Scrubbing Windows

I gave the best talk of my life to a hall of over 500 programmers this summer. I was the dinner speaker for the Linux Symposium, which is described thusly: “With attendees coming from over 30 different countries, the Symposium is probably the single most comprehensive collection of Linux experts in the world.” What the hell could I have to say to them? Well, Linux programmers created a community-built alternative that rivaled the best that a company can produce–not unlike what’s happening in the indie arts community. In do-it-yourself communities all over, really, often spurred on corporate consolidation. So I was able to share my adventures in the creative commons and many people found it interesting and relevant.

It was the inspiration I needed to do something I’ve wanted to for a while–switch to a Linux desktop. I started keeping a diary of my migration, which I’ll be adding to…

7-25-04: Started surfing the web to see what the Linux apps could read Outlook data files, since I use it extensively. Excited to see that the email filtering is supposedly faster on Linux. Also checked out the Mandrake site and discovered that it’s up to the 10th release, as opposed to the Mandrake 8.2 that my server runs on. I also notice that there is a lot less access to free downloads than the last time I was checking out the site two years ago–there are still free download editions, but you really have to look for them. The for-pay version also comes with proprietary drivers and extra stuff, so I considered just downloading the for-pay version illegally off of the BitTorrent sites I use… but for now I’ll just go with the legit route.

The Mandrake site also had a link to a detailed and recent article on migration from XP to Linux that makes it clear that it’s pretty easy to have a dual-boot system and have both operating systems running on the same machine, which makes for a less stressful transition–it’s not such an all-or-nothing proposition.

8-3-04: Finished downloading the three discs via Bittorrent. Too much stuff with my new book right now to dive into installation.

8-30-04: Needed a way to change JPEGs without changing their EXIF data–I wanted to export photos back to my digital camera so I could use it as a slide projector–but damn Photoshop didn’t have the option. I’d heard about Gimp, the Linux alternative, and so on a hunch I downloaded the Windows version and with its better EXIF support I was able to do what I needed. I’ve been using it for my image needs now, it loads a lot faster… it’s less stable, crashes occasionally, so I’m excited to see how it works in its native environment.

9-21-04: Got some time to install the dual boot. Really, more than a chore I’m kind of looking forward to the novelty of a new system to play with.

9-24-04: Writing this from my Linux desktop! Spent most of yesterday and the day before troubleshooting. First, it was a bad harddrive I was trying to install Linux on (a power surge a while back had made it crash, but I didn’t want to give up on it without trying to reformat it). I got a new drive and then I was having trouble with the install of Mandrake 10–swapped in new media, new cd-drive, changed the power source, but in the end I just needed to burn the installation disk real slow-like. I found this solution by googling the error I was getting. I also remember having lots of problems (like, a week’s worth) with the Mandrake 8.2 that I installed on my server, maybe for similar reasons.

Still, looking forward to playing with the new apps and such. Right now, not being able to hold the backspace key down and erase a bunch of spaces at once (I have to keep pressing it) is annoying. Might just be the Epiphany browser, though.

9-27-04: Finished converting my Outlook data over to the Linux PIM, Evolution. Not terribly easy, but not that difficult either. It is much faster on my machine in loading up and searching–though Outlook with the Lookout plugin is a just as fast and simpler to use. Most annoying thing is that after teh conversion I notice that bits and pieces of data are missing–an attachment here, a too-long task file there… it works well, though. Things I miss: word wrap on how the calendar displays appts, autocomplete with the emails in my contact list. Curious about the new version of Evolution that’s out, though I’m not yet adept at installing and upgrading so it’ll have to wait.

All in all, Evolution is a solid clone of Outlook without the bloaty corporate aftertaste. But it kind of feels a bit like tofu ice cream a decade ago, when I first went vegan–you could definitely tell the difference. Nowadays, though, there’s lots of delicious non-dairy ice treats, so I guess it’s a matter of sticking with it.

9-28-04: I’m on my Windows system now–I couldn’t get Linux to open the PC CDs I had. I expect there’s a way to do it but I wanted to check to see if the vid files are OK, and I’m going to use the Windows DVD authoring software I’m familiar anyway with for the upcoming Novel Amusements DVD. I’m happy with doing simpler stuff on stabler applications (word processing, email) but when it comes to something this new and comparitively new to me (DVD authoring) I prefer to keep the X factors to a minimum. It takes time to build a relationship.

Talking about a relationship, coming back to my familar, customized Windows desktop invoked nostalgia, weirdly. I feel like it’s over between us, but I’m unsure… it’s like going over to an ex’s to pick up a sweater you’ve left behind. There’s something comfortable and foreign there.

10-1-04: Have had a brilliant evening of checking stuff off my Linux to-do list: get it to print, auto recognize emails from contacts, install Firefox, sync with palm pilot, get azureus working… everything I do on a day to day basis is now sorted. Let me add my chorus to the throngs of geeks when I say I love Firefox, which manages to be simpler, svelter, and more sweet featured than any other browser out there. A triumph for open source.

Next up: WinEx.

10-5-04: No trust. I have no trust. Everytime I can’t get something to work right, immediately, I regret my choice to go Linux. The latest case: I was trying to get Xmms, a WinAmp clone, to play MP3s without distortion or pops. I had visions of never being able to listen to music on my computer, but it turned out I just had the resolution too high, and when I changed that everything was fine. With Windows I would assume the problem was me–my settings, my hardware, whatever–but with Linux I immediately assume it’s the OS. Its a rare glimpse in myself of the status quo tendency to trust the powerful.

The bugs in Evolution are pretty annoying, though, since I spend more time on the personal information manager than I spend on any other app–word processor included. But I’ll perservere. It certainly is less of a memory hog than Outlook. I’ve also noticed how smoothly Java prgs like my file sharing program Azureas run. (Microsoft and Sun have had some disagreements lately and–wow!–Java applets suddenly stopped working.)

I was on Windows today (there’s no filter for Quark files, damn it) and my updater told me that it wanted to install Service Pack 2, but it balked when it realized my copy was pirated. So the handy-dandy updater pulls double duty as a software cop… feels like I got out just in time.

10-22-04: Sometimes with this transition I’ve been trying to get my Linux setup to behave exactly like Windows rather than make a slight adjustment in the way I do things. For instance, when I get book orders in via PayPal I put the address order in a subfolder called Books, and then merge the addresses at the end of the week into a label template in Word. But that’s just one way to do it–I’ve spent a while trying to get OpenOffice to see my subfolders when a simple workaround and change in my system would solve the problem easier. I spent a long time adapting to the limitations and idiosyncracies of Microsoft programs, why not expect the same with Linux?

Again, going back to the vegetarian metaphor, it’s like someone being dissatisfied with the inexact taste of mock meats instead of exploring the huge variety of vegetable based cuisines. A change in mindset is required.

Oh, and Firefox’s Live Bookmarks have finally sold me on RSS. They’re fantastic for scanning headlines in idle moments–I’ve visited Boing Boing and Slashdot more in the last two weeks than I have in the last year.

1-4-05: I feel like the computer is my generation’s hot-rod–endlessly customizable, Linux is the stick-shift model, giving you more finely grained control than the automatic and (maybe just as important) the feeling of being one step closer to the steel.

I expected that having a Linux desktop would allow me to network more readily with my Linux server, but actually the main advantage has been that my troubleshooting on one has given me tips for the other. Running apps from the command line, for instance, often gives me error/warning messages I don’t get via GUI. Also, learning to go to the .log files (where process details are logged) first, rather than flailing around with setting and reinstallations (my usual modus operandi).

I’ve reached a couple of milestones recently, gotten things done on my server that I’ve been wanting to do for months. It’s taken many days to figure it out, however, and I often wonder why I’m doing it; getting my server’s spam filter set up for per-user configuration is satisfying problem-solving, but I haven’t made anything new.

This is more the server but I’ve had this feeling with the desktop as well. Going back to the hotrod metaphor, computers are something that boys tinker with, a fiddling and twiddling that’s enjoyable in small doses but left unchecked can consume your life.

1-5-05: Played around with Wine a bit (a program that runs some Windows programs on Linux) but couldn’t get it to run Quark, so I took Scribus for a spin. The desktop publisher was a bit clunky interface-wise and I have no idea what the fonts are, but it did the trick and outputted nice PDFs.

4-13-05: Well, my computer is now officially Windows-free.

Not exactly by design, however. I’d heard good things about Ubuntu and I decided to install it–it seemed to be both more up-to-date and streamlined than my previous distribution of Linux, Mandrake. I managed to keep Mandrake on the drive but (through my own dumb fault) erased the boot of XP (though not any of the files).

I know I could restore it or reinstall it but at this point I only use Windows for occasional projects that I need Flash, Quark, and Premier for, My wife’s computer still runs XP and I can use it while she’s at work, so I’m going to see how long I can go without it on my system.

Now onto what I’m excited about: Ubuntu boots and runs faster and is more stable than KDE Mandrake and has a beautiful brown themed design that rivals the Mac in terms of aethetic and usability. The Ubuntu community and howtos are some of the best I’ve seen in the Linux world.

Ubuntu’s system sounds are all drum beats and whatnot, but done in a restrained way. The project is spearheaded by South African Mark Shuttleworth, who’s rich enough to have flown in space–I could be put off by the wealthy patronage element of it, but he definitely brings a character to the project.

For people who are interested in checking it out, they’re offering to mail free CDs out. You can even get a version (the Live CD) that allows you to boot it up without even installing it. It obviously runs a lot slower that way but you can get a sense of the desktop and the tons of apps it comes preinstalled with.

11-12-05: I’m back to a dual boot XP/Linux. I do occasionally slip into Windows for layout work: a pet peeve I have with Gimp is the way it handles text. Needed to have Flash installed for the Macromedia projects I’m working on, and for the more advanced video editing and dvd authoring Adobe is required. However, I discovered yesterday that simple video editing has come a long way since the last time I tried. I shot a little video yesterday, and with Ubuntu’s Breezy release I was able to get a finished DVD format mpeg edited and titled in about 4 hours: quite amazing. Kino, the free open source editing software, was able to capture my footage from firewire with a little experimentation (there were some permission errors but the program let me know) — as I said, I was able to get a finished product in four hours.

I upgraded to the new Ubuntu Breezy and, while upgrading sucked (I needed to do a fresh install and lost all my settings) it’s been worth it. A big help was Automatix, which installs all the multimedia codecs that the offical Ubuntu can’t do legally (ie DVD playback). The new version of OpenOffice allows me to mailmerge with Evolution contacts, which makes my mailing process equivelent to what it used to be like with Windows/Outlook. Scribus (the desktop publishing program) is also getting smoother, though I don’t really trust it for print work (ie jobs I send out to printers).

While I love the look and the ease with which I can install new programs, the killer app with Ubuntu (the distro of linux I use) are the community forums. Easy to search and with a huge amount of howtos, it takes a huge amount of the frustration out of running a Linux desktop.