Linux (Introduction to Linux: A Hands on Guide)
The first time I heard about Linux or GNU was from the British comedian/scholar/professional nerd, Stephen Fry. He made a video in celebration of GNU’s 25th birthday (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfAO0AXMyQU). He was extolling how GNU allows people to work together to customize and improve their operating system – and all for free! He makes some wonderful points in the video, many of which the guide makes. I too like the idea of a community of many minds continuously working on the GNU/Linux system. Logically, this means that it can only get better!
Mac OS X (Kernelthread & Wikipedia)
The most appealing (or enviable) part of Mac OS X to me is the iLife suite. I always wanted to play around with GarageBand. I have iTunes and a photo application on my Dell, but nothing like GarageBand. I would like to have a Dashboard with wWdgets, but I would add so many that it would be terribly distracting and cluttered. But terribly entertaining as well! I read “The Saga of a PowerBook 17” section about the writer’s trials with his first Apple. It’s nice to be reminded that computer drama plague other people and not just me. Techno-Schadenfreude.
Windows (An Update on the Windows Roadmap)
I had enough friends go through weeks of panic and frustration when they make the switch on their laptops that I never switched to Vista. I have used it on university computers and had no feeling one way or the other. What I have a strong negative reaction to is Word 2007. So much of it is counterintuitive. I know the reason I do not like it is because I am unfamiliar with it, but that frustration is enough to make me stay with what I know. Nothing in the Roadmap or “Windows Vista Why Not” section convinced me that I should make the switch to Vista. When it comes to technology, familiarity is key to me. I need time to become comfortable with any given system or program. This is tragically ironic since technology itself is all about rapid change and improvement.
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I'm glad you shared that Stephen Fry video. It put a little different perspective on it. I like the way he points out that scientists are expected to share their data with each other, and computers should be no different. I know the guide also mentioned that since so many people are using it, and that information is shared, so problems are eliminated quickly. It just didn't really click with me, though, how important that aspect is until the video compared it to science - which technology is a part of, after all.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you on Windows and Word. My desktop and my laptop both have XP, and I've had no reason to upgrade to Vista - I'm familiar with XP, so why go out of my way to change it if I don't have to? I also don't like Word 2007. I still have the 2003 version on my computer, but I recently used the 2007 version, and I felt totally lost. Perhaps it was just the way they had it set up, but it was very difficult to find anything. Maybe it'd be different if I had it myself, and could play around with it, but my brief time with it didn't make me feel hopeful about making the switch.
I have to admit that Word 2007 isn't quite as awful as it first appears. I was dreading the switch when I got my new laptop and had no choice but to upgrade, but having been using it for a month now, I'm starting to really understand it and can use things almost as quickly as I could on 2003. While I still prefer the 2003 version, the 2007 isn't totally awful or unredeemable.
ReplyDeleteI'd also like to be able to really play around with a Mac to experience the full idea since people who have them seem to swear by them with every fiber of their being. Some of things that my roommates in college who had Macs could do with music and movies was pretty awesome. I still have a cool video they made of us on my Facebook profile.