Thread: Advice: living without Microsoft...

I use Windows 7 at work, seems pretty good. I'm happy to use it on the work network, just don't want windows on me own computer.

Windows 7 and Office are good, imho.

Right now I would like to nuke windows. I use veetle tv to stream tv shows I like. Out of the blue I get this Microsoft Visual C run time library problem Big popup on the screen. Have to stop the program and restart each time every frigging 15 minutes.

Originally Posted by aging one

Right now I would like to nuke windows. I use veetle tv to stream tv shows I like. Out of the blue I get this Microsoft Visual C run time library problem Big popup on the screen. Have to stop the program and restart each time every frigging 15 minutes.

Have you done a Windows Update and/or downloaded the latest version?

Here you go Butters, now you can upgrade.

Originally Posted by Sailing into trouble

Come on boys, the death star windows is doomed, doomed I tell you. When will you stop being the pawns in Microsofts hands. Any company that business model is to release new product to the public at great cost knowing that it is flawed, needs to be shunned.

You don't read many security bulletins, do you?

Originally Posted by Sailing into trouble

Any company that business model is to release new product to the public at great cost knowing that it is flawed, needs to be shunned.

you are talking about Apple right ?

More advice please.

I don't wanna use Skype or MSN thingy anymore. What would be a good option to: 1) video conference with family in Euorpe; 2) work conference calls here in Thailand. Thank you.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

More advice please.

I don't wanna use Skype or MSN thingy anymore. What would be a good option to: 1) video conference with family in Euorpe; 2) work conference calls here in Thailand. Thank you.

Try Oovoo

^ Thanks, Harry, but says Windows, Mac or Android?

Download Free Video Conferencing Software For Your Webcam

Okay, I've looked again and maybe I can open an account and create a video chat room. Gonna try now... Not sure though...

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

^ Thanks, Harry, but says Windows, Mac or Android?

Download Free Video Conferencing Software For Your Webcam

Okay, I've looked again and maybe I can open an account and create a video chat room. Gonna try now... Not sure though...

Have a look at WINE - it lets you run Windows programs in an emulator on Linux.

^ that sounds like stuff FP was on about the other day; I'll give it a go, thanks.

Now I've had this new setup for 2-3 weeks, I thought I'd offer an update:

I like it.

The Fujitsu was 16,900 baht with an i3 processor and a 2 year warranty. It is close in spec to the Dell and HP alternatives, but has an nvidia graphics card which they don't and a longer warranty. It is lighter too; at about 2kg it is 20-25% lighter than my previous Dell Inspiron, and this is noticeable. The sound is crap - weak volume and poor quality, so if you like music you'll be needing some speakers and/or headphones.

Papillion will be pleased to hear that it has a simple wifi switch on the front with two positions: on and off.

The Ubuntu software is a breeze, very easy to get used to and work with:

On startup and shutdown it is very quick, seconds, rather than the minutes (often many many minutes) running Windows vista with McAfee - I reckon I save at least 15 - 30 minutes a day on startup, shutdown and updates that the windows o/s and anti-virus s/w used to pain me with.

The desktop is great. It has a dock like my old Dell had, but is better designed (similar to Macs?), the workplace switcher (like a Mac?) is really easy to use and useful; better than the windows vista offering, imo; applications and files & folders is also a piece of piss to use from the dock. Very user friendly and quick.

The top bar has the volume, time, power switches, etc, and the email/chat/broadcasting is very easy; just set it up to gmail or yahoo (or both or more) and then you're available for skype type video calls (I do on gmail), straight into your email (like outlook), etc. Easy and functional.

Libra Office comes as standard; I use the powerpoint and word versions daily. PP is 100% switchable with microsoft files, I've made, moved and run many across various machines and between Ubuntu and Windows - not a single problem. I've made the presentations on the laptop, saved the file on a thumb drive (or emailed it), turned up at the conference, plugged the thumb drive into their windows m/c and it has been 100%, several times, different venues, m/cs. Word, I've found has some font format issues, so I work on this m/c and save the files as .ODT, then either convert them to .PDFs when I'm finished which run perfectly on any o/s or save to a .doc file then spend 30 seconds reformatting, maybe longer if it's a long document. It depends on what fonts you are using; they have slightly different names on Ubuntu, I presume that Microsoft have sorted out some patent rights which restrict the usage of these fonts(?). As I prefer to send my files as .PDFs anyway, it's no problem for me at all. If you work on two m/cs - one Ubuntu, one mincrosoft, then you'd need to take care with the font, especially the spacing. I've found that I really like the Libra office application, it's mostly as per word, so it's a very slight learning curve.

Backup is a piece of piss; takes mere seconds onto a thumb drive; I use Luckybackup which I've setup to save my desktop to the drive - it works out what has been updated and saves to thumb drive, literally takes 5 seconds.

Firefox works perfectly. I find it better than Microsoft explorer, much quicker and less invasive.

There are many applications to download for free; the standard adobe, google, yahoo stuff to specific paint, video editing, games, etc. It's as easy as Microsoft, if not easy - I find the uninstall is far far better on the Ubuntu than it was on vista (which usually crashed or took forever).

All in all, it is easy, works very well, and you can do anything.

No viruses, no problems, thus far. I have no special anti-virus s/w running; I just take care. I have an Ubuntu backup on a thumb drive, so if I have a problem it'll be a simple reinstall. Easy enough, but I doubt if I'll need to, I'll let you know if that changes.

Basically, life without Microsoft is just fine (there are lots of helpful Ubuntu forums too, with clear concise explanations - I used one to change the password which the pantip guys did not give me...), actually it's better, much quicker.

I now spend a greater percentage of my time doing what I want to do (work mostly), and a far less percentage of time (zero just about) pissing around with system updates and anti-virus protection. Microsoft is a con, they sneaked up on us and drew us in, but life is better when you ditch them...

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

I now spend a greater percentage of my time doing what I want to do (work mostly), and a far less percentage of time (zero just about) pissing around with system updates and anti-virus protection. Microsoft is a con, they sneaked up on us and drew us in, but life is better when you ditch them...

I think MS has lost their top spot for the idiot user OS choice, and Ubuntu is doing a much better job in that regard

MS Win is being far more complex for the average user, and in particular Win7 and Vista. They try to make things everything too simple, but at the end it's more complicated. Ubuntu has kept the simplicity than MS lost. I won't mention MacOS X because as soon as you want to push it, that OS becomes equally unnecessary complicated and clumsy, like Win7.

You did the right choice with ubuntu, it wasn't always like that for Desktop Linux OS, they have been working on it for 15 years and only succeeded in the last 3 or 4 years.

^ thanks, Paps.

Have a nice day.

They try to make things everything too simple, but at the end it's more complicated.

Only if you're a fucking idiot.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Libra Office comes as standard; I use the powerpoint and word versions daily. PP is 100% switchable with microsoft files, I've made, moved and run many across various machines and between Ubuntu and Windows - not a single problem. I've made the presentations on the laptop, saved the file on a thumb drive (or emailed it), turned up at the conference, plugged the thumb drive into their windows m/c and it has been 100%, several times, different venues, m/cs. Word, I've found has some font format issues, so I work on this m/c and save the files as .ODT, then either convert them to .PDFs when I'm finished which run perfectly on any o/s or save to a .doc file then spend 30 seconds reformatting, maybe longer if it's a long document. It depends on what fonts you are using; they have slightly different names on Ubuntu, I presume that Microsoft have sorted out some patent rights which restrict the usage of these fonts(?). As I prefer to send my files as .PDFs anyway, it's no problem for me at all. If you work on two m/cs - one Ubuntu, one mincrosoft, then you'd need to take care with the font, especially the spacing. I've found that I really like the Libra office application, it's mostly as per word, so it's a very slight learning curve.

Why don't you install the basic MS fonts on your new laptop?

If you know which ones you're missing, I can email them to you.

^ I looked around the downloads section and installed some, but I couldn't find them all (Verdana, Ariel, TNR, for example, which are probably the three I use the most).

As you can see from this thread , I'm not very good with computers, just a novice really... If it's as easy as emailing and installing (how exactly is this done?) then that'd be great.

Been watching the cricket, Marmers? It's going very nicely, again...

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Been watching the cricket, Marmers? It's going very nicely, again...

Listening to Test Match Sofa.

If you want the fonts, just PM your email address and I'll send them over.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

^ I looked around the downloads section and installed some, but I couldn't find them all (Verdana, Ariel, TNR, for example, which are probably the three I use the most).

As you can see from this thread , I'm not very good with computers, just a novice really... If it's as easy as emailing and installing (how exactly is this done?) then that'd be great.

Been watching the cricket, Marmers? It's going very nicely, again...

Actually BB you're doing extremely well.

Better than that Gallic douchebag, for a start.

By the way, my picture is upside down on my video... I uninstalled everything, and reinstalled other stuff and it's still upsidedown... Not sure why, I'll play about with it tonight...

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

By the way, my picture is upside down on my video... I uninstalled everything, and reinstalled other stuff and it's still upsidedown... Not sure why, I'll play about with it tonight...

It's OK dude, in Australia it looks just fine. Probably.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

By the way, my picture is upside down on my video... I uninstalled everything, and reinstalled other stuff and it's still upsidedown... Not sure why, I'll play about with it tonight...

your monitor is probably held wrong, try flipping it

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

^ I looked around the downloads section and installed some, but I couldn't find them all (Verdana, Ariel, TNR, for example, which are probably the three I use the most).

As you can see from this thread , I'm not very good with computers, just a novice really... If it's as easy as emailing and installing (how exactly is this done?) then that'd be great.

Been watching the cricket, Marmers? It's going very nicely, again...

Actually BB you're doing extremely well.

Better than that Gallic douchebag, for a start.

would love to see you in front of MacOS X, you would be crying for help

have you tried the iPhone ?