Windows vs the other operating systems & virtual ware

So I really like windows 7. Haven't made the jump to 8 as I don't really see the need to. Microsoft, IMNSHO has redeemed themselves from the debacle that was known as vista lol...

I've kicked around the idea of trying out some linux systems. Maybe something like ubuntu. I got into a conversation with a guy who knew something about linux vs microsoft, and there was some pretty interesting stuff in there about how the different systems use the processor, and that was one of the main reasons linux systems are more reliable than windows.

Anyways...I'm open to trying PC OS's and Server OS's. The one server we have here that is linux based is absolutely bulletproof. In the 10+years I have been with the company, I don't think it's crashed once...

I'd like to tinker with the linux systems to see what they're all about. I've heard you can install another OS over top of another using vmware....would that give you the full benefits of having only the linux system installed on your system or would you be limited by the windows os (I assume that's the case).

Anyways...looking for advice on trying out some of the linux platforms and where to begin. TIA

 

I almost spit my soda all over my screen with that statement.

Anyhow to try not to distract from your desire. The easiest way to give various OS's a try is through virtualization. You have a couple of choices but if you installed Windows8 you could use our client Hyper-V (which is included in the product for free) and load up VMs and tinker until you found something you wanted to run full time. At that point you can then install it "for real" on your system and go at it.

 

You can also partition your hard drive and install more than one OS, each in it's own partition. At boot time, you choose which OS to load.

 

Yep GRUB with a Win7 and Ubuntu install would give you the ability to test that particular Linux distro for complete performance/reliability before an actual full install. Ubuntu is more of a user-friendly distro which will make it a much easier transition for someone who is used to Windows. If you dont like it, just choose the partition Windows is on and boot straight into that.

 

You don't need GRUB...Window's boot loader will do it just fine.

 

Since switching to Linux I miss all the drama of Windows, not!

 

Ubuntu, Fedora, Suse, those are the primary players for desktop Linux distros these days. There are alternative flavors of each if you want to play with different desktop environments or go to a thinner, leaner install.

 

MacBook Pro (OSX is essentially a port of Linux), running Fusion and load up whatever OS into a VM that I feel like running. Pretty convenient. I only need to load my Win7 VM to run some intranet sites of my company's that only seem to work on IE.

 

IE runs under Wine... :P

 

how about whiskey?

 

Linux is a different beast. It allows an awesome platform for learning about the inner workings of the computer. Ubuntu is a great starting point. Get VMware player and run it to test it out. If you like then you can dual boot.

 

Actually it's roots go back to BSD and FreeBSD, not Linux.

-steve

 

Can you elaborate? I'd like to learn more about this stuff. Am I just completely off base in saying that the different OS's use the chips differently?

I had this conversation like a year ago, so I don't remember everything, but it went something to the effect that the linux systems only send on request through the processor at a time, while windows does multithreading. I don't know what the hell I'm talking about.

Anyways, I guess what I'm looking for is why linux seems to be the benchmark when it comes to running a reliable and stable system?

 

Which distro did you go with? uBuntu? How long did it take you to get used to it?

 

I await the "How the fuck do I install shit on this Linux OS?" thread.

 

Any xCode developers in here?

Speaking of OSX, I've been programming (practically on a full time basis lol) for about the last year. I just picked up a mac mini, and joined the apple developers community (It was $99/year), to code some programs.

I've fallen in love with a develop environment called wakanda. It makes developing apps an absolute breeze. It is 100% javascript based (which sucks for me because I hate js, though I am warming up to it). In the apple developer agreement it states:

Applications may only use Documented APIs in the manner prescribed by Apple and must not use or call any private APIs. Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).

I'm not sure if that means your entire program can be written in javascript, in which case, wakanda would be an awesome development environment. I'm guessing it means I could develop an iOS interface, and then have that file link to the wakanda server. But I don't know jack about this stuff, so if anyone could shed some light on this as well...I'd appreciate it

 

Its not. Its just an old wife's tale that people like to continue repeating.

One of the problems I'm having is the simple statement of "Linux sends requested to the processor one at a time where windows does multithreading".

I'm trying to figure out how to explain to you something which people go to school for multiple years to learn or spend many years on the job learning.

Here is a couple simple statements. All modern operating systems utilize multithreading. All modern operating systems utilize the protection modes which processors provide.

 

I wanna fix your vocabulary. I don't know Wakanda but from your description it is not a development environment. It is a framework much like you can call .NET a framework or the Win32 API's a framework or Coco a framework.

A development environment would be something like Visual Studio.

 

Yes, you're off base. Linux does multithreading just like Windows does. I think these days just about the only device that doesn't have multiprocessing capabilities is your keyboard. Although if it's a wireless keyboard, even that's untrue.

Yes, I use Xcode. Don't use Wakanda Studio. First; it doesn't show up on the first page of Google results for "wakanda". Second, once I found their support forum, it looks like a mega-shittier version of PhoneGap. Third, PhoneGap produces horrific code and even more horrific coders.. I shudder thinking of what a Mega-Shittier PhoneGap would create.

 

Some of the things you say and ask, man... I admire your desire to learn, but you seem to have jumped WAY into the deep end without ever figuring out how to tread water.