Two decades just went like that. When computer meant DOS, network system meant UNIX and Novell. I was ignorant about Windows vs OS/2, Mac vs Windows, PC vs UNIX. Something kicked me hard for the first time during that time. In early 1990s, I was a Diploma student in Computer Science & Engineering, a senior engineering student brought floppy disks from US, and with his friends, he was trying to install them on most powerful computer in the lab, 2 MiB of RAM, 10 MiB of hard disk, a HGA monitor powered with Intel 286 processor with 20 MHz speed. Two experienced lab instructors, studiously standing behind the chairs, hand folded, and eyes swapping between the Monitor and the 1.5” floppy drive. The senior on the pilot seat picking nails, and looked damn serious but noticeably nervous.
This whole scene was to install Windows 2.0 if I remember the version correctly.
“Install failed, seems need more memory” said depressed senior. I could not resist myself, I asked the staff, “what’s happening”, and I got the answer from one of them. “Use the soft memory emulator which mechanical engineers use to run CAD application”, I said. They turned to me said, “are you sure ?”. Next answer from me was surely a blunt, “yes”. Within minutes, someone ran into mechanical department CAD lab, brought a SOFTMEM.COM or something like that. It worked, and rejoiced the whole room. It happened when I was pursuing my Diploma.
Second kick was after five years, during my second year of Bachelor of Engineering college, my head of the department called me and dumped around 20 floppies, and asked me to install a standalone system. After a good lunch, and I started with Disk 1. Inserted disk marked 1, powered on the system.
Yes, It was my first encounter with Linux. Boot screen greeted me, and asked to several questions, I had some hands-on on a BSD UNIX installation; it was easy to understand what Linux was asking me. Post that, it started asking one by one with disk for installation, it all went well till disk 8. Disk Error; fail to read from disk. I started over again, nothing much I could do. But second, third, fourth attempt all resulted in same error. Professor dropped into check with status, watching the error, he asked to me deselect most of the features, drivers. And trick worked, this time till 11th disk, no issues. Later was a story; I booted my first Linux system happily and in fact happier than installing windows 2.0.
Today in home, I have licensed copy of Windows XP Professional on a Desktop, a OEM version Windows XP on a nettop; though it got wiped while installing a boot manager.
Two android phone, one Moto ROKR E6, Netgear ADSL Router DG834GT, Fat PS3, Sony S10e Nettop, Linksys NAS200 all run Linux. While my
MacBook Pro is running OSX Lion, and another 386 system, which runs FreeBSD my Internet gateway to world since 10 years. I’m planning to decommission old 386 system to cut power usage; functionality is now moved to Netgear router. At office, I have a windows 7 notebook, and a XUbuntu based desktop.
I’m no hater of Microsoft, let me set that record straight. Before I saw Windows screen, my dad’s office already had couple of Apple Macs – II. When I checked Windows 1.0, I quickly recognized, its photocopy of Mac. Windows 2.0, it was quite improved, but never been a stable system; I have drawn hundreds of picture using Paint on Windows 2.0 and 3.1 WGW. During 1994 , when a friend of mine invited me to his Computer Shop to show me Windows 95, it was really cool. But what I really loved was Windows NT and Windows 2000. XP came with really good graphics, and Windows 7 outset everything earlier from Windows.
(For a moment, I will park this side kick business, and take you to pain in between kicks)
Wait, didn’t I say, I switched every version of Windows? Yes, indeed. Switching was always painful. I do not want to list all those pain, but examples are always better, so I will go with one or two. When we were switching from Windows 97 to Windows NT, it took almost a day, right from understanding software licenses I have from last several years, installers to set up on new system, compatibility on NT, backing up data, installation, work grouping, file sharing pains and including several reboots for every software we installed.
Another system I’m using from last 15 years runs Linux. I have upgraded at least 20 more time; count of upgrade is more than 5X Windows. It was painless, never lost single byte of data. This includes switching motherboards, swapping hard disks, settings, and environments. Absolutely, is as easy as eating pastry.
Download new kernel patch, apply, make config based on old config, build, install, reboot.
Everything pain is sustainable, except the price we pay to get this pain. Every new Windows version pitches me hard.
Linux, no doubt its unavoidable in my most of day time and when I’m sleeping to listen for mails from the world, will be not be replicable with something else. It’s everywhere with me, phone, media player, store device, not just on laptops and desktops.
Somebody ask my why are you bored with Linux? Not at all. See around, there are so many X Windows system, select the one you like. I got Ubuntu remix installed on my wife’s netbook. She did’t even asked me how to use it; I even changed with other X Desktops few times, she just wear a smile instead of a crib. One day, she wanted to use my Windows 7 system to browse for recipe, and see pictures of our kid, within minutes, she landed with clueless to navigate further.
Did I sound like a Linux fanatic? Nope. I have huge crush and admiration to Macintosh system.
We recently pulled down our old house for better one. I had kilos of documents and materials on Macintosh, which I collected from my first encounter with Mac-III, the colored Apple logos and stickers which were part of package is still continued, my new MacBook Pro brought this year also have stickers of Apple. Back to topic, Mac os always looked better, every new version had killer features. Check with Windows releases, for several years, they even not changed paint, notepad, calculator, mine. Mac usually comes with complete software suites.
Think about developing application on Windows 7. Visual Studio Express is free, but what all one can do with this? Mostly for code browsing, I would say. Check the Xcode on Mac, you can design, build, debug, deploy on Mac, iPhone, iPad etc.
Many a times Windows got released with apps looking inline with Mac applications, such as movie editor, media player, games. I do not believe anyone has used it productively in any part of this world.
Mac systems (also a Unix based system) and other Linux/Unix terminals are quite complimentary to each other. The tools and layouts are interchangeable that I never felt discomfort when swapping Linux and Mac screen on the table. Try, working six hours on windows system continuously and boot your Linux or Mac system. Sync time to adjust to keyboard, shortcuts, layout is countable large, you work more on mouse, less on brain.
(to be continued ….)
