Did you ever get the Windows itch? (revisited)

[SnTholiday]

Someone posted awhile back in regard to going back to Windows. I wanted to start a new thread on this, with a bit of a different take on it.

I got the Windows itch again after receiving several computer accesories for Christmas,
all with software that does not work with Linux. These accessories are a wireless mouse,
an HP printer, and an Olympus digital camera. Of course these will all work with Ubuntu, but you cannot get near the options available for setup, etc. The HP printer will work with
the available driver in Ubuntu, but the HP toolbox does not show ink levels or have the available options that the Windows software does. Same with the mouse, (Logitech) it works, but there are no available options for setup. Several buttons do not work. Prints come out much sharper and clearer using the HP software with Windows than they do using the driver supplied with Ubuntu.

I'm still up in the air about this, I love Ubuntu and don't want to go back to using Windows.
I'm sure there are others using Ubuntu with printers, accessories, etc. that do not have the same capabilities as they would with Windows. This can even include video and sound cards. I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions you might have pertaining to this.

[kevinf311]

The house I live in down in Atlanta is going to be switching over to VoIP soon, so I decided to get a new wireless keyboard/mouse (my old one crapped out) and a headset. I found the Easy Call Desktop (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2162,CONTENTID=12129) from Logitech online and thought it would be awesome. After asking for it for Christmas ;) I realized that it was unlikely that the buttons or even anything else (as it is a single USB connection interface) would work.

I talked myself into the notion that it would probably at least function as a wireless keyboard and mouse (a step up from the rubber ball and tail that I've been forced to use in interim). For the extra keys and functions I think I will try to write my own driver/interface/configure file for it. I don't know how well this will go, as it would be my first attempt, but I am hopeful.

As for your devices; I have a HP 2175 that works well, I haven't tried to print photos on it yet though, I might try when I get back. I never really trust the ink level thing :rolleyes: I just print until it stops printing. I'm not sure what the camera includes, but the only thing my Fujifilm lacks on Linux is the annoying auto launch photo import program that came with it. I always transfer my pics over manually. It makes for uninteresting names at first but I usually give them better ones upon touch-up. I think your mouse will work. My Microsoft Wireless Desktop Elite (or whatever it's called) worked fine in Ubuntu until it stopped working altogether. I did have to manually set some of the buttons, but it probably would have gotten to full functionality.

I'll let you know if my first attempt at writing the nitty gritty works. If so I may be able to help with your extra buttons too :)

[smoker]

I'm still up in the air about this, I love Ubuntu and don't want to go back to using Windows.
I'm sure there are others using Ubuntu with printers, accessories, etc. that do not have the same capabilities as they would with Windows. This can even include video and sound cards. I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions you might have pertaining to this.

i sure you are not the only one to have these products and have ubuntu. if you post relevant questions on the help forums i'm pretty sure you'll receive some help and advice.:D

[xelink]

Hater of windows... too lazy for linux..

ehh need to install linux on this system... for a linux newb liek em it takes a bit of effort though and with all my overclocking and the need for OS reinstalations it adds up.

still like the stability of linux though.

[in_flu_ence]

I don't really have the itch. In fact, I am able to get almost all my hardware working with no issue using ubuntu 6.10. Even my latest addition of a logitech wireless mouse.

As I am not a hardcore gamer, I guess I would love linux more than windows in any way.

[Sunnz]

You could refund the gifts and get equivalent but linux-friendly products, right?

[happy-and-lost]

I know what you mean. I love my Sony Walkman mp3 player too much to trade it in for a Linux friendly mp3 player (Though the Cowon iAudio X5 supports OGG/FLAC and looks very tempting). I also enjoy playing B&W2 too much to delete Windows.

[ardvark71]

I'm still up in the air about this, I love Ubuntu and don't want to go back to using Windows.
I'm sure there are others using Ubuntu with printers, accessories, etc. that do not have the same capabilities as they would with Windows. This can even include video and sound cards. I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions you might have pertaining to this.

About the only thing I miss from Windows, apart from the ease of installing software, are the games, which unfortunately, Linux (games) doesn't even hold a candle to. Hopefully we will see this addressed in the future.

@ Sunnz: Oww, my eyes hurt

Best Regards...

[justinlb]

I got the itch a couple of months back and I scratched it for about 1 month after a year of pure Ubuntu. I mainly installed XP for games but after a while I just got sick of dealing with windows and reconverted and I promise I won't go back!

[SnTholiday]

Thanks for all your responses. I really like the software that came with the Olympus camera so I will be using Windows XP for the time being. I have no intentions of upgrading to Vista. I also do not like to dual boot. Hopefully in the near future more vendors will recognize their customers may want to use another OS besides Windows and offer a version of software for Linux. I will be contacting both Olympus and Logitech to let them know my OS of choice is Ubuntu/Linux, but unless more people do the same I doubt it will make any difference.

[tito2502]

There are very few HP printers which do not work with HPLIP.

[PeteNJ]

There are certain things Ubuntu/Linux just cannot do or cannot do well enough for my tastes to allow me to format my XP partition. Primarily my Harmony remote and certain streaming sites (particularly Yahoo's NHL games). It is a shame because it is a lot of space to take up for something I rarely use.

[kevinf311]

... I will be contacting both Olympus and Logitech to let them know my OS of choice is Ubuntu/Linux, but unless more people do the same I doubt it will make any difference.

I shall contact Logitech as well.

[Sunnz]

ditto

[sloggerkhan]

I feel no urge to touch windows, and on the occasions that I do, I just wish for linux, particularly my custom desktop. I'll keep moving my mouse to where I keep my application launchers in Ubuntu and they won't be there! Sometimes I'll also hit ctrl-alt-f(1-7) and then think "crap! wrong OS."

This works in reverse, also. Sometimes I hit ctrl-alt-delte/backspace and forget it doesn't bring up the task manager.

[kevinf311]

I'm using my Dad's computer running XP MCE here in Maryland. I keep Ctrl+Alt+Right/Left-ing. In MCE... that changes the layout of the screen (rotate 90 degrees and such).

I shall show my reaction using emoticons:

*Ctrl+Alt+Right* :confused: :neutral: :-k
*Ctrl+Alt+Left* :-? :-k
*Ctrl+Alt+Down* ](*,)
*Ctrl+Alt+Up* :) *sigh* [-(

[TheKid965]

Every now and again I'll find myself going back to XP for reasons of simplicity and wanting something that Just Works. It's not that I'm too lazy or too impatient to figure out how to do the same task in Ubuntu (or any other Linux), it's more like I get frustrated with all the hoops I find myself having to jump through in order to do something as seemingly trivial as, say, watching a video file or DVD in a Linux environment. But I know where the blame for that mostly lays (and I won't get into it at the present time, lest this Bruce Banner-type turn into a Hulk of righteous indignation over power grabs by paranoid content-control cartels), and it's not the fault of anyone working on a Linux multimedia program.

I don't miss Windows games so much, except for Diablo II - and that game runs perfectly through Cedega, so that base is covered. These days I do my gaming for the most part on consoles, anyway.

Everything else I can use a comptuer for, I can do just as well if not better with a Linux/Open Source equivalent. It's just those last few details that keep me from taking the final plunge. Believe me, I've tried many times over the past two years to convert myself over, and it just never works out the way I'd like it to.

Lucky for me, I was about to give it yet another chance as I was writing this, so maybe I can get it working properly this time. [crosses fingers]

[FuturePilot]

I hate getting that Windows itch. There's a few things that I have that either won't work with Ubuntu or have more support under Windows. For example, Bluetooth. I know there are some bluetooth applications but they can't do what can be done in Windows. ](*,)

[marx2k]

There are a very small amount of things I need an XP install to do. I have 3 computers, one of them being a laptop. The laptop has XP installed for...Im not really sure what for. I guess I can remove it and free up 20 gigs for Linux. I will probably do that this weekend with the magic of the GParted Live CD. I've had it dual booting with Linux now for 3+ months and havent booted into XP once. I thought I would need it, but it turns out I really dont.

The desktop Im writing this from now has XP and Win2K in a virtual environment in VMWare Server - Once the coming semester begins, I will need it for Visual Studio and also I will need IE to test out HTML code. I also used it last semester for MS Access and MS Excel. The only other use I have for it is SonicStage, Sony's retarded proprietary software for recording Minidiscs. I hate it. I HATE IT. I HATE IT. It only runs in Windows and there's no way around putting MP3s on my MD recorder. Got to love Sony and closed-source self-mutilating licensing schemes. In my opinion, Minidiscs would be a lot more popular these days if it were not for Sony's licensing blunders (see: BetaMax)

I would sell my MD recorder but the alternatives are the current lineup of MP3 players which so far, I can't stand. Especially the I-Sheep (http://www.idont.com/news/) (Say Baaah!).


Anyway, so thats why I run it in VMWare Server under Ubuntu on this box (Hey! No need to reboot!) and if I fullscreen it, there's no way to tell Im running Linux on the backend. It's that smooth for me (1.6Ghz AMD 2000+, 1GB RAM)

Finally, the downstairs living room desktop connected to the TV also dual boots with XP for the sole purpose of emulating old video games (SNES, Genesis, MAME, Atari, etc etc)- beyond that it sits in Linux mode 95% of the time and I use it to route movies to the TV (DivX, XviD, etc)

I can't say I get the XP 'itch' anymore since I don't use it for anything beyond those very limited number of things. Anything else, Linux suffices just fine.

I couldnt really care about PC gaming on Linux as that's what I have my consoles for, and I do very little gaming these days anyway- but I REALLY wish the emulation front was stronger on Linux.

[Titus A Duxass]

I have just satisfied my itch!
A friend (or was he) gave me an original, legit copy of XP.
So I tried it, got a nice dual boot set-up now.

Windows is making my blood boil.

Firstly it did not ask for my keyboard layout so now I have the wrong one!
Secondly it wouldn't connect to the internet. I tried everything I knew; pinging, etc. But no joy! Then I found the Motherboard CD with all the drivers on it!

Stuck the CD in, click on express install and off it went.

It loaded one driver then rebooted, then loaded another driver and, yes you guessed correctly, rebooted. Four reboots later I think all the drivers are installed, just my webcam, printer, usb bluetooth dongle, DVB-T USB (no go in ubuntu), and my PVR 150 to go.

That should really satisfy my itch!

Going to keep the installation though and play around with nLite and see how small and quick I can get XP.

First things to go IE and that eMail system.

[tomservo291]

VMWare Server, it's free now. Run windows in a VM when you need to connect a USB device or user the printer drivers...

[justin whitaker]

I get the XP itch every time I have trouble with my iPod (restore software is Windows only), or every time some major game title comes out. Supreme Commander....oh wait, I play World of Warcraft. I don't have time to even read other game's game boxes....must reach level 70!

[M$LOL]

Vmware.

[floke]

I really miss the meditation space that I had while waiting for XP to boot up and for virus scanners to update and check for nasties. I really miss having to hunt through piles of windows on a single desktop to get to the one I want (*sigh* that was good fun). I really miss having to periodically clean out my registry and defragment my filesystem, they were such good times. Having to download software to get my camera and printers to work, too, was one of my favourite experiences. And as for worrying about downloads and executables, I don't know how I'll ever get over the loss.

Ah Windows, I miss you so much!

[M$LOL]

I miss Windows' ability to deter me from computing.

[in_flu_ence]

I actually just missed my Windows 'cause it gives me the challenge to keep up with the security as in Linux. I was trying to tweak my ways to ensure no virus can penetrate through and roaming around my window system.

Funny thing is that: After I have installed my windows OS once again, I was trying to look for the applications that are found in linux. E.g. Openoffice, ported applications like Octave, I even use Songbird instead of itune. Am I betraying my Windows community?:P

[floke]

There is no Windows community. Only individual customers.

[in_flu_ence]

That's very true:P

I probably don't see a windows forum like the one here:P Most forums are for people who try to troublehoot windows problems without paying the hefty commercial support.:P

[Sunnz]

As far as I know of Windows user don't call it Windows forum but "PC support forum" or "computing forum"...

There are PC User Group in my local area. but not Windows User Group. I am glad about it though as MS start to naming everything Windows - Windows Live Messager, Windows Live Internet Explorer, and Windows User Group? No thanks.

However the great thing about the PC User Group in my area is that they offer "advanced" computer lessons, on Linux!!! Makes perfect sense to me!!!