hpr-knowledge-base/hpr_transcripts/hpr1783.txt

Episode: 1783
Title: HPR1783: Windows To Linux - Better Late Than Never.
Source: https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/ccdn.php?filename=/eps/hpr1783/hpr1783.mp3
Transcribed: 2025-10-18 09:13:38

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This is HPR episode 1,783 entitled, Window to Linux, better late than ever.
It is posted by first-time ghosty and new Linux RTM and is about 10 minutes long.
The summary is, long-time podcast listener finally gets off the fence and makes the switch.
Now he's hooked.
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This is a story of my last days as a Windows user at home and my eventual switch to Linux.
My name is Kevin and my online name is Gnu Linux RTM.
The name Gnu Linux RTM was recently created for a project I'm working on.
But maybe I'll talk about that another time.
Although I listen to every single episode of Linux reality, many episodes of Linux outlaws,
Linux link tech show, the Bad Apples aka Gnu World Order, and other podcast shows, I
just recently listened to my first episode of Hacker Public Radio.
So caught my attention was the plea for content to keep Hacker Public Radio going.
So I have been HPR binging and I have to say that the fact that this kind of podcast format
exists is amazing.
Yes, I had heard the words Hacker Public Radio before, but I just thought it meant that
this was some kind of show for extreme hacker types, which I didn't think described me.
Another confession?
My day job is mostly in a Windows environment, and although I kept myself up to date on
the progress of Linux, I had very few opportunities to lose Linux at work.
I had enough challenge, keeping up to technology, I had to know to do my job.
Although I heard and understood the significance of making a commitment to use Linux, I never
did make the switch.
Sure I dabbled with Linux as a server platform, and maybe to get some use out of some old
hardware, but not on my most powerful and most used home machine, the computer I use
every day for my own personal project was until last summer a Windows PC.
You see, I hate wasting effort and time, something we all have a limited amount of.
I remember after particularly frustrating about with Linux, I turned to my coworker and
said, Windows, because life's too short.
Also, I am one of those weirdos who loved a little red track point on IBM thinkpads.
Last spring I traded my old thinkpad, plus some cash for an off-least Lenovo thinkpad
W510 notebook.
I got it cheaper because they didn't have the original power supply, instead it came
with a third party power supply.
But eventually I got to me because it took more than twice as long to charge the notebook.
So I spent the money to replace it with a higher wattage power supply, and for a penny
and for a pound.
Why not upgrade the 8 gig of RAM, too?
Shortly after the 90 day warranty I started having weird lock up issues.
The hard drive light would go solid, and the machine would just freeze.
I've seen this before.
Suck it up and back to the local computer store to replace the hard drive.
In for a penny and for a pound, why not get one of those slick new SSD drives?
Got home, do a drive copy, and I'm back in business.
Or so I think, after a while I realize I am still suffering from intermittent lockups.
Time for a fresh install.
Install Windows 7.
Windows update.
Reboot.
Windows update again.
Reboot.
Windows update.
Reboot.
Almost done.
Ah!
Blue screen of death.
Reboot.
Blue screen of death.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Finally, it's almost done.
But, blue screen of death again.
Ah!
No problem.
I'll system restore the last working update.
But, blue screen of death.
No, no.
I'll remove the update.
I'll remove the last one that.
And then, I'll reinstall all the other ones except for the one that caused the problem.
Ah!
Blue screen of death again.
Blue screen.
Blue screen.
Blue screen.
Ah!
Is it my new RAM?
I'll switch that out.
No difference.
Maybe it's a power supply.
Nope.
Go back to non-SSD drive.
Still no change.
A different Windows install disk.
No.
No.
And no.
Now, I'm really in for a pound with this machine and I can't use it.
Deflated, I put the computer down in the corner of the room and try to forget about it.
That sleek black thing pad just sits there mocking me every time I walk by, but I am determined
to ignore it.
Weeks go by.
Now a month.
I've gone back to my desktop.
But it's no use.
I'm miss having a notebook.
I'm an easy-chaired notebook guy now.
I don't want to regress down the evolutionary scale and hunch over my desktop anymore.
I'm at home.
I should be reclining.
Like a bad hangover, time is numb the memory of the pain.
I pick up the think pad.
It's time to drink again.
I'm back, baby.
I've got that you can't beat me.
Techie battle cry pumping through my veins.
Linux.
At least that's the way I prefer to remember it.
But really, I was thinking I spent so much money on this piece of crap.
I'll use it even if I have to switch to Linux.
Let's see.
I've got to approach this logically.
Ah.
Choose a distro.
Desktop.
Hmm.
Video on Richard Stallman spanking Ubuntu on the Amazon deal.
Hmm.
Okay.
Linux Mint 17 is based on the long-term release of Ubuntu 5-year support.
Cool.
Top of the distro watch charts?
Hmm.
Looks like a good start.
I install Linux Mint 17 and it's up and running in no time.
I run the update manager and hold my breath.
Wow.
It's 100% updated.
No crash screen of doom.
Now what?
What do I do now?
I Google first things to do after installing Linux Mint 17.
Wow.
Direct hit.
Yeah.
Oh cool.
Steam games.
Yummy.
Play on Linux.
Bonus.
What a blast.
But the fun of discovery was better than any game I played.
Alas.
My machine was running great but still had a lock-up issue.
Just not as often.
But it was a victory nonetheless.
Besides, I had a mostly working machine and I would just ignore the problem.
An infrequent lock-up didn't seem to bother Linux Mint.
It just booted right back up fine.
After about a month on Linux Mint, a little message popped up.
I can't remember exactly what it said, but it was just like the machine was talking to
me.
Hey buddy.
This battery on your notebook, um, it kind of sucks.
And you might want to replace it because well, I need a steady power to, you know, breathe.
And it sure would be a lot easier if I could count on some steady airflow.
Yeah.
You know, I was elated, but even more so amazed.
I had installed no diagnostics offer.
I spent no additional time troubleshooting.
I had just installed Linux and started using it and my computer just told me what was
wrong with it.
The new battery arrived and now the machine was solid as a rock.
Did I go back to Windows 7?
Hell no.
I kicked the habit once and for all and I was not missing Windows at all.
I distinctly remember a standout moment when I was working on my brother-in-law's wedding
video.
Circumstances were that the key family members could not be at the wedding and they were
very anxious and waiting for that wedding video.
I didn't want to delay finishing the project and was reluctant to do anything else with
the computer during the render process.
Rendering the video took quite a bit of time and was very CPU-intensive, but I had broken
the wedding into several segments and there was lots of rendering and getting feedback.
Katie and live lets you assign how many processors would be used during rendering and I had set
that to four.
There were processes to spare.
Maybe I can do something else while I'm waiting for the render.
I read a few emails.
Hey, I don't notice any performance difference.
Maybe I'll surf a bit.
Still fine.
YouTube video.
Smooth.
Now in HD.
Wow!
No problem.
No slowdown.
Multitasking as it should be.
Next day at work I can't help but talk about it with my coworkers.
Why not get a Mac?
They say.
It wasn't a question.
It was a strong suggestion.
Most of them had written off Linux years ago.
I start talking about how great my system is working for me and how I have been able to
get so much done with 100% open source applications.
So what?
They say.
You can install most of those applications on the Mac and Windows as well.
It's no use.
I guess I'm not much of an evangelist or maybe I just work with cynical people.
But it does cause me to question, why am I so excited about open source software now?
At this point in history, really most of the fundamental building blocks of open source
software have already happened.
It seems to me we are now in a fine tuning stage.
I think it is that maturity that appeals to me.
No longer do they, you have to say, you can install Linux but and the word but lands
with a thud.
There's very little creative work that you cannot do on Linux and open source software
right now.
You know I don't regret a single moment I've invested in switching to and learning Linux.
My story continues but we'll save that for another time.
I hope to tell you more about my project and the hurdles I've gone through in a future
HPR episode.
Bye for now.
Good new Linux RTM signing off.
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