric Shadow Demo" 1.6.0 (final) source released
June 5th 08: "Zombie NDS" WIP released!
It's all on my page, just click WWW below.
#159852 - gauauu - Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:47 pm
I recently took the plunge, nuked windows, and installed ubuntu.
A few thoughts:
Tepples: regarding brand recommendations -- There's not a certain brand of laptop I'd recommend more than others, but I have had trouble getting parts Ubuntu working correctly on both a toshiba lifebook, and a Compaq that used a Broadcom wireless adapter. If you just do some googling, I'm sure you can find some good recomendations.
| Quote: |
| Also, last time I tried, I couldn't get Ubuntu to boot in MS VPC2004SP1 |
You couldn't get it to boot from the cd, or you installed, and it wouldn't boot from there? Unfortunately, the default Ubuntu install cd doesn't work for all setups, so you sometimes need to use the "alternate install cd".[/quote]
#159853 - Lynx - Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:31 pm
Tepples, I would recommend purchasing from a manufacturer that supports Linux.. You'll have the best chance of receiving hardware that works without any issues..
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#159874 - silent_code - Mon Jul 07, 2008 9:35 pm
@ tepples: Make sure to try the hinge. I know this from painful experience...
If you'll be able to open and close the laptop with just one hand (moving the monitor - not supporting the base with the other), it's fine, anything else might break the monitor casing sooner or later: I had it all - from first cracks after 3 months uo to breaking exactly the day after the warranty was over. And all were handled very carefully, explicitly to *not* make the moitor casing break, rarely closed and even less transported. :^C
The Toshiba Satellite seemed a nice solution, though. After all, I got it because I was fead up with breaking hardware... and you already know what I got into instead. My luck. ;^)
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July 5th 08: "Volumetric Shadow Demo" 1.6.0 (final) source released
June 5th 08: "Zombie NDS" WIP released!
It's all on my page, just click WWW below.
#159884 - tepples - Mon Jul 07, 2008 10:16 pm
| gauauu wrote: |
| tepples wrote: | | VMware and comparable products require one Windows license per PC. If you have multiple PCs, that can get expensive. |
In the context of dual-booting vs virtual machines, this point is irrelevant. You are going to have to have one license per PC either way. |
My point is that Chishm uses Windows less than weekly, per his comment about updates and my knowledge about Microsoft's update frequency. At that point, Wine becomes more and more viable. If not, I have a spare Windows XP machine for that, which I'm using to enter this post. But it's a desktop, and it's over seven years old.
| silent_code wrote: |
| @ tepples: Make sure to try the hinge. I know this from painful experience... |
As far as I know, one can only "try the hinge" in a brick-and-mortar store. Where I live (Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA), brick-and-mortar stores sell only laptops running Mac OS X or Windows Vista, not laptops running Ubuntu. What am I missing?
Dell has an Ubuntu page. Is a Dell Inspiron a good idea or a bad idea? And if so, is Intel graphics enough to run some of the free OpenGL games out there (especially StepMania)?
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#159891 - Lick - Mon Jul 07, 2008 11:03 pm
I <3 Windows Vista. =)
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#159897 - silent_code - Mon Jul 07, 2008 11:43 pm
This is just a suggestion, which might not be possible to put into practice under all circumstances:
You could still "test the hinge" "live", check out linux driver support and try to order that model without an OS (after all, Ubuntu is free) at some online store (if made possible by the manufacturer, that means.)
But well, I'm not much of a help when it comes to that. ;^p
PS: I guess in terms of "testing the hinge"-ability, living in a big town with plenty of electronics and computer stores isn't so bad. :^)
Good luck finding yourself a good machine, though.
_________________
July 5th 08: "Volumetric Shadow Demo" 1.6.0 (final) source released
June 5th 08: "Zombie NDS" WIP released!
It's all on my page, just click WWW below.
#159938 - naleksiev - Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:17 pm
Does anyone really likes their computers hooked up to a HD TV?
I do have a HD TV 32" 720p Sony BRAVIA. A few times I connected my PC to it to watch some things on a big TV that otherwise I can watch only on a computer. And that's about it, it's a TV not a monitor, the resolution is too low.
About Vista... My laptop is running vista for more then a year now. I can't say I like it more then XP but it does the work done. (No, I'm not working for Microsoft)
The things I hate most are quite simple:
- When I try to delete a folder Vista is telling me that something is using it...
- When I copy and paste file the new file looses focus and I can't directly rename it.
In matter of fact I hate all the OSes. It fills like every time I make an upgrade on my computer there is some OS that still works quite slow on it.
I don't want the next cool visual theme. I just want my OS to boot up and shut down for under 10 sec. And to be able to operate with files without making me confirm everything 10 times and still fails after it.
#159944 - silent_code - Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:35 pm
That's the point: OSes try to be too smart these days and they fail miserably!
What drove me nuts in Vista (to the point I just fromatet the HDD and installed XP) were equally silly, small things, but those are the things you use the most!
Like, I like my folder content be sorted by file type and displaying a miniature (thumbnail preview), just like in XP. Only in Vista I wanted it to be set on "Big" for the icon size... and don't want any list or anything! I also like all folders look and behave the same...
Now what did Vista start to do? Reset my damn folder settings after each folder change! I got a list view every time and it also tried to be so damn smart and displayed multimedia controls and list headers for c:, when there were no media (no "real" media) on c:, but all my images, music and videos were on d: ... it drove me crazy, that I couldn't even set that damn behaviour! So, Vista basically assumed I'm a dumb computer noob (where: noob != dumb, but: dumb noob < noob) and I don't know what I want...
But I know XP in and out and I sure am *not* a dumb computer noob! X^C I WANT MY DAMN SETTING BACK! Vista doesn't allow for certain settings to be made, that were available in XP, like asking what to do when the power button is pressed... THAT'S DUMB! That's a step backwards.
Although they've made some really nice and useful additions and those were the things I missed in XP.
End of Vista rant.
_________________
July 5th 08: "Volumetric Shadow Demo" 1.6.0 (final) source released
June 5th 08: "Zombie NDS" WIP released!
It's all on my page, just click WWW below.
#159949 - zzo38computer - Tue Jul 08, 2008 8:15 pm
I have used Vista before as well, it is not as good. At least many shoftcut keys do work (ALT+SPACE to open control menu, ALT+D for the old-style address bar, etc) but many things are moved around and hard to understand, DRM, and takes up a lot of memory! When I tried to help someone with their computer, with Vista, I almost feel like I would remove my eyes if I have to use Vista any longer!
Currently I use XP. If I stop using XP, I will use Linux. Not Ubuntu, though. I don't like much of what I have heard and read about Ubuntu. I will probably prefer Slackware instead, or something similar I can make up.
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#159973 - Lynx - Tue Jul 08, 2008 10:40 pm
It's funny you should mention that. I think Vista is exactly what Linux for the Desktop needed. :)
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#159987 - silent_code - Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:44 am
<Rofl>
It's sad I can't just switch... In my case, all target machines (except the lovely NDS) run some sort of Windows. ;^)
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July 5th 08: "Volumetric Shadow Demo" 1.6.0 (final) source released
June 5th 08: "Zombie NDS" WIP released!
It's all on my page, just click WWW below.
#159990 - tepples - Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:54 am
| naleksiev wrote: |
| Does anyone really likes their computers hooked up to a HD TV? |
It makes StepMania a lot easier when both players can actually see the screen from five feet back. In fact, before HDTVs got cheap, I used to use an SDTV for this.
Speaking of StepMania, I want a laptop whose 3D card is supported well enough to run the Linux version of StepMania with SDTV output so that I can whip out the Ignition pads when I visit someone's house.
| silent_code wrote: |
| It's sad I can't just switch... In my case, all target machines (except the lovely NDS) run some sort of Windows. ;^) |
Does this include Windows Mobile and/or Windows XB?
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#159996 - chishm - Wed Jul 09, 2008 3:25 am
| tepples wrote: |
| My point is that Chishm uses Windows less than weekly, per his comment about updates and my knowledge about Microsoft's update frequency. At that point, Wine becomes more and more viable. |
I do use Wine for some things. You have to remember that Wine Is Not an Emulator. It's an implementation of the Windows APIs and a binary compatibility layer for *nix systems. With VMware I'd have to run an entire OS inside a virtual machine but with Wine the applications run within Ubuntu itself.
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#160017 - silent_code - Wed Jul 09, 2008 10:34 am
@ tepples: I'm not sure what XB is (is it embedded?), but no, so far only PC hardware is targeted by the Windows builds. :^)
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July 5th 08: "Volumetric Shadow Demo" 1.6.0 (final) source released
June 5th 08: "Zombie NDS" WIP released!
It's all on my page, just click WWW below.
#160025 - Lynx - Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:22 pm
Heh.. You know how bad it is when you have to reboot your cell phone because it keeps crashing (Running Windows Mobile) :( Ridiculous!
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#160029 - elwing - Wed Jul 09, 2008 3:27 pm
| Lynx wrote: |
| Heh.. You know how bad it is when you have to reboot your cell phone because it keeps crashing (Running Windows Mobile) :( Ridiculous! |
:) that said I also had a few crash with the symbian of my old n-gage...
#160059 - tepples - Wed Jul 09, 2008 10:12 pm
| silent_code wrote: |
| @ tepples: I'm not sure what XB is (is it embedded?) |
Windows XB is an underground nickname for the operating system of the Xbox video game console. Like Windows XP, Windows XB runs on roughly PC-style hardware, is based on the Windows 2000 kernel, uses DirectX graphics, and was released in late 2001. Unlike Windows XP, Windows XB requires all executables to be digitally signed by Microsoft.
The second major version of Windows XB, released in 2005, is designed for a 3-core PowerPC CPU and the rest of the Xbox 360 hardware.
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