Tuesday, October 14, 2008

A Tirade: Linux and the Commodore 64c Parrallels and why Vista is a dissapointment

There have been many comparisons from experienced OS X and Linux users alike to their experiences with the Commodore of yesteryear. I wanted to share one with you and why it is so important that proprietary OS X and open source Linux should gain more in popularity. Mainly it has to do with Vista, but read on.

Systems like the Apple computer system are famous for there innovation as well as ease of use. Under the hood of your Mac, you have a very powerful system, so powerful in fact, that you can have a true production studio at your finger tips that would rival what is available on the PC. You also have a stable system. Vista, is still not stable. It still has issues, and when it comes to customer service, being outsourced, the representative themselves, in the nations that they are in, probably use more of an open source derivative or if they are using Microsoft, they are using XP. That is my opinion by the way. The Apple team in this has been brilliant, and it does take me back to the days of the Commodore, when they had personal computing by the cojones. The MAC experience however, goes far beyond that, since Apple has its own stores, and other than the GUI -(Commodore had GEOS, which ripped off from the MAC 128k and Apple IIgs), the similarity stops there.

On the other hand, programming in OS X and Linux, does bring back memories of the Commodore. Of course, that the 64c and 128 used Basic V2 with some Machine language through compilers for 6502c like MLX, but then again, its the fact that you can enter into terminal so easily and start programming in LINUX, UNIX, C, whatever, to create your program, the fact that to an extent, even the proprietary MAC OS X is programmable, and of course absolutely your UBUNTU BOX, is what attracts me to these types of systems, and brings back memories of the Commodore of old. Most of all, LINUX and OS X are devout users, and they absolutely are loyal to there systems. They have reason to be. Because OS X and LINUX brings reliability, stability, and power to its users, that otherwise, on a VISTA box cannot be found. And by the way, despite, how propietary OS X is, at least, they make it easy for you to have several different operating systems loaded on your box, without stability issues, unlike the Longhorn boot loader nightmare for Vista and the fact that it literally is unstable.

Some of you may remember that months ago, I was to post a solution to various crash issues on Vista. I have decided not to continue in the attempt to resolve this. In fact, its a disgusting fact that although I have attempted every known way, except for doing a complete re installation ( I refuse because it would ruin my MBR that I finally got stable and erase GRUB) that now, there seems a to be permanent crash status on my Vista box. I won't give up, but I want you all to know , that if you are a PC, and you are using XP, don't feel like you are being left behind. Everything that you have heard from your PC distributors as well as various techies, is true. Vista remains to be unstable, unusable, and without getting into clean re installations, or even programming the command line ( I hate programming in Windoze command line) that I am going to state that Microsoft did a great job with XP, and a lousy JOB with VISTA. They can keep their money, I m not going to ask for a refund from Microsoft on the Vista OS, as I hope however, realizing their errors, they offer a free upgrade (yeah right) to Windows 7, I will continue to try to make the Vista system usable, short of eliminating the current set up I have, which, I am happy to report, is best at least for me.


In conclusion, this blog that I posted looks more like its about Vista than the Commodore and OS X and LINUX, so, look, remember that a good OS is memorable for its user control and ease of it, but should not be restrictive, nor should it be selective, and provide the user with an experience that is always positive. Blue screens of garbage are not positive, nor blaming chip makers for your faults are positive. Good luck, I think that you will find, that your move into Mobile Phones, Microsoft, may be the best choice yet (God help us all!).

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