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Subscribe by EmailThe Zen of Operating Systems
Posted by Nicholas Brookins on 21 May, 2008I am a self-diagnosed O/S addict. If hardware is your computer’s body, then the Operating System is it’s soul. Makes you wonder what karmic mistake we made to deserve Vista, eh?
This vice of mine started with the various computers I use at home or work - I have an general rule that with all the choices out there, each system should use a different O/S. Sure, it’s a bit more administrative work - but it is fun, and gives me an excuse to keep up to date. And to read new posts on DistroWatch like a kid on Christmas morning.
Then there’s my Virtual Machine collection - I haven’t counted recently, but from
Microsoft Windows 1.0 to many Linux distros and interesting projects like ReactOS and Haiku, it is enough that I have 4 hard drives dedicated to them. Turns out I’m not the only one, glad to see there are other collectors out there. It’s pretty cool to be able to sit down at my XP workstation at SAM Systems, log into Linux Mint at home which is running Vista in a VM, and then use it to test connections back across the network.
As a software developer it pays to be familiar with not only many systems, but also different iterations. I can’t imagine keeping up with much of the testing I do without virtualization. I have a future post planned on the subject of programming and VMs, but I’ll mention that the snapshot feature is a lifesaver. The key is starting your VM with the oldest version of a particular O/S you can get your hands on - like Windows XP with no service packs, circa 2001. Then as you apply every signifcant update, new browser install, or framework - take a snapshot. What you’ll end up with, besides more frequent shopper points than you know what to do with from buying more drives, is an incredibly efficient test-bed that works like a time machine.
The use of more and more operating systems has been responsible for my interest in 
cross-platform software. It’s great to not only discover a great program that helps you out on a daily basis but then to also find out that is will work for you anywhere, from Windows to Linux to Mac. VMWare itself is one of those great applications, but Free/Open Source Software programs are even more exciting. For example, after falling in love with the Amarok music player that was installed by default on my beloved Asus Eee PC, I was thrilled when they announced that version 2.0 will be available for Windows as well.
Well, I took a long, windy and long-winded path to get to the conclusion, but here she is. This excitement is a driving force behind this new site, CodeToast.com. I want to play a bigger part in creating the small applications that help you every day. While I know it will be challenging, making them cross-platform will also be fun. Isn’t that what programming has always been about? From my first BASIC program on a Commodore 64 to the SAM Core3 video platform, programming has been as much a hobby as an occupation - and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Help me out, and make some suggestions on programs that could help you every day, the ones that don’t exist, but should. Thanks for reading!
May 21st, 2008 a.t 2:39 pm
I will continue to jot down notes on the job as I scheme up stuffs that would make things a little easier for the average bench tech.
May 21st, 2008 a.t 3:41 pm
Thanks - I’ve got the other ideas noted: A registry import tool for a bootable OS and/or a tool to change the boot device driver after the fact. Also a utility to import pst files into thunderbird.
May 21st, 2008 a.t 6:54 pm
[...] it made to deserve Vista, eh? This vice of mine started with the various computers I use at home orhttp://codetoast.com/blog/archives/13Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 1st Nov 2005 21:04 UTC OS NewsThe release of the software giant’s new [...]
May 23rd, 2008 a.t 8:08 pm
[...] we made to deserve Vista, eh? This vice of mine started with the various computers I use at home orhttp://codetoast.com/blog/archives/13Studio for WinForms by ComponentOne Named ‘Best of Tech Ed 2008 Developer Awards Finalist’ by [...]