Linux Summer Experience and why I am taking a break

Well Linux almost there but once again I have realised that I am spending so much time on investigating and experimenting that it is stopping me progressing on other projects, so yet again I am putting it on the back boiler.

As an example when setting up SUSE 10.3 on my Production Machine that runs XP which has plenty of power and spare disk I felt safe with the knowledge that I can always rebuild MBR (Master Boot Record) if problems. Well it went in fine except it would not boot up after installation, Oh well just slip in the XP Distribution Disk and rebuild MBR, which I have done plenty of times before, only to be greeted with demands from MS XP for Admin Password. Would not take any!

A bit of googling on laptop led me to advise that I can just take install option and although it looks like it is building new system it will not. Well it did!

Finally fixed MBR with old DOS v7 installation diskette. See http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/483/xp_repair_fix_master_boot_record_recovery_console
for technique. It took all of 5 minutes.

Oh well it is generally believed that an XP rebuild does wonders for the performance, but I will spare you the details.

About three weeks ago I bought a new Lap Top Intel Core 2, 2GB, 15" display, Vista Home Premium, et al and against all my expectations I am enjoying the Vista experience. Everything is working first time with little effort from me. I have it talking to rebuilt Production machine, old HP laptop, old AMD Test machine with XP, SUSE 10.3 and Ubuntu 7.10.

Just taken old HP Laptop into sitting room, pushed in USB wireless stick and pointed Windows Media Player at large Music collection on desktop across wireless, plugged cable into headphone on laptop and other end into stereo kit and WOW, masses of music available, control of stereo all via old laptop.

Now I will clear space in room by ripping all remaining CDs, experiment with radio and see where I go. Oh and of course I still have Media Centre on new laptop with Vista to play with.

Now to connect old lap top and access data, upgrade Windows Media Player, update library, start playing the music took about 60 minutes. Now no doubt I can do all this with Ubuntu/SUSE but I know it will take me nearer 60 hours.

But I do believe linux will get there in the next couple of years, but I will leave it for now,