The Hassle one has to go through when you buy a new Laptop / Netbook-Isn’t it pain in the neck?

The hassle one goes through when one buys a computer with Microsoft installed is something that I never wondered for the past 3 to 5 years or so.

It is mind boggling for a Linux guy.

Once a year I format the root partition and sometimes leaving behind the home partition for a while and install the Old / New version of the Linux distribution in that partition.

This time I had to delay it till March (including Mageia) since most of the distributions including Debian delivered or released the distribution (except PCLinux which was right on the button during December) in late February or March.

The slowest and the laziest was SuSe, though.

My work and cricket world cup were other distractions.

Mind you I install many distributions for various reasons and for testing and not because I lack anything on PCLinuxFullMonty.

Other reason is I need to fill the hard disk so that it is not left idling and rotten.

I will list the hassle a Microsoft guy has to go through.

1. S/He has to backup the data.

2. S/He has to remove the crap the OEM guy install

3. S/He has to download the free software

4.Then has to install the paid software

5. Then anti-virus software

6. Then he has to get Firefox, Opera or safari

Suffice is to say in this time I will install 15 (3×5) distributions in my main computer and two other spare ones I use for testing.

One of the major benefit of Linux is I save lot of time and do other interesting things like watching cricket or water the plants or feed the fish and testing distributions and this time additionally Sinhala Linux distributions.

This list is endless and I will stop at this point and give you a list Linux Free (point number 3 expanded) software that one get FREE

Please go to NiNite web site and get them free if you are a Microsoft user.

If you have chosen the right Linux distribution of your choice you will get all this and more in one go except perhaps Flash.

1. Web Browser Group- Firefox, Chrome, Safari or Opera

2. Messaging Group-Skype, Pidgin, Google Talk, Yahoo, Messenger, Thunderbird

3. Media group-iTunes, audacity, KMplayer, HULU, Songbird and many more

4. Runtimes – Flash, Java

5. Imaging Group- GIMP, Picasa, Inkscape

6. Office Group-LibreOffice, OpenOffice,Adobe PDF Reader, CutePDF, SumatraPDF, Foxit reader

7. File sharing-uTorrent, eMule

8. Security- What a medical problem for sick machine?

9. Cloud computing-Dropbox, Google earth

10. Image Burners-Nero

11.Compression- win 7, winzip

12. Utilities

13. Developer tools-Putty, Python, Filezilla

14. Others I may have missed

You do not have to do any of these if you select a Linux distribution and all are packed in one and installed in one go.

What a waste of time trying to run windows 7.

That is why Windows users do not have any creativity and continue to lack creativity at work place or on the go.

They are Potato (not hot potato) Guys bloated with Image of Crisis.

Would you pay more money and go the Exrta Mile or is it pain in the neck?

There is so much hype about Windows 7 and on my daughter’s request I went and bought a Windows 7 Starter Pack but kept on delaying opening of the pack to install it since the netbook I bought her already had Windows XP.

She has a working knowledge of Linux with  the desktop she had and I bought the netbook stating that if it started giving problems she has to go back to Linux for her work.

Something simple like Lubuntu or Meego or something advances like Sabayon, PClinux or Mepis or even Decian.

Then I wanted to repartition (re-size) the hard disk but the XP installed did not allow me to repartition unless I delete the operating system with it.

Since I have paid for the operating system, I realize it is not a wise thing to do since if she wants there are enough computers at home to try Linux including her desktop.

Then everything went into cold storage and she was down with some illness and Windows 7 was completely forgotten.

Today as part of my full reformatting exercise, I deleted all my partition and booted this Windows 7 Starter Pack to see what it has.

It immediately recognized the 20 GiB ntfs partition  (I made as an extra storage facility), the hard disk had and it started giving me instruction that it can be installed in one computer only and the blah blah.

It pulled out the internet wire fearing it is going to note my laptop machine number and the details and it’s identity and then allowed it to install.

Mind you this was the computer I bought in Singapore after big fight with the vendor stating that I did not want windows installed in it and I only want the machine and I know what to do with it.

Then I booted Linux while waiting in lounge of the Changi Airport with Linux a DVD I downloaded in Singapore (in one of my relative’s residence in Singapore).

After installing it goes up several times rebooting and this is the time it gives all your details to the Microsoft head quarters to subsequently send warning after warnings to lure you to buy all the extra utilities.

Finally it booted up and this one lets you have a password facility and the system has nothing at all to work with.

I told my daughter how stupid was to buy it and booted up and showed her the latest 10th anniversary Knoppix 6.4 live with compiz graphic and Pingus game in it and amazingly beautiful graphics.

It has enlightenment effects and LibreOffice and over 6000 t0 10,000 packages in it’s DVD.

Who is stupid Microsoft or little Me I will let you decide it.

Mind you I installed Knoppix and Sabayon KDE while typing this bloggy blog and tested PCLinuxfullmonty has 64 bits capability also, in between watching the last stages of the Sri-Lanka New Zealand cricket match too.

I must tell you Win 7 took a longer time to install and restarted several times.

Sabayon has a media center called XBMC and it is something windows users will never have the luxury of using.

PCLinuxfullmonty has blender and with these three distributions in my laptop I have amazing rich collection of graphic utilities.

I did not have to pay a red cent but had to spend some time downloading the 3 DVDs with K-Torrent.

Only limitation was the slow download speed of Sri-Lankan Telecoms.

Wisdom

Anybody who proposes a theory and before validating it indulge in remedy is prone to error, that is my radical philosophy and that is why philosophers asks the pertinent question and never volunteer the  answer,  knowing very well the answer is more difficult than the question….

That is my thought for today.

If life is not challenging it is not worth living anyway.

Read my piece at asokaplus :”10 things your counselor (there are more counselors than counseled) won’t tell you and 50 ways to leave a counselor…..

Not Cricket-Selections

I have faith in Gutsy Aravinda De Silva, if he takes the following points to consideration but I believe the ruins set in by the previous Chief Selector by his Political Wheeler Dealer (not cricket) selections of players to the National Team cannot be rectified for a decade and not less. 

1. Fitness of the player to stand the rigors of the World Cup for the entire period (dashing and slowly wasting and wilting away-good example is Sanath) 

2. Fielding Ability (nobody fits the cap for this characteristic now)

3. The neat fitting of the player to his role (the position he plays, coordination of senior player with the junior player, not to run out the junior player–Dilshan type)

4. Shear Determination to win (Mahanama type-nobody now) and withstand and bear pain

5. Quiet Achiever (Gurusinghe Model)

6. Dasher in Crisis (nobody better than Aravinda himself)

7. Ability to fit anywhere from 1 to 6 and the ability to wicket keep (Kaluvtharana Model-nobody now) wickets

8.Supportive type to the chief wicket taker (Kumar Dharmasena type)

9. Kangavena Type but Accurate (We have two Dilhara and Malinga) in wickets helping pacies like in Perth

10 Gritty Smart Psychological Type (The Arjuna (typical) the Greatest- not as irresponsible like Kumar Sangakkara) take as much as ONE can give back and a proactive thinker 

11. Good knowledge of the opposition players (weaknesses and strength-SWOT Analysis)

12. Who can have a little snooze at the time of a major crisis and when given the ball or bat delivers the goods-they are the match winners

Avoid Please if you may

1. We do not want a Chatterbox behind the stumps

2. Un-gentlemenly Type (depriving Shawag a century)

3. No cheating (Gilchrist type with extra gear) but do not be too gentlemanly like (if the umpire makes the mistake, unless pretty obvious do not walk back but let the Umpire bites the dust)

4. Political Stooges

5. Pure Sinhala Buddhist Type Team

6. No extroverts

7. No introverts

8. Whimpering type

9. Paper Tigers (journalists who seem to know better-Arm Chair Type)

10. Annunkeli Type ( who promote their celluloid image at the expense of National Team, and Players)

11. Who thinks cricket is an individual game and do not want to share all the spoils

12. Pissa (idiots) type of cheering spectator/s or underworld Gangs who have their own agenda – do the act for the TV and the Gallery- You may call it the Dr.Mervin Type

I have decided to sleep during the entire tournament when Sri-Lankans bat but wake only when they field to see the balling and fielding and perhaps other teams better performance!