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Well it's not so much a move as an extended visit. Or maybe like having a holiday home that's just next door...
Or perhaps my analogy-making skills aren't great at 7am.
As of Friday, Casa De Troubs will be a two-platform household as I need a windows machine for testing. My partner, Justine, a long-time Windows user has become enamoured of my powerbook G4 and I can't refuse the idea of her wanting to run our fledgling business almost entirely on Macintosh. Cunning argument on her behalf. But we need a second machine so we can both work and it only makes sense to make my test machine actually capable of production as well, so I've ordered a new Windows box.
Now.
What do I need?!?!
I've been on a platform that provides for my every need, has only one virus in existence that has never been released and has the easiest networking around.
The machine I'm getting is also being shipped with a Linksys 54Mbps Wireless router and card - and my Mac also has an airport card installed.
I've got my web/graphic development software sorted. What else do I need?!?
Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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I saw someone link a Dell special recently. P4 2.6 for $450 or so. Can't go wrong.
Software: on my main box, c:\pf has >300 entries, so I'm probably a bad one to talk to. Ones I use the most often that aren't specialized to my geek fields: -Everything Windows Update throws at you except the stupid politically correct font -Editplus -Google toolbar -Dave's quick search deskbar -Putty -Irfanview -Trillian -Outlook 2k -Banshee Screamer -ArsClip
Infrequent but essential: -Ghost (especially handy with 2 networked computers) -Kerio firewall (well I use its predecessor Tiny since I'm lazy)
Err, do hex editors count as "general interest?" For that matter, everything ever posted to sysinternals.com More practically, I can recommend tons of A/V software if you need more than mplayer2 (death to wmplayer!).
Posts: 1839 | Registered: May 1999
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Can I have that router? My current wireless router just crapped out, and I've been wanting to get that exact model....please??? Pretty please??
Beyond that, instead of using Internet Explorer...which every single peice of spyware and adware has exploited, I suggest using mozilla as a free, and effective alternative, it takes a few hours to get used to, but I think you'll find that it's a rather easy switch, and more powerful, without all the exploits of IE, and a really good built in pop-up blocker. For antivirus software if it didn't come with anything, I suggest using AVG Antivirus which is free, and updates very regularly (as fast as Norton). You have a wireless router, so you don't really need a firewall, but if you decide you need one anyways I suggest using Sygate Personal Firewall which is also free (choose the bottom one).
Question: what do you use for web/graphic development, and why? Satyagraha
Posts: 1986 | Registered: Apr 2001
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Depends on the hardware firewall. However, as a hardware firewall typically is a software firewall, they can often be configured extensively if you know what you're doing.
For the typical end user, though, a software firewall is generally more configurable. Often not more secure, though. A hardware firewall is very hard to suborn, and a software firewall much less so.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Thanks for the Input - Richard, I don't even know what most of those programs are!
That's the odd thing about going dual-platform. I know everything possible about keeping an OS X box up and running and in tip-top shape... but Windows is really an entirely different paradigm, I don't even know what I don't know!
bYu - thanks for that info, also exactly the kind of info I'm interested in. I had no intention of using I.E. - except for testing my own development work.
I'm currently using:
Macromedia Studio MX - Dreamweaver for web development, flash for... well.... flash content and Director for CD-ROM development. Adobe CS Products - Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign (thank God I don't have to deal with Quark anymore), Acrobat, Distiller, Random development tools - SubEthaEdit, Swift 3D, yourSQL, StyleMaster Online Tools - Mambo Open Source, mySQL, phpMyAdmin and a bunch of other open-source products Video - Final Cut Pro: have to change that now, obviously. misc - FireFox, Fire, Fetch, Toast, etc etc
All the dev tools I use, I use them because I feel they're the best around, and of course, I know them well.
Now I just need to learn php a bit better....
And Shake... tho that'll have to wait until I get my G5... or G6 by the time I can afford it....
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It would be pretty funny if Fallow started posting these gems in Bob's pun smackdowns. It will drive Punwit and Liz crazy trying to figure out the "hidden pun." Posts: 1592 | Registered: May 2000
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Well I still don't get what you're on about.
I'm trying to figure out what I need to know to work productively and safely in a Windows environment, as I don't want to take a new machine home and instally screw it with random trojans and all manner of other problems Windows users seem to have to deal with on a regular basis.
Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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Oh, you should try cocoamysql for you mysql editing needs on os x instead of yoursql. Much more full featured.
A good replacement for fire on os x would be either trillian or gaim on windows.
And feel free to inquire about php questions . . . or learn a better web development language . Always happy to help people with programming.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Sorry Fallow, wasn't trying to shoot you down, it's just been a long day at work and I'm having trouble processing information....
Fugu... I'm not really learning any programming languages at the moment, I'm more what you'd call a break-it-and-see kinda guy. I know just enough to figure out how to fix things by breaking them, but not enough to write things from scratch. I'm loving a lot of the open-source stuff right now tho...
Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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I don't think we can get poplar in Australia.... but the pine looks awesome. First draft pics coming tomorrow!
Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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"I don't even know what most of those programs are! .... That's the odd thing about going dual-platform."
No. Richard's being a geek. It has NOTHING to do with going dual-platform; I'd wager that 95 percent of the PC-using world hasn't heard of most of those applications. That said, most of his recommendations are pretty useful. I have other preferences in each of his categories, but I agree with ALL of the categories listed.
It's worth noting, by the way, that Windows versions of all the dev tools you rely on already exist, with the exception of Final Cut. I think you'll also be pleasantly surprised at how much easier it is to create CDs and DVDs -- particularly rewritable data CDs -- on a Windows platform.
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BTW: Richard, do you REALLY recommend Outlook 2K over Outlook 2K3? I find the latter superior in every way.
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Tom -- easier than insert disk, drag and drop files to burn, choose burn from menu/drag to burn icon? Or have you tried using idvd or itunes -- in idvd, simply lay out the movie, which is exceptionally easy to do, then just click a button and burn it? Or with itunes, just select the songs you want to burn, insert a blank cd, and click burn?
I fail to see how anything could be easier than what is essentially the minimum possible combination of actions to burn a disk -- insertion of disk, choosing or creating what's going to be burned, and then either clicking one button or choosing one menu item or dragging one disk to an icon.
As for rewritables, I think you'd find that Toast handles more complex CD burning task just as good as any windows platform burner. I've used several of the popular ones, and Toast. Its just as capable and intuitive (sometimes more of the latter).
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Speaking as a network administrator at a college, it gets REALLY irritating having to explain to Mac users that, yes, PC users can simply open a file from a CD, edit the file, and save it again, but they can't do that on THEIR desktop because Apple hasn't figured out how to make packet writes stable within the mount.
And, yeah, there are at least seven PC programs I can think of that do drag-to-disk write-once burning, too. I'm not too impressed by THAT ability, given that it's been around since practically the dawn of the CD-R. Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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I'm just saying that its rather hard for it to get easier. Unless packet writes in such a drag and drop fashion are natively supported by XP? Toast is perfectly capable of them. There are assorted other CD burning applications that are as well, Toast is just the most popular.
Furthermore, while occasionally people do use CDs as portable storage, I would submit that most people use some simpler and more suited to the problem solution, like a usb key drive, or a zip disk, or email. After all, what does a windows luser do when he tries to save that file to his only cd writable, and it comes back saying its full, despite him having saved it several times already with no problem?
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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No, it's not. Roxio has removed packet-writing support from Toast at Apple's request, based on the simple fact that they couldn't get it to work dependably and it was generating too many support calls. At the present time, Roxio doesn't even have any plans to reintroduce packet writing into later versions; their official word on the matter is that Apple needs to address OS limitations first.
And CD-RW is actually a pretty decent storage solution for colleges, as the media's both cheap and readily available. Zip disks are both outmoded and overpriced, and keychain drives are still rather expensive to mandate for students. Email's great, except when 70% of your users have dialup access only.
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Interesting, I did not know that about Toast.
Even so, it does support CD-RWs, and packet writing is for most people not used. For people who use packet writing, sure, its a downside to not have it. For people who don't, its certainly not. It hardly makes cd burning in general more difficult, which was your original assertion.
As for USB key drives, you can get them for $15-20 with rebate all the time.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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quote:BTW: Richard, do you REALLY recommend Outlook 2K over Outlook 2K3? I find the latter superior in every way.
If price is a factor, possibly. I've been very impressed with 2K3 when I've messed with it on other people's computers, but I was listing what I have.
quote:However, as a hardware firewall typically is a software firewall, they can often be configured extensively if you know what you're doing.
What I meant was: I can tell Tiny that IE is allowed to use port 80 but Outlook is not. Once your packet has left the machine it's too late to enforce that kind of rule.
Posts: 1839 | Registered: May 1999
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That is a nice feature of software firewalls (though its often simpy process-name based, so any smart programmers would just have his processes share similar names with very common applications -- such as IE).
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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First post from my new Windows machine. I already think that 512MB of RAM isn't cutting it.
However the Linksys is a bloody dream. Worked almost instantly with my Mac - full airport reception, downloading just as fast as my normal hardwired ethernet connection...
Of course the Windows machine took some time to sort out it's connection to the wireless router, but we got there in the end.... no more cables strung across the room! Currently downloading the FarCry demo at 532KBs.... heh. Now I just have to figure out how to protect myself from war-drivers...
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For that matter, everything ever posted to sysinternals.com More practically, I can recommend tons of A/V software if you need more than mplayer2 (death to wmplayer!).
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It has NOTHING to do with going dual-platform; I'd wager that 95 percent of the PC-using world hasn't heard of most of those applications. That said, most of his recommendations are pretty useful. I have other preferences in each of his categories, but I agree with ALL of the categories listed. ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
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