Moving to Jaunty
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Windows 7 has been officially launched after favorable pre-release reviews, but my own hankering has been to eventually replace my Windows XP Pro with some kind of UNIX. After a brief look at PC-BSD, I kind of fell into using Ubuntu 8.04 LTS for most of the year on my testing machine.
Over the weekend I decided it was time to raise the stakes, so I turned my main machine into a dual-boot system with Windows XP Pro and Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope. Now I am in the process of deciding whether the Ubuntu half might cut it alone as a work computer. I got Skype working on it and I got a PPTP VPN connection to my team's Windows server in Atlanta. Those are both essential. I also put gVim on it. As of version 7.0 it comes with Jeff Pitblado's Stata syntax file installed. That will be nice. The ability to use my BlackBerry as a tethered modem would be good too.
So, we'll see. There's not a lot of real pressure to switch. I buy my computers refurbished, from the Dell outlet. I always end up picking a system configured for business use, with one of the better Windows versions pre-installed and no crapware. This has worked out well for me. My little Ubuntu excursion has been driven by curiosity at first, and then I just liked what I saw.
No. 1 — October 28th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
I'm running ubuntu 9.04. Looking forward to the new 9.10 release, although next years release is likely to be pretty good. I run 64 bit stata for linux and love it. I also use Kate as the editor. There's a nice syntax highlighter built in. With wine for my windows apps, I am all set. I'll admit that I do like the new Win 7 which I have at home on the family PC, but for work, its ubuntu all the way.
Keep us posted on your progress.
Incidentally, I work at that big red university down the road from you!
No. 2 — October 29th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I've been using Jaunty (actually Linux Mint 7) at home for a few months now after flirting with Ubuntu several times. In the past, I think my tests of Ubuntu were kept short in part because I was dual booting WinXP and it was easy to go back to what I was familiar with. After deciding to go 'all or nothing' Ubuntu I've been pleased. Could also be because Jaunty was leaps and bounds better than earlier releases.
Have you had a chance to try Karmic 9.10 yet? It's out today but I'm holding off on upgrading for now.
No. 3 — October 30th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Believe it or not, I'm taking some distance ed classes at that big red university -- right now, assembly language. I will be on campus this coming Tuesday for my second exam.
No. 4 — October 30th, 2009 at 11:19 am
I haven't yet tried Karmic, but I moved to Jaunty when I did partly because I thought that upgrading from it to Karmic might be easier than doing so from an earlier release. I had picked up A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux from the local library and it came with an Intrepid CD. It was slow and useless, but its update manager had a "New distribution release 9.04 is available, update now" button, so I did. Jaunty's been telling me the same thing about 9.10, but it's quick and nice, so I'm in no hurry.