endperform.org

I use multiple operating systems day in and day out, not only for work, but at home as well.  In the past, I used to be a big, big Linux fan, to the point of zealotry.  These days, however, I’m finding that I’ve taken on more of a ‘use whatever works’ attitude.  That being said, I wanted to run down the operating systems I encounter on an average day.

My Macbook: Mac OS X
OSX is installed on my Macbook, which has become what I call my ‘life’ machine.  I store my photos, my music and my important documents on that machine, hence the ‘life’ tag.  I use the machine on the couch or bed, depending where I am, to check my email, chat, and if I’m on call I log into my work desktop from it.  It’s my go-to machine if I need to do something quickly.

My Work Machine: Arch Linux
I use Arch on my work desktop.  I do software / server support, and all of the servers I support are Unix variants.  Linux is the perfect fit for everything I need to do at work.  Added bonus is that I’m not tied to the Windows domain and I have complete control over my box.  I also have an install of Arch on my desktop at home for other purposes, which I’ll get into shortly.

My Home Desktop: Windows 7 / Virtualbox
Over the past few years, I’ve usually used Linux 90% of the time on my desktop, with 10% going to Windows for my gaming needs.  I tested Windows 7 when it was in Beta/RC status and was pretty impressed with it.  So much so, that I actually bought a retail upgrade copy for the desktop, and now I use it about 95% of the time.  I have Virtualbox installed with a number of Linux distributions installed, which I use for development and work purposes.   Do I lose geek cred for this move?  I don’t think I do, as it’s all about using what works for you.  I’d say that 90% of my time is spent in a Unix environment on any given day anyway.

I finally decided that I’m going to go ahead and use Wordpress.  I was looking at other options, but I didn’t feel like throwing out everything I learned about WP just to change things up.  With that being said, I’m starting fresh with the website.  I haven’t decided if I’m going to import all of the old posts again or not, so for now you can find the old posts over at endperform.wordpress.com.

I still plan to post about tech things, but I’m also launching a photo section, once I figure out just how I want to incorporate it.  Stay tuned, cool things are coming.

I never really posted anything around Thanksgiving about what I was thankful for, so I figured I would post what I am thankful for this year:

Bethany

This is my rock, my partner and my wife.  She’s stood beside me during tough times, and 2009 has seen some ups and downs, as with any relationship.  The strength of our bond cannot be broken, and she is definitely someone I’m thankful to have in my life.  I don’t know where I’d be without her.

Emmalynn and Heather

My daughter and stepdaughter, respectively.  Both bring joy and happiness into my life.  It’s amazing to watch Emma every day and just see how she’s learning, and wondering how she will develop, or what her next big discovery will be.  Although we don’t see Heather as much as we’d like, she’s still a big part of our family and it’s always wonderful when she’s with us.  Even better is watching her and Emma interact.

John (aka the big hippie bastard ;) )

A family friend who’s been around for us both and is always happy to lend an ear when I need to bitch about something geeky, which saves Beth from hearing me babble about geek-speak.

2010 is shaping up to be a great year.  It’s possible this may be the final post on endperform.org as we know it.  I’ve got some ideas cooking in my brain for the site, so don’t be surprised if things change around here. :)

I think my Macbook / Mac OS X has spoiled me as far as interfaces go. I’ve tried about three times now to mess around with Linux in a dual-boot fashion on the desktop, and each time I find something that frustrates me a little bit. At the moment, I’ve gone back to virtualizing Linux within Windows 7 to mess around with some different distributions. I can’t seem to come to rest on one. I thought I had with Ubuntu, but this latest issue with DNS resolution is driving me nuts. At work, it goes along well and then all of the sudden it takes almost a full minute or two for a DNS address to resolve. I’ve gone through bug reports, tried every workaround mentioned and still no joy. I’m a bit worried I’m going to run into the same sort of situation when using another distribution, so I’m hesitant to try to rebuild the work box.

One thing I really, really like about OS X is the software packaging. For most applications, you download either a .DMG (disk image) or a compressed file, open it and drag the app into your Applications (or other) folder, and you’re off and running. Everything is essentially self-contained, which is nice. I remember a discussion about Linux software distribution and packaging, and someone brought up this point. While it would be nice for Linux, could you imagine having a few copies of GTK being distributed with each application? That being said, GTK could always be installed by default, but that would defeat the purpose of self-contained packages, especially if a piece of software depends on one particular version of GTK (or any other library, for that matter). I don’t foresee any one packaging scheme becoming default across the board, as there’s always going to be a group that feels that their way is the right way and they’re going to do it like they want to. To me, this is Linux’s biggest problem as far as getting commercially supported software developed for it. While there are some companies who are distributing software for Linux (I can think of a couple of games), a majority still remains.

I started taking a look at the Ubuntu Forums again lately, trying to resolve an issue with networking on my Karmic box at work, and I got a reminder of why I don’t go there much anymore. Linux zealots, but not just any type, the “hey, I ditched Windows for Ubuntu and now everything but Linux sucks lol” type. Now, I’m not saying every Ubuntu user, or every new convert is like this, but it would seem that the number of these types of people are growing. I used to subscribe to this sort of mentality, but over the past two years I’ve broadened my horizons, so to speak, and have come to realize it’s not about what OS is best in general, it’s all about what OS is best for YOU. Use what works. I use Windows, Linux and OSX to varying degrees and they all provide different things for my computing experience.

The other issue I see a lot is the hatred of something someone doesn’t really understand or even know that much about. I give you this particular post in a thread asking about running Mac OS X virtualized. The comment:

Who cares if its illegal, now folowing a guide it might work, but i have never had it work for me though i did run my PC as a hackinto** oops hackincrap for 2 days. Mac os X is way too simplified and basically only for idiots, i mean who would pay $2000 for $500 hardware just because it runs mac os?

So apparently all OSX users are idiots. I responded, and outlined things I could do with OSX that Linux could also do, and never got a response. Two days is not nearly enough time to get to know OSX, and I didn’t buy Apple just for OSX. I ran OSX on the Dell laptop my Macbook replaced, and I have to say my Macbook feels more solid and well-built. Everyone likes to target Apple products since they seem to be overpriced, but they do not take into account the total cost of ownership, the durability or usability. I have a generation 1 iPod, that if I found a Firewire cable I bet would start right back up.

It’s okay to be passionate about something, but have all of the facts before calling someone an idiot, saying something doesn’t work, or trashing something. Just use what works for you.