Every once in awhile an I.T. guy or a Programmer or such will complain about how how FAT programs and Operating Systems are getting. And there is the Moore’s Law: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore’s_law that (kind of) says that computing power will double every 2 1/2 years. Hardware has gotten a lot faster. But a lot of us are still running on couple or few (or more?) years old computers.
I tried to install Windows 8 Preview – that everyone or anyone can get – in Vmware and Virtual Box and it won’t go. It wants VT-x hardware virtualization capability in the CPU in order to go. That’s pretty FAT … and not FAT like the kids these days mean that it’s cool. I wonder how it runs on real bare hardware? So the PC Maker of my machine opted for the Intel E5300 CPU that didn’t have that. Wonderful. I really wanted to see how much I really hate, as compared to how much I think I will hate, Windows 8. Well it might be ok if you can turn back on the standard mousable desktop.
I also installed new version of Ubuntu Linux … 12.04 in Virtual Box and 12.10 in Vmware. Both seem to be PIGS as well … and it seems it is because of a change to a 3D desktop thing versus a 2D desktop thing that Ubuntu apparently used in previous versions. I have a 10.04 Desktop in Vmware that runs just fine. They, in a just previous version, had a “Settings” gear wheel icon on the log on screen that you could use to change to the 2D system … but now they have removed that completely. You gotta throw more IRON at it to have to run respectfully I guess. This too, though, I haven’t run on bare hardware without the virtualization systems.
Are we ‘App’y yet? There’s this supposed big trend towards APPS – all because Apple did “apps” in the “i” devices … so now supposedly we’ve got to have APPS interfaces in everything – including desktop PCs (and desktop PC users) [without touch screens] … according to the Windows 8 mantra. According to this article:
Windows 8 is beating Mac … in this supposed “Get ‘App’y” contest. Or maybe Apple got it right and wanted to leave that App’y shtuff off of the desktop. Some people just don’t want TOUCH SCREEN on their *working* PC Desktop machine. Does anyone ever get their fingers messy or sweaty or dirty? I would rather not be cleaning my 20 inch display constantly like I am doing for my iPhone.
There are some interesting comments on there about the subject, like:
By “that type of work,” what do you mean? I use Illustrator, Photoshop, and After Effects* daily. Those are precision applications that require a mouse to function. I am an aspiring author who writes 90,000 word documents, and that requires a keyboard and a mouse for proper cursor placement.
Windows 8 is a hybrid interface. That’s the point. That’s why it works. You have the desktop and full support for all traditional peripherals, but you also have a touch interface when on the go. There’s no need for two devices. It’s one device with two “modes.” Tell me, honestly, why do you need two devices? The desktop does everything just as well as it always has. The only complaint is the lack of the start menu, which (despite the fact that I think this is a dumb, wrong-headed complaint) is easily brought back with free programs if you want it back so badly. No need to dive into metro apps when using desktop mode. But when you’re on the go, you have everything there for you. If you end up having some time to sit down and do “real work” while you are out, you don’t have to kick yourself for leaving your laptop at home. Or conversely, you don’t have to carry around a laptop AND a tablet.
*No, I wouldn’t try to run AE on a tablet. I’m just saying that I do “real work.”
* But also comments saying that if you had a dual mode (say laptop) you should want the two to be integrated in the OS – so that on-the-go you could be Touch ‘App’y or Traditional Mouse and Keyboard if you had to do some serious work while on-the-road again …
* I dunno … Did things just get FATTER or did they get BETTER? I know on a moving boat using a mouse was often difficult … I’ve seen Track Ball mouses used to try and mitigate that problem. I can’t imagine touch screens on the bridge with heavy seas. They might poke a hole right through the monitor screen. Well … Windows 8 will likely be slow as far as adoption on boats anyway because of compatibility issues with existing hardware and software. May boats have not gotten up to Windows 7 yet. Jeppesen (Nobeltec) runs on Windows 7 … we’ve done that. So perhaps it will run on Windows 8 as well. We’ll have to test and see.
* This just in on Twitter … Ubuntu 12.10 Debuts with Windows 8 Attack Ad … (But Ubuntu gets some hate of their own … from their own users [see top of this story for my comments --- Alan S.])
http://mashable.com/2012/10/18/ubuntu-12-10-windows-8/
—
Alan Spicer Marine Telecom
+1 954 683 3426
communications @ marinetelecom.net
On Facebook I did:
Forget your troubles and just get ‘App’y you better chase your cares (and non-Apps) away … See the next post. Sorry I could resist the Come on Get Happy pun.