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View Full Version : I used windows xp for the first time in a couple of years today...



Dustin2128
August 5th, 2010, 01:39 AM
I'm taking a web design class this year, and all the desktops are windows XP. I haven't used windows xp in about a year. This also happens to be the first time I've used windows for a couple of months. It was fairly quick, but the window decorations were corrupted. One of the good things about using the machine in a web design course though is that I can do all my browsing in chromium firefox or opera, and nobody cares if I do my coding in emacs. Overall it felt quite bland (compiz has spoiled me.. I sometimes move windows around just for fun, not to mention the water effect...) but productive, I see again why its arguably the industry standard. One thing that screwed me up was that the super key actually opened up the task bar :confused:. I've got key combos that work with it, e.g. super-c is chromium, super-f is firefox, super-t is tilda (terminal emulator), etc. Also when I was looking for emacs so I could download it to my flash drive, I actually opened up the windows terminal and got to sudo apt-get install before I realized what I was doing.

BenAshton24
August 5th, 2010, 02:38 AM
I find windows very constrictive, especially when doing web design, or indeed, coding of any form. I usually have about 50 windows open at any one time all organised onto different workspaces according to their functions. Not only does this get confusing on windows with only one workspace, it also seems to slow the computer to a halt if I exceed 20 applications. And, yes, I can't live without my compiz cube and wobbly windows :P

Zzl1xndd
August 5th, 2010, 03:43 AM
I have to use windows everyday at work, and it drives me insane. The one thing I miss more then anything else is the virtual desktops. I have dual monitors at work but going from Dual Monitors with 4 work spaces at home to Dual Monitors with one workspace at work is just a drag.

Legendary_Bibo
August 5th, 2010, 04:40 AM
Windows got me in the habit of constantly closing programs because things would get too cluttered. Now with Ubuntu and virtual spaces that's going away. Gimp is a very cluttering program, but now I can movie it to it's own space, and have firefox open on another space and quickly change between the two. Also, I also cannot live without wobbly windows. It wasn't even until Win7 when they finally made it to where the Windows actually moved when you dragged them rather than just being redrawn.

NUboon2Age
August 5th, 2010, 04:41 AM
When you have to use Windows, but still want to use Ubuntu too without installing anything, you can run Portable Ubuntu (https://sourceforge.net/projects/portableubuntu/) from a USB pen drive. Here's an installation HowTo (http://www.howtoforge.com/running-ubuntu-on-windows-xp-with-portable-ubuntu)

marshmallow1304
August 5th, 2010, 08:56 AM
The "you've inserted a USB device" sound always annoys me greatly for some reason.

Cabalbl4
August 5th, 2010, 02:16 PM
Well, I still use winXp sometimes with VirtualBox for compatibility reasons. However, making some tune-ups with WINE I've got even audatex (repair estimate) software working on my machine. Some more tune-ups... and the XP virtual image will no longer be needed :)

While working with VirtualBox I sometimes wonder - what's up with the terminal? It's kinda buggy :D Why no aptitude? :p

3rdalbum
August 5th, 2010, 03:05 PM
The "You've inserted a USB device" sound? That's nowhere near as irritating as the constant notifications:

"A USB device has been inserted"
"Flash Memory"
"Kingston DataTraveller 2GB"
"USB Mass Storage Device"
"Searching for drivers"
"A driver has been found"
"Installing the driver"
"Still installing it"
"Just about finished installing it"
"Device is now ready to use"
"You're running Windows XP without anti-virus, you must be crazy, click here to fix this problem (the anti-virus part, not the craziness part)"

That's something I really like about Ubuntu - it doesn't bombard you with notifications, and the notifications are not closable so you don't feel like you need to close them (strange, I know, but it really works).

I would like Windows XP to die soon; not only is it a security problem and as boring and obsolete as dry toast; but the need for backwards compatibility with XP is holding back computer hardware technology, and every time I go into a bank and see the dinky little blue window decorations my blood pressure rises from remembering all the stinking notifications it gives you.

jonathonblake
August 5th, 2010, 07:09 PM
actually opened up the windows terminal and got to sudo apt-get install before I realized what I was doing.

And what would you have done had that worked correctly?

jonathon

forrestcupp
August 5th, 2010, 07:53 PM
I hope to never use XP again. Windows 7 is doing me great. :guitar:

TheNerdAL
August 5th, 2010, 08:18 PM
The "You've inserted a USB device" sound? That's nowhere near as irritating as the constant notifications:

"A USB device has been inserted"
"Flash Memory"
"Kingston DataTraveller 2GB"
"USB Mass Storage Device"
"Searching for drivers"
"A driver has been found"
"Installing the driver"
"Still installing it"
"Just about finished installing it"
"Device is now ready to use"
"You're running Windows XP without anti-virus, you must be crazy, click here to fix this problem (the anti-virus part, not the craziness part)"

That's something I really like about Ubuntu - it doesn't bombard you with notifications, and the notifications are not closable so you don't feel like you need to close them (strange, I know, but it really works).

I would like Windows XP to die soon; not only is it a security problem and as boring and obsolete as dry toast; but the need for backwards compatibility with XP is holding back computer hardware technology, and every time I go into a bank and see the dinky little blue window decorations my blood pressure rises from remembering all the stinking notifications it gives you.

I forgot how those sound like! Can anyone link me to the sounds? :P

blueturtl
August 5th, 2010, 08:42 PM
I hope to never use XP again. Windows 7 is doing me great. :guitar:

How is it that every time a new version of Windows comes out suddenly the old version is completely worthless? The same people who bet their lives on Windows 95 now look at it in horror: How could anyone use *that*. Still it was perfectly plausible back in the day to use it. Same thing goes for XP. I remember everyone drumming for XP, how it was the greatest thing ever, finally a version that fixed all the flaws etc. etc.

Then Vista/7 comes out and suddenly there are all these flaws that the new version supposedly fixes. All the while other products exist that lack these flaws to begin with. Windows 7 is horrid. I await with great anticipation how everyone is going to discover that once Win 8 is out. :D

p.s. Not trying to pick a fight with you Forrestcupp, your post just happened to stimulate me in to this short rant...

forrestcupp
August 5th, 2010, 09:09 PM
How is it that every time a new version of Windows comes out suddenly the old version is completely worthless? The same people who bet their lives on Windows 95 now look at it in horror: How could anyone use *that*. Still it was perfectly plausible back in the day to use it. Same thing goes for XP. I remember everyone drumming for XP, how it was the greatest thing ever, finally a version that fixed all the flaws etc. etc.

Then Vista/7 comes out and suddenly there are all these flaws that the new version supposedly fixes. All the while other products exist that lack these flaws to begin with. Windows 7 is horrid. I await with great anticipation how everyone is going to discover that once Win 8 is out. :D

p.s. Not trying to pick a fight with you Forrestcupp, your post just happened to stimulate me in to this short rant...

XP is a very, very old OS from two generations ago. It's outdated, and it is older than the oldest version of Ubuntu. Your rant may have had merit 2 or 3 years ago.

To make it applicable to your rant, I actually don't have nearly as much problem with Vista as most people seem to have. My boy's computer still runs Vista. I actually had a copy of 7 that I installed on it, but it runs Vista better, so I downgraded.

Dustin2128
August 5th, 2010, 09:25 PM
When you have to use Windows, but still want to use Ubuntu too without installing anything, you can run Portable Ubuntu (https://sourceforge.net/projects/portableubuntu/) from a USB pen drive. Here's an installation HowTo (http://www.howtoforge.com/running-ubuntu-on-windows-xp-with-portable-ubuntu)
The school's IT department knows next to nothing about computers... I'm actually pushing it just bringing emacs on a flash drive. I don't want to know how they would react if I booted an entire OS. Too late, probably something like: "Sorcerry!" or "You wiped out windows!!!11!1!!" Also the computers are always inundating me with popups telling me to restart now to finish installing updates every 10 minutes. At least in vista/7, you can delay it for a few hours. Lack of multiple desktops or a workable terminal also kills me, I spend half my time in a terminal :)

Legendary_Bibo
August 6th, 2010, 12:48 AM
I have to keep a virtual box with Windows XP so I can access Citrix on my school's website because we use certain programs for several classes. Also it lets us use Office 2007 through it so I don't have to worry about OO incompatibilities. I guess I could always install my copy of 2007 on the XP, but it doesn't seem to detect CDs (come to think of it I don't know if it detects flash drives :-k). They provided the linux version of the client, but it doesn't work, but hey they tried, and that's all that matters.

CJ Master
August 6th, 2010, 02:17 AM
I would like Windows XP to die soon; not only is it a security problem and as boring and obsolete as dry toast [...]

I can accept that dry toast is boring. But obsolete?

Dustin2128
August 6th, 2010, 02:31 AM
To put it in perspective: windows xp was over a year old when tinfoil hat linux started.

phaed
August 6th, 2010, 04:41 AM
After using Ubuntu almost exclusively for years (2005-2009), I've started using Windows (7) more in the last year. There are little things that I got used to in Linux that I miss on Windows. Some examples:

Highlight to copy / middle click to paste
Window always on top
Scroll unfocused window with mouse wheel

There are solutions or semi-solutions to some of these Linux features, but they are often incomplete, and you have to install extra software to emulate them.

smellyman
August 6th, 2010, 04:55 AM
The school's IT department knows next to nothing about computers... I'm actually pushing it just bringing emacs on a flash drive. I don't want to know how they would react if I booted an entire OS. Too late, probably something like: "Sorcerry!" or "You wiped out windows!!!11!1!!" Also the computers are always inundating me with popups telling me to restart now to finish installing updates every 10 minutes. At least in vista/7, you can delay it for a few hours. Lack of multiple desktops or a workable terminal also kills me, I spend half my time in a terminal :)

I am sure they just don't want you screwing with them.

I don't care how good somebody thinks they are at IT, I have no idea how good they are. Just don't start monkeying with my network and my pc's.

Khakilang
August 6th, 2010, 05:49 AM
I been using Ubuntu for over a year now and haven't use Window XP for the past 6 month until I need to use my Lexmark all in one printer scanner. And that is where I use Virtual Box to make the scanner work with Window XP. That is the only time I use Window XP other than that it just Ubuntu.

linux18
August 6th, 2010, 06:28 AM
I try as hard as I can to avoid windows as much as possible, unfortunately I run into it every day. Somehow compiz-fusion makes you a computer wizard in the eyes of windows users, so everyone wants me to make windows go fast. Today, I ran into a computer with 68% fragmentation on a fat 32 windows xp partition (yeah, really fat 32) and it only boots in safe mode(OMG!!!!does it get any worse?) Long story short, windows likes messing with you because it knows your a linux user.

3rdalbum
August 6th, 2010, 08:21 AM
I can accept that dry toast is boring. But obsolete?

lol, typo. But dry toast has been obsolete since the invention of butter :-)

TheNerdAL
August 6th, 2010, 08:29 AM
Highlight to copy / middle click to paste


...Three words: I..DID..NOT..KNOW..THAT..BEFOREE!!!!

Thanks. :) I waisted my time right clicking and clicking copy and now there is something easier. :D

Spice Weasel
August 6th, 2010, 08:34 AM
...Three words: I..DID..NOT..KNOW..THAT..BEFOREE!!!!

Thanks. :) I waisted my time right clicking and clicking copy and now there is something easier. :D
You didn't know that? :o That's the only way of doing it in most terminal emulators.

TheNerdAL
August 6th, 2010, 08:37 AM
You didn't know that? :o That's the only way of doing it in most terminal emulators.

I knew the middle click part but I didn't know that if you highlight text, it automatically copies it. :P

phaed
August 6th, 2010, 07:06 PM
...Three words: I..DID..NOT..KNOW..THAT..BEFOREE!!!!

Thanks. :) I waisted my time right clicking and clicking copy and now there is something easier. :D

Two things revolutionized my relationship with the terminal:

1) highlight / middle click to copy/paste
2) tab completion

I can't believe I went a whole year on Linux before I figured out tab completion :-)

neu5eeCh
August 6th, 2010, 09:15 PM
I been using Ubuntu for over a year now and haven't use Window XP for the past 6 month until I need to use my Lexmark all in one printer scanner. And that is where I use Virtual Box to make the scanner work with Window XP. That is the only time I use Window XP other than that it just Ubuntu.

Hey, I'm trying to use XP in VB to access my HP g4010 scanner (no linux driver). Quick question: Did you have any trouble getting VB to recognize your USB device (I'm using Oracle's USB enabled version) and how do you access your scanned documents via Linux?

linux18
August 6th, 2010, 11:09 PM
Hey, I'm trying to use XP in VB to access my HP g4010 scanner (no linux driver). Quick question: Did you have any trouble getting VB to recognize your USB device (I'm using Oracle's USB enabled version) and how do you access your scanned documents via Linux?
guest additions - you can find it in the repositories

Legendary_Bibo
August 6th, 2010, 11:49 PM
Two things revolutionized my relationship with the terminal:

1) highlight / middle click to copy/paste
2) tab completion

I can't believe I went a whole year on Linux before I figured out tab completion :-)

My mouse has two buttons and a clickable scroll wheel so I assumed that I couldn't do that. That is freaking awesome!

Dustin2128
August 7th, 2010, 02:20 AM
they just upgraded to windows 7 today... that was fast. My eye-candy addiction is satisfied (in the same way a drop of water satisfies a person dying of dehydration). But still, while everyone else is wowed by the effects, I see it as old and outdated, a throwback to KDE 3. I had a similar looking desktop with superior effects a full two years before 7 came out, and I could've had it about 5 years before.
//side note: prediction. Windows 9 (2015/16) will look similar to (and be about as stable as) KDE 4.0 beta.

Legendary_Bibo
August 7th, 2010, 02:27 AM
they just upgraded to windows 7 today... that was fast. My eye-candy addiction is satisfied (in the same way a drop of water satisfies a person dying of dehydration). But still, while everyone else is wowed by the effects, I see it as old and outdated, a throwback to KDE 3. I had a similar looking desktop with superior effects a full two years before 7 came out, and I could've had it about 5 years before.
//side note: prediction. Windows 9 (2015/16) will look similar to (and be about as stable as) KDE 4.0 beta.

Yeah the transparency with the blur is fine for the menu (I have it for my gnomenu), but for every window it's a nuisance, and it makes text harder to read.