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I used to be a MSFT bigot back up until about ten years ago. I increasingly relied on Linux for my clients from mid-90’s on, but moving over 100% when Vista was pushed. Today I begrudgingly use Win 7 for some work (I move as much as I can to my personal Linux systems) and fell into the same catagory as those who are giving up on MSFT’s dumbing down.

I tried a few of these suggestions and determined that I still am hours behind each week if I try to struggle with Win 7 search. I have nearly 40GB of documents, truly documents and not video or MP3s on my work laptop. Many have multiple applications, so even with my careful filing into logical folders, I almost always struggle to find what I need right away.

The result is that I defaulted back to the now ended Google Desktop (I understand the why of Google’s decision but it is painful for me) or Agent Ransack. Thanks for trying to help, but the additional steps are mind numbing compared to the ease of searching for a file under XP.

I don’t slam either OS. I’m an Enterprise Architect, focusing mainly in telephony and web and started with DOS back in ’87, CICS etc in ’88, Unix in ’92, Linux in ’95. I design very large solutions that span the globe using Linux on servers with an almost 95% Windows client base. So I work with either.

This thread started two years ago and Linux on the desktop has progressed mightily, where a reasonably new computer user can install Ubuntu without looking at a command line. Having said that, then going on to install Windows and dual booting or the other way around, takes a little more savvy. With Grub2 as the boot mechanism, I’ve seen 98 out of 100 dual boot installs work so well that the user didn’t need to be very savvy, but for those 2 it is very difficult. And if you install Windows after Linux, Windows just ignores Linux and you have to be savvy enough to go into the boot mechanism of Windows, or update Grub2 to take back boot control.

My point being is that for a single OS install, either OS is a pretty easy install process where you can begin computing right away without much work. Not so with dual booting for either OS.

I was a super Windows power user through the 90’s, and I never gave up on Windows (hence receiving the Windows Secrets Newsletter), I just migrated to Linux over time. My entire home network has been Linux since about 2004, including routers and switches. I only very occasionally fire up Windows in VirtualBox to run an app that I can’t in Linux. For instance H&R Block tax software, I could do it online, but prefer to keep all of that info locally, hence my use of their Windows version of app. But other than 2, 3 times per year, I don’t need to do it. The average user goes with what’s installed on their device with they buy it. That’s been Microsoft’s claim to fame and now Apple’s. It is what it is and if it works for you, great!

For anyone wishing to play around with Linux on the desktop and not wanting to spend a lot of time studying, I suggest formatting the hard drive on a reasonably recent system (3 yrs or newer) and installing Ubuntu as a single boot. You won’t have the dual boot blues and you will experience Linux without worrying if you’re messing something up with your Windows installation. I just did this on a 4 yr old Dell Laptop. I had my wife install it and it was up and running in <30 minutes without me offering any advice. Same as I suspect Win 7 would be if I asked her to do the same. Her reward is that she gets to use that laptop around the pool and outside bar rather than having me nervously worry about her doing the same with her HP HDX18. So now we have: instead of:

Enjoy whatever ya got, feel free to try something new with my suggestions above, or just scroll on down and ignore my post. I do love Windows Secrets as my favorite personal computing news source!

Just one more reason why I don’t have anything MSFT in our household. We run 100% Linux on every system, all 19 laptops, phones, desktops and servers.
The lightbulb went on for me about MSFT when I was helping them at their Redmond campus in 2003 – they were bloated and out of control seven years ago, and I haven’t seen any signals of improvement since.

This was great reporting, I have shared it with several friends who act as support to their friends and family.

As for mine? 80 yr old dad on a ‘Droid and running Ubuntu on his two laptops and desktop. In laws running Ubuntu on their desktop. No support headaches for me!

Christa beat me to my post! Never, ever – repeat! Never, ever store your credit card information with any ecommerce site.

I don’t buy from iTunes, I have a deep hatred of the company, its policies and politics. But I am aware that they don’t require you to leave a credit card on file.

I am involved with hosting many companies’ ecommerce infrastructure, and though PCI standards exist:

[*]PCI requirements are a joke, they are the bare minimum I would require for my own site
[*]Companies do not follow through on compliance between audits

Apple’s typical attitude of “stupid customer, it’s your fault” will come back to bite them. They have been reported to the PCI Standards Security Compliance Council and more importantly beginning to go through hell with the banks attached with Visa and Mastercard for their level of fraud. I am sitting back rubbing my hands together, wishing that I could be a fly on the wall when the Evil Dictator in Cupertino discovers that he doesn’t hold the scepter when it comes to finance.