How do you guys get by? Maybe time to give up?

[SuperMiguel]

So im a Computer Engineering student i been using Linux for about 7 years... And i keep getting knock out...

So at school every class i take it requires me to use a windows software, programming classes? Need to use Visual Studio, hardware classes i need to use AVR/Atmel studio, etc, and in most of this classes professor require the student to turn in the project file, not just the program it self... So i keep having to either use a virtual machine or dual boot getting tired atm :( maybe have to give up and start using windows....

[timhalo]

Don't do it!

Just kidding..do whatever it takes to get the immediate priorities done.

So run win as main o/s & run a linux in a vm for the other-than-classwork stuff.

:popcorn:

( I recently formatted and decided not to put m/s on. Now I regret because no video gaming :( Of course thats not a priority. Or is it?!?! )

[SuperMiguel]

Don't do it!

Just kidding..do whatever it takes to get the immediate priorities done.

So run win as main o/s & run a linux in a vm for the other-than-classwork stuff.

:popcorn:

( I recently formatted and decided not to put m/s on. Now I regret because no video gaming :( Of course thats not a priority. Or is it?!?! )

Ya i dont really game, and if i do its on another computer... Biggest problem i have is that i have to use Virtual Studio and Atmel Studio... (Both kinda the same) and some times it uses a bit of hardware, so when running on a VM it slows down a bit...

Also i always get bad battery life on my laptops when using ubuntu maybe bad manegement, but it is always at least 1h less than win


So yes i been thinking about running Win7, as main OS, and ubuntu in VMware workstation for C/python programming

[matt_symes]

Hi


So yes i been thinking about running Win7, as main OS, and ubuntu in VMware workstation for C/python programming

Personally, if i were you, this is what i would do.

I actually do it the other way around and run Windows in a VM, but my situation is different than yours.

There is no disgrace in running the setup that makes you most productive and works best for you.

After all computers are a tool and also used for entertainment . Nothing more; nothing less.

My philosophy is never to get hung up on something like technology.

BTW. I will move this thread to the cafe.

Kind regards

[sandyd]

Hi



Personally, if i were you, this is what i would do.

I actually do it the other way around and run Windows in a VM, but my situation is different than yours.

There is no disgrace in running the setup that makes you most productive and works best for you.

After all computers are a tool and also used for entertainment . Nothing more; nothing less.

My philosophy is never to get hung up on something like technology.

BTW. I will move this thread to the cafe.

Kind regards
+1

You simply use the best tool for the job.

[QIII]

Three words:

Use what works.

[gunksta]

Dual Boot. If you need to, buy a larger hard drive, but that can get tricky if you need to reinstall Windows.

My employer buys two hard drives for my laptops. Hard drives are cheap, so its really not a big deal. (Admittedly, they were cheaper when I last did this prior to some of the distribution chain problems of recent months.)

The first hard drive, the one that comes with the laptop, usually has Windows Verson X on it. Today, that would be Win7. I install Ubuntu (Kubuntu) on the second hard drive. When I need to be use Windows-based software, I shove in the Windows drive and off I go. I use Wine and what not for some stuff but Wine/Virtual Box are limited in what they can do. The rest of the time, I use the Linux drive. Most of my work is stored remotely, so I maintain access to my personal files and using IMAP (Gmail and the company IMAP server) I can keep email and what not straight as I move from one system to the other.

The only downside is that I rarely use the Win7 system so it often starts up, downloads an update, and immediately wants to reset itself. :mad: That, and when I start up T-Bird on Win7, there is usually a bit of thrashing as it updates its IMAP cache, but that's not a big deal.

[gunksta]

BTW - This didn't make it to the Cafe, it got stuck into the Education section, which may actually make more sense. I dunno. I'm not an admin.

[matt_symes]

Hi


BTW - This didn't make it to the Cafe, it got stuck into the Education section, which may actually make more sense. I dunno. I'm not an admin.
It did get moved gunksta :). There may be a link to it in the Education section but it did get moved.

I moved it as it's not a support question and it will not really garner any support answers.

The OP has suggested he has already used both virtualisation and dual booting so did not really require any help there.

This thread is more about opinions and so, IMHO, did not belong in the Education subforum.

Kind regards

[mamamia88]

You could go windows only on your school machine and buy something cheap like a netbook to play around with linux. Just an option. If i had to dualboot with windows and reboot once or so a day i would get tired of it too.

[Dragonbite]

So im a Computer Engineering student i been using Linux for about 7 years... And i keep getting knock out...

So at school every class i take it requires me to use a windows software, programming classes? Need to use Visual Studio, hardware classes i need to use AVR/Atmel studio, etc, and in most of this classes professor require the student to turn in the project file, not just the program it self... So i keep having to either use a virtual machine or dual boot getting tired atm :( maybe have to give up and start using windows....

There's nothing wrong with using Windows for school since it is decided for you. I have to use Windows at work because guess wha? they decided to use Windows and Microsoft technology (SQL Server, ASP.NET, etc.)

When you are not doing things for school then use whatever you want.

The advantage is that what you learn in school can likely be applied to some degree in using Linux. Where it doesn't, then with a little work and hackery you'll learn more than just what they cover. Sounds like a Win-Win.

I have a laptop which I use 2 hard drives; one with Windows and one with Linux. I pull out one and replace it with the other when I want to switch.

So "giving up" really depends on if you want to fool around with living 2 lives, or not but it isn't like you'll be ostracized for using Windows (or I would have been gone a long time ago! ;) )

[BrokenKingpin]

I was lucky that my college used both Linux and Windows for software development courses.

Either way, just finish college and move on. Even in the work place you will still have to use Windows in a lot of places. Nothing saying you can't just use Windows at work and Linux at home.

[vexorian]

So im a Computer Engineering student i been using Linux for about 7 years... And i keep getting knock out...

So at school every class i take it requires me to use a windows software, programming classes? Need to use Visual Studio, hardware classes i need to use AVR/Atmel studio, etc, and in most of this classes professor require the student to turn in the project file, not just the program it self... So i keep having to either use a virtual machine or dual boot getting tired atm :( maybe have to give up and start using windows....
If programming classes are synonymous with Visual Studio classes, maybe you should consider getting a refund from your school.

Nevertheless, use virtual box. Unless you are doing heavy directx stuff you don't need a windows computer to compile simple dows programs.

[graabein]

I've been dual booting for years, for games, mostly. Now I have gotten to the point where I have a pure GNU/Linux and run Windows 7 in VirtualBox, for work, so I can pull out some code in Visual Studio etc. Works fine.

Most of the programs I run on a daily basis are cross platform so that's cool. Firefox, Sublime Text, VLC, Eclipse or other IDE's... svn, ssh, some kind of Norton Commander lookalike. So I run the same programs at work on Windows as I do at home on Linux.

Just stick with it dude. ):P

[lykwydchykyn]

A few years back I was taking classes that "required" visual studio, but I just asked if I could use eclipse instead. I was already working in IT at the time, and basically told the professors (politely) that it was more compatible with what I do at work, and if it'd be no problem I'd rather use it.

None of them had a problem with that, as long as I could do the exercises and compile my code. What I gathered from their responses is that the "requirements" are just recommendations for students who don't know enough to have a preference (though, IMO, it's pretty shabby to recommend a paid, Windows-only app when a free cross-platform one will do just as well).

It never hurts to ask, though if you're getting past the 100-level courses it's more likely the platform & IDE will matter.

[Paqman]

I'm a Computer Engineering student

Well, you won't be a student forever. Depending on what you want to get into when you graduate you might be able to avoid Windows to a large degree at work. However, being familiar with Windows would be a huge advantage, so maybe you should cut the Demon of Redmond some slack ;)

[KiwiNZ]

Crusades do not put food on the table or buy houses etc, qualifications do provide a key to jobs that do, especially qualifications in the predominant systems used.

[neu5eeCh]

Both my laptops are multi-boot and include XP & Windows 7 -- the rest are linux distros. Windows 7 is their best OS to date - Windows 8 is awful - at least the testing version. I spend nearly all of my time on Linux except when I want to watch Netflix or talk to my IPod. I occasionally have to use Word in Windows when presented with a complex docx file, but Libre and especially the new Textmaker 2012 have made leaps and bounds in compatibility. Dual boot. Nothing wrong in that.

[SuperMiguel]

Dual boot gets old very fast! :(

[Erik1984]

Dual boot gets old very fast! :(

Only when you have to do it often I guess. I have a dual boot setup but hardly boot into Windows. It's just nice to know that I can use it in case it's needed. However I can imagine that frequent switching is tedious.

[Dragonbite]

Only when you have to do it often I guess. I have a dual boot setup but hardly boot into Windows. It's just nice to know that I can use it in case it's needed. However I can imagine that frequent switching is tedious.

Depending on the length of time, occasional booting into the other OS also incurs the cost of running updates.

A VM has the advantage of you being able to run it minimized, so it can run through updates, more frequently without having to abandon the OS you choose to use (which in this case would be the host).

[Erik1984]

Depending on the length of time, occasional booting into the other OS also incurs the cost of running updates.

A VM has the advantage of you being able to run it minimized, so it can run through updates, more frequently without having to abandon the OS you choose to use (which in this case would be the host).

That's true. Every time I boot into Windows there is a ton of updates waiting, definitions of MS Security Essentials that need to be updated etc.

[SuperMiguel]

Im thinking i may just install linux on it, and run Vmware Workstation..

I guess that way i can also isolate my programs, no need to have all the microsoft crap that gets installed when you install Visual Studio, running on the background if you are not using that specific application.. (i know it can be disable but it can create problems to use Visual Studio)

The other thing will be to know how compatible is my new laptop (New Sony Z laptop) with Ubuntu, battery life, drivers, etc, newegg lost my package so still havent got it cant really test.. i made another post about it: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=12187876#post12187876 but no answer yet :)

[Dragonbite]

For Visual Studio work, you could always try doing it in Mono on Linux as well, in an effort to see what differences there are between the Windows and Linux programming of the same material.

Depending on what you are building with VS, you might find Monodevelop sufficient though it may take a little more effort to deviate from the school's "norm".