Just about a week after I wrote the last post I had to install Windows XP on a Dell work computer. Everything I wrote came true except that I did not have to worry about the sound card drivers. The computer does not have speakers so the drivers were not needed. I did have to go to the Dell site and download the necessary drivers from another computer.
Just about a week ago my Dell laptop developed a bios problem and the current Linux kernel would not boot. A previous kernel worked fine. So I ended up deleting the partition and reloading Ubuntu Linux for the first time in two years. I copied all my files off to a USB drive in the time it took me to go eat a piece of cake, I was in Memphis for work at the time. The next morning I loaded the current version of Ubuntu before work. When I arrived at work I took a moment to load several of the programs I regularly use such as Bluefish, FileZilla, Thunderbird, VLC, Tunapie and WINE. I also did all of the updates. That evening in the hotel I finished setting up everything else just as it all had been before. I even installed a couple of Bible programs using WINE.
The amazing thing is that I have only been using Linux for two years and all of the above was absolutely painless and went so nicely I guess I enjoyed it. When was the last time anyone enjoyed reinstalling an OS? Sounds strange to me too, but it was just so easy! Oh, and I never once used the terminal or command line.
By the way, I should mention that after my last post I only lasted two weeks on Windows XP. I just could not take all the nagging and “issues” of Windows. So I tried installing my copy of Bible Works 5 using WINE on this computer. It installed flawlessly. So cheated and got PC Study Bible 2 working as well. It is not perfect and it would not install so I copied the folder from my old Windows install and created a shortcut. It works well enough to use as I need it. Also e-Sword works fine. QuickVerse 4 is the only one that would not install. The problem is probably something simple, but I don’t need it. So I am happy to avoid Windows still and do not have to think about the money of switching to Mac, at least not till the next upgrade of the iMac.
Tim
