I awoke one morning several days ago, switched on my computer, and watched my Windows XP splash screen freeze. I then proceeded to do what all computer technicians do when encountering computer problems, and that consists of guesswork, restarting, and looking in forums for people who have experienced similar issues. I was ‘luckily’ (Windows users regard this as luck) able to get into Safe mode to backup all my files.

But alas, nothing helped. In fact the problem got worse. When I attempted to ‘Repair’ my Windows installation, the software plunged into an endless installation loop .. When I had exhausted all the options, as well as myself, I sent my computer in with the expectation that they would tell me that the computer would need a fresh format and installation of Windows XP. They would tell me this would be the only solution in this situation because of a corrupted file or whatnot.

This is exactly what they did tell me. However, although they didn’t realize or suggest it, reinstalling Windows is not the only solution. Neither is it the best one. Whilst walking around a labyrinthine shopping center that day, I decided that this was a sign. It was time to get rid of Windows.

I recalled having received a CD of Ubuntu several months previously. Ubuntu is a free Linux distribution spearheaded by Mark Shuttleworth. It is relatively easy to use (but not simple to use) and has a user interface that rivals Windows (not as pretty as Mac OS but I don’t use computers or software for their good looks). I installed Ubuntu over my formatted hard drive, and spent some time finding software applications that are the same or similar to the ones I used in Windows (I was already using OpenOffice, and this comes preinstalled). So far I have managed to find an alternative to virtually every application I was using, and am not turning back.

Changing your work environment requires bravery, but it is always important for neural network purposes to remap your environment as often as possible. So if you’re thinking of changing, do it.

Goodbye Windows

posted by rowanp at 4:17 pm & filed under culture, ranting, technology |