About my choice(s) in Operating Systems...

My old desktop that was running a dual-boot of WinXP and Linux Mint recently decided to stop working right. I'm sure it's something simple like a power supply needing to be changed but, it got me thinking about the next desktop computer in my life. It will be something I build for myself this time. No one else is holding the purse strings since I'm no longer a perpetually broke college student. Dell will not be getting my business this time.

Many of my nerdy friends/Army buddies/relatives all want me to go whole-hog with the Linux thing and become a programmer that runs Debian. Well, that sounds nice, guys. Too bad I won't be having too much time to do that with the job that I have nowadays. I need computers that work consistently and are easy to fix when they go FUBAR. Hate on Microsoft all you want, Windows normally fits that bill. (Unless it's Win ME or Vista...) Sometimes, simple is best. Especially when you need the OS for a program that you use to make money, like I will with Xactimate.

All that being said, I find myself with a plethora of choices in operating systems. I've decided to use multiple OS programs, all on their own hot-swappable drives (CRU Data ports are awesome!!!) for the various following reasons. Also, be advised that gaming is not overly important to ANY of these installs except WinXP, which won't be used often. I prefer most of my gaming to be on consoles or portables.


Win XP

This is for the old legacy software that doesn't run so well on newer systems, mostly old games and the programs I used in college for media creation. This OS won't be doing anything else. It probably won't be going online much, either.

Yes, I know I can find ways to trick Win7 into playing games from the Win9x era but, why go through all that trouble for Doom or Chip's Challenge? (And I do have Doom running on Win7 right now with my laptop.)

Win 7

• General everyday use
• Business programs, including an Office Suite of some kind...
• Artistic programs like Photoshop and video editors
• PC games that were made for something newer than Win XP
• My various very simple HTML projects (i.e. lists of my music, game and home video collections...)
• Web-surfing that doesn't involve lots of large file downloads. (Social Media, e-mail, Wikipedia, et al.)

Linux Mint (or some other easy-to-use Linux distro)

This will be for downloading torrents and other things from sites that may not be all that safe. It can also double as general use if/when the Win 7 drive decides to screw up on me. I consider the chances of that to be minor but, there's always a risk.

Also, I'm going to need a live CD of the latest STABLE version of this OS, which as of this writing should be Mint 17, code-named 'Qiana.' I might also just run this from a Live CD instead of installing it on a HDD. I'll explore those options after I return home to New Orleans in a few weeks and set up my new Fortress of Solitude/Mad Scientist Laboratory/Workshop in the Garage.

Apple iOS

Don't worry, this is staying on my iPods and iPad. I wouldn't put this overly simple and limited OS on a real PC. :P

Too bad Apple can't write good Windows software to save their souls. The Windows version of iTunes usually sucks. Also, I want an alternative to iPods for my next .mp3 player. I am told Android devices can do that for me. I'll have to look into that more...

- Lord Publius