Reading Notes- Week 3, Sept 20, 2010

Introduction to Linux

So this entire post will probably make it relatively apparent that I'm no computer wiz, but I can explain (or at least give an excuse). My dad was always very into software and he worked for Bell Labs and Lucent Technologies, so I just always let him handle my computer needs. I know nothing about Linux, but section one of the guide by Machtelt Garrels did make it sound very interesting. I can see why programmers and people who want a very customized computer experience would choose Linux. It is very versatile, and it's free. I like the part about it being free because no other operating system is! Linux gives users the option to alter their system as to their whims and I think this would make it easier to keep up with the quick pace of computer technology. My laptop is going on 5 years old now and man do I feel behind the times. But with Linux, there would be no need for that because you could just add on some new features to your liking and it'd be fresh. I have never been attracted to using Linux because it's been talked up to be such an imposing system. Although maybe I will be inclined to poke around with it in the future, since Garrels did say there are efforts underway to make the system more user friendly for beginners.

Mac OS X

The Wikipedia article and "What is Mac OS X?" both gave a great overview of this operating system. I can't say that I was that interested in it mostly because I don't care for Macs. I don't even have an iPod. I'm sure some people will *gasp* at that one. But again, I blame my dad. I asked for an mp3 player for Christmas, and despite the market being glutted with iPods, he comes back with a Creative Zen. It works fine, but I feel like the kid left of the kickball game. I know this is a source of heated debate- which is better Macs or PCs- and I don't intend to get into it. I'm just used to PCs so that's what I like, but to each his own. In the article "What is Mac OS X?" the writer stated that the article was intended for users who weren't familiar with the system, yet I felt so bogged down in all the Mac related names and terms he was using that I couldn't really get into the article. Some interesting points from the Wikipedia article that I took away were that all the releases of Mac OS X are named after large cats. I wonder why they decided to do that. Mostly the article discussed how Mac OS X was an improvement upon previous Mac operating systems and versions of itself. Not being a big Mac user, I wouldn't know the difference, but I have had friends who were super excited when Leopard came out a few years ago, so Wikipedia is probably onto something.

An Update on the Windows Roadmap

This article was a few years out of date, but it showed how much faith the company had in Vista. I've never used Vista except on a couple of my friends' computers. My laptop that I got before going to college has XP and I never upgraded. So, yes, if you're wondering, I still have XP! I never felt like I was at a loss because everyone always told me how much they disliked Vista, but I feel so behind the times now with the new release of Windows 7. Anyway, back to the article- many people complained about Vista a lot. The article stated that "Vista was a very ambitious release" and maybe this was part of its problem. However, Vista did address some of the initial issues by supporting more components over time.And Windows 7 is supposed to really have revamped things in response to user feedback.

After reading about these three operating systems, I have reached the conclusion that I am not motivated enough to change operating systems. Every time I use a Mac, I am confused by the fact that you can't "right click," among other differences I can't remember now, but that bug me at the time. I guess it all just depends on what you're used to. I must admit that I am not completely satisfied with Windows. Has anyone else experienced the "blue screen of death" where one day you wake up and turn on your computer only to see this horrible blue screen that tells you Windows has crashed? Senior year, fall semester, finals week. That was painful. I have heard that Linux and Macs are less susceptible to crashing and other unfortunate business, so in that respect, I can definitely see the advantages. I think that there are benefits and disadvantages to all these systems, and like with all things in life, it just depends on which quirks you are willing to put up with!