Why I've replaced Vista with Linux

2007-11-19

This decision was a long time coming but I think it is the right thing to do right now: I have reformatted the hard drive on my laptop and replaced Vista with the latest version of Ubuntu Linux, as the main operating system. I did this for a number of reasons: it's probably worth going through them one by one.

Building a picture of Open Source today. “Desktop Linux is ready for the mainstream” we are told – but is it? And how to know without trying it for real? I had Linux running in a virtual machine on Vista, and it looked fine, but I tended only to play with it and not really put it through its paces. To give it a proper once-over there really is no substitute for putting it in as the “main” operating system. I should say up-front that this shouldn't be construed as a comment on Vista, which I am actually getting to like (see below). The same caveat should be applied for other applications, proprietary or open source (for the record, however: I'm not in any hurry to move over to OpenOffice just yet!)

Testing virtualisation. There's a variety of combinations of virtual environments that can exist today – one of the strengths and weaknesses of virtualisation (I am quickly discovering) is that anything goes. Linux on Windows, Windows on Linux, either or both on a hypervisor from either side; add to that the potential for running individual apps (e.g. with Wine or Softricity) or remote desktops and it all becomes very complicated indeed. I decided to start with Linux as, to be fair, Vista is already big, and I decided I could do without the base overhead. I'm now running virtual instances of Ubuntu server, Ubuntu desktop and Windows XP – see below.

Getting my hands dirty. Here's the thing – I'm an old UNIX hacker at heart, and I kind of miss playing around with this stuff, which I haven't really done since the 0.94 SLS days. It's certainly been an interesting experience so far pushing a few of the boundaries of today's desktop Linux and seeing what gives... or doesn't. I'm also planning on doing a bit of programming again, most likely in Ruby on Rails, for which direct use of the LAMP stack seems more appropriate than developing in Windows and running emulators or indeed, virtual machines. Of course this will also help me build more of a picture of open source in general, or at least trigger a few conversations: see next.

Engaging with the community. There's just so much happening in the blogosphere, and some of the most animated discussions come from developers and open source advocates. For me, this decision partially comes down to succumbing to the temptation and joining in – heaven knows I won't be able to keep up but at least if I'm sharing some of the experiences I'll participate more than just watching from the sidelines.

Avoidance of bias. It's important in this job to be able to see all aspects, and I have felt uncomfortable in the past commenting on certain subjects without a full appreciation of how it feels to experience the other side of the coin. Meanwhile, Linux adoption is rife in Eastern Europe and Asia, making it even more important to understand what life is like for non-Windows users. Its worth doing this to get the balance right – not least because certain behaviours and expectations are very different. In Linux, for example, the attitude is very much “there will be a package out there” (the package manager lists twenty-three thousand packages, of which I have a paltry fifteen hundred installed) but the “out there” experience also extends to tweaks and fixes, so be prepared to muck in. The Windows “attitude” seems to be more, “I've paid for it, so it better work!”

Response to accusations of bias. I want to be able to talk about the good stuff that comes out of Seattle without being accused of bias, or being considered some kind of shill. At the risk (see, here we go) of facing the wrath of all those who feel Microsoft is the nemesis of the IT industry, I actually do, really believe they come out with some pretty good stuff. I also think Sun, IBM and everybody else comes out with good stuff. There's plenty of good stuff out there, and I really don't see why Microsoft should be excluded from the good stuff debate just because they had some sharp business practices in the past, or present. After all, who didn't - and who doesn't.

Finally, I secretly wish I had a Mac. No I don't... well, yes I do but I'm not sure it would be the answer to my prayers, and I would be concerned about lock-in. Oh, the irony.

So, there we have it. It's already been quite a ride, as I've tested out a number of Linux distributions, tools and configurations before settling on my preferred setup. Which is, Ubuntu Linux 7.10 running KDE, and hosting a virtual instance of Windows XP via QEMU/KVM for my Outlook Exchange client. For virtualisation, I did try out Xen, both from within OpenSuse and as XenSource Express, but neither supported laptop suspend/resume (and XenSource setup on a single laptop was becoming a pig. I've needed to do various tweaks and resolve a number of issues, as I started doing this I wondered whether this was a comment on Linux – but it could equally be due to my lack of current experience. I have set up a dual-boot configuration with Vista, but this does not boot by default so (for the time being) it is there as a security blanket.

Does it work? So far, so good. I'm having to use the command line more than a little, but to be fair this is largely due to using the virtualisation capabilities, which are outside normal (i.e. non-geek) behaviour I think. There are a few bugs and things I might suggest were done differently, if I were in a position to comment – which is exactly what I'm getting myself into here, so expect some further case notes on my own blog under the tag “geeking out” (these won't appear on IT-Analysis or IT-Director if you're reading this post on one of these sites.) I still need to get myself organised from a data standpoint – I'm configuring Samba as I don't just yet want to trust my data to sit inside a virtual machine, for example! - and I also need to set up my external monitor for ease of switching screens.

Whether or not I can work like this is one thing. I am missing certain things, not least LiveWriter and the Vista Sidebar – as general remarks things are not quite as slick as Windows, but perhaps I haven't got my configuration right yet. I'll give myself a month or so like this, so I can establish whether or not I actually want to work like this. For now, the jury is out but I shall keep everyone posted.