Terrible Ripoff! (or Maybe Not?)

     It has come to my attention today that countless innocent Windows users are being tricked into a better, faster computing experience!  This heinous crime is the result of a Linux distribution being spread by all of the major computer manufacturers.  All of them call it something different, but the culprit in this scenario is product called SplashTop.  This new threat to your overly-complex computing lives will make things simple, way too simple.  I mean, how will you survive without all the headaches and confusion created from using a product meant for the corporate world, and not your living room?
     But enough with the pessimistic metaphor.  I've been reading up and studying on this whole SplashTop thing, and its seems to me to be an amazing idea.  So, you take the idea of Google's Chrome operating system, apply a bit more power, and add in a corporate backing with a user friendly idea, and it seems a little too good to be true.  From what I've heard, this little app-like OS can boot up and get you on the internet in about ten seconds.  With a little more guidance than Chrome OS, this system feels like a winner, and the best part is, you don't even have to give up your Windows OS.  In fact, there doesn't seem to be a way to install SplashTop without Windows.  It installs just like a normal application, and can be uninstalled from your computer in just the same way.
     As of this writing, though, I am not able to test out SplashTop, because of hardware compatibility issues with my systems.  Apparently none of them have the right combination of supported hardware.  So until I get one running that can support SplashTop, we will all just have to speculate.
     Until next time, catch you on the flip side.

Lucid Lynx(A Real Alternative to Windows)

     Now, I'm not an operating system fanboy.  I use Windows primarily, because of its wide standing support and because most of my business stands on fixing Windows computers.  And I'm not really of the persuasion to say that Windows is going to die because of some 'next big thing'.  But at the persuasion of a ZDnet article that I read, I decided to download the latest release of Ubuntu Linux.  All I really need to say is, Wow!
     Now, my wife gives me weird looks for thinking that an operating system can look sexy, but believe me, compared to previous Linux distros I've played around with, this looks absolutely stunning.  The amount of thought and polish that went into the system this time around is amazing.
     Then, once you move past the new shiny look, there's the interface.
     I've personally installed the last four versions of Ubuntu on varying computers, and upgraded to the latest version on at least two of those systems.  I will say that it wasn't the best experience.   Prior to Ubuntu 10.4, there always seemed to be a bug in whichever system configuration I had running, and it would always keep the install process from flowing smoothly.  But with Lucid Lynx, I can say that the most problematic system in my network installed it smoothly. 
     And, I didn't have to spend the afternoon installing it either.  Ubuntu 10.4 installed faster than any other operating system I've dealt with, and with the least amount of knowledge about computers.  The install process really has taken away the mystery and fear behind installing your own operating system.  Rather than the old DOS looking installs of yore, you get a nice, polished window system that asks minimal questions and just gets the job done.
     On top of that, installing new programs is even nicer that before.  I've always praised Ubuntu for its easy of installation when it comes to programs listed in their repositories.  (I've still not tried installing anything from a .debian installer, so verdict is still out on whether or not this has improved.)  But this release of Ubuntu has really re-worked it.  With a vastly improved menu system, and a greatly improved organizational system, finding the right program to do what you want has never been this easy.
     And the integration of social media into the very operating system had me at hello.  The easy way you can set up any of your already existing accounts with any other e-mail or social network platform shocked me.  Its almost as easy as just signing in.  You choose your platform, for IM I used my MSN account, and type in your sign in and password, and voile, your in.  It was just as easy to connect to my gmail account.
     All in all, this update to Ubuntu has sold me.  I'm in the process of migrating most of my production software over to Ubuntu, and once we've given the system a test drive with all wheels rolling, I'll know for sure. (As a final note, this entire blog post was written while operating under Ubuntu.)  So, heres to the possibility that I may never go back. ^-^

Alternative Operating Systems

In my constant search for the best of computing, and the best computer experience, today I have been searching through alternative operating systems to Windows, just to see what's out there. Its an impressive venture, and I'm awed by the array of choices out there. So far I have copies of at least five versions of Linux to try out, OpenSolaris 10, and a windows compatibility project called ReactOS. All of these alternate systems are free, and most of them have a live CD image that you can use to test-run the operating system without actually installing it. This makes choosing one easier, because there is a lot less risk of damaging your system if you don't actually install.
My favorites so far are Ubuntu 9.04(which is now up to 9.10, but I haven't installed that one yet), and OpenSolaris 10. These two operating systems are designed on the Unix platform, and for the most part are compatible with each other and with Mac systems(at least in theory, I'm not having so much luck with that). OpenSolaris seems to run better, but Ubuntu has a larger assortment of programs designed for it.
But for most of the other systems I've been trying to test, I have met with disastrous results. Most of these other alternate systems have little compatibility with my hardware, and they seem to have major problems with graphics modes. ReactOS seemed to work fine on my Compaq, but because I have a KVM(Keyboard Video Mouse) Switch on, the mouse and keyboard weren't detected. So I'll just have to re-try this one on another system.
Expect more updates as I have more fun and frustration with alternative operating systems, and we'll find out if any of these will hold a candle to Windows in terms of casual computing use.