Windows comedy hour

[MintBean]

I still play with Arch, just to keep my frustration level up. Windows...only for those Canons that won't print correctly in Linux.

I had a brief fling with Arch recently... well Antergos to be specific but beyond the install you end up with rolling Arch plus a small extra repo with a few Antergos maintained desktop environments in it. It was a good experience but after a couple of days tweaking it just the way I like I realised I ended up with something as close to my Mint Cinnamon install as made no difference to me. I liked the idea of a rolling release but just couldn't justify moving purely to Arch as I knew an update was considerably more likely to break something than on Mint. Shortly after the experiment ended and I binned the Arch install to stop myself wasting time jumping back and forth. Still, the experience was worthwhile and now I understand a little of what the whole Arch thing is about.

[DeMus]

Have left this forum.

[MintBean]

There are other file-managers on Windows, use those.

...or dump Windows.

Yeah, but then it's not comedy anymore, then it's just fun.

LoL! I let other people provide the comedy these days.

[vladtepes]

win briefing.jpg

[Arch_Enemy]

it occurred to me this morning that the title for this thread should be

The Tragedy of MSFT

You have an IBM 360? Mine is a DEC PDP11/03, ca. 1971

[Arch_Enemy]

I still play with Arch, just to keep my frustration level up. Windows...only for those Canons that won't print correctly in Linux.

I had a brief fling with Arch recently... well Antergos to be specific but beyond the install you end up with rolling Arch plus a small extra repo with a few Antergos maintained desktop environments in it. It was a good experience but after a couple of days tweaking it just the way I like I realised I ended up with something as close to my Mint Cinnamon install as made no difference to me. I liked the idea of a rolling release but just couldn't justify moving purely to Arch as I knew an update was considerably more likely to break something than on Mint. Shortly after the experiment ended and I binned the Arch install to stop myself wasting time jumping back and forth. Still, the experience was worthwhile and now I understand a little of what the whole Arch thing is about.

You...you actually got Antergos to install?!?!?!

My first go with them was the first release, and I had to massage the GRUB command line a bit to get it to work. Next two attempts were horrible. I settled on Manjaro; not only Arch based but also has their own repository like Debian with different levels, so you can just click "Stable" and get packages that have been proved.

I know someone somewhere recently suggested a "rolling release" for mint...

WHY?!?!?!

You're only asking for trouble, unless you are a real guru and know how to use the "fix" command from the command line Rolling release and bleeding edge apps are why I left Arch and came back to Mint. This is my "production" system and I need stable!

One thing about Arch (or Gentoo and other tar.bz installations) is the pacakges are compiled on the fly, so the apps are tailored to YOUR machine, and unless you bone one of the libs or dependencies it should just work. Of course, you can download a LOT of tarballs of Deb apps and compile them, if that's your bag. There are a couple buggy packages in the Ubuntu repository that have never been replaced with working versions (for 17.x), so if you want them you have to compile. Not getting a couple packages to work in Mint are why I went to Arch in the first place, but I wasn't as much of a geeneeus then (and Arch led me down that path to ruin...)

To the person that wants a 'rolling release': head over to Arch. You'll have a blast, but we'll see you again in 3-5 years.

Figuring out abandoned packages in Arch's AUR can be an adventure. I was able to get a lot of them working.

[Arch_Enemy]

PS: I do 'custom' installs for people based on their needs. I have 2 'stock' images, one for a portable recording studio and one for photographers. They fit on a 4G flash drive and can either be installed or run from the USB stick, with persistance. I LOVE it when someone asks for a 'custom', because then I do a fresh install, get everything set up and create the image/USB stick. All the fun is in setting up and tweaking.

I use Mint because it's simple; I can create a new image in under an hour. I found a script for Ubuntu that works with Mint up to 17.3; 18 gave me some minor issues, but enough that I didn't want to unleash it on someone who wants to plug and play. You really don't want things breaking down when you're recording the Mormon Tabernacle Choir live (a bit of an exaggeration, but the people I create these for just need them to WORK). I have not found an easy way to do it with any other distro. I'd love to do an Arch, get it tweaked and working and then lock it down right there, but creating an Arch ISO is cumbersome and frustrating. Mint works so much better!

[Jedinovice]

You have an IBM 360? Mine is a DEC PDP11/03, ca. 1971

Uh? Weird double post.

[Jedinovice]

You have an IBM 360? Mine is a DEC PDP11/03, ca. 1971

Yeah...? But do you create anime music videos on it?

[Arch_Enemy]

You have an IBM 360? Mine is a DEC PDP11/03, ca. 1971

Yeah...? But do you create anime music videos on it?

I use a VT340 on a VAX running X

[Jedinovice]

Yeah...? But do you create anime music videos on it?

I use a VT340 on a VAX running X

Sure. But do you create AMV's on it?
If not.... it's not worth boasting!

[MintBean]

You...you actually got Antergos to install?!?!?!

Yes, it was totally painless. I would wager if you ever try again you'll find a smoother experience, however from what I read Manjaro is, as you say, considered a more stable distribution. I agree a rolling Mint would make little sense, at least for the main edition as it's antithetical to Mint's priority of stability over bleeding-edge packages.

[Arch_Enemy]

I use a VT340 on a VAX running X

Sure. But do you create AMV's on it?
If not.... it's not worth boasting!

I'm still working on my first one. You have to manipulate it pixel by pixel...

[Arch_Enemy]

You...you actually got Antergos to install?!?!?!

Yes, it was totally painless. I would wager if you ever try again you'll find a smoother experience, however from what I read Manjaro is, as you say, considered a more stable distribution. I agree a rolling Mint would make little sense, at least for the main edition as it's antithetical to Mint's priority of stability over bleeding-edge packages.

Manjaro aims for a more stable distribution. It is set up like the Mint repositories where you can turn on or off the different repositories depending how adventurous you are. You are given the choice of turning the main Arch repository on, and also to accept or reject "rolling" updates. You can even tap into the AUR no problem. Well, except those presented by the AUR itself, of course!

PS: Antergos has historically had a lot of trouble keeping their website up, and not using mirrors means if the file transfer is down, you don't get a copy. Ditto for the repositories.

[Jedinovice]

I'm still working on my first one. You have to manipulate it pixel by pixel...

Well, of course. Only wimps do it any other way.

[Arch_Enemy]

I'm still working on my first one. You have to manipulate it pixel by pixel...

Well, of course. Only wimps do it any other way.

Tee hee hee...I'm only up to the 5th frame. I started in 1992.

[Jedinovice]

Tee hee hee...I'm only up to the 5th frame. I started in 1992.

286g.jpg

[Arch_Enemy]

Tee hee hee...I'm only up to the 5th frame. I started in 1992.

286g.jpg

HEE HEE!

[vladtepes]

Why are PCs like air conditioners? They stop working properly if you open Windows

Microsoft is not the answer. Microsoft is the question. "No" is the answer!

If Windows sucked it would be good for something

They say when you play the Microsoft CD backward you can hear satanic messages ... but that's nothing. If you play it forward it will install Windows.

PRESS RELEASE

Microsoft Announces New, Configurable Blue Screen of Death!

In a surprise announcement today, Microsoft President Steve Ballmer revealed that the Redmond-based company will allow computer resellers and end-users to customize the appearance of the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), the screen that displays when the Windows operating system crashes.
The move comes as the result of numerous focus groups and customer surveys done by Microsoft. Thousands of Microsoft customers were asked, "What do you spend the most time doing on your computer?"

A surprising number of respondents said, "Staring at a Blue Screen of Death." At 54 percent, it was the top answer, beating the second place answer "Downloading XXXScans" by an easy 12 points.

"We immediately recognized this as a great opportunity for ourselves, our channel partners, and especially our customers," explained the excited Ballmer to a room full of reporters.

Immense video displays were used to show images of the new customizable BSOD screen side-by-side with the older static version. Users can select from a collection of "BSOD Themes," allowing them to instead have a Mauve Screen of Death or even a Paisley Screen of Death. Graphics and multimedia content can now be incorporated into the screen, making the BSOD the perfect conduit for delivering product information and entertainment to Windows users.

The BSOD is by far the most recognized feature of the Windows operating system, and as a result, Microsoft has historically insisted on total control over its look and feel. This recent
departure from that policy reflects Microsoft's recognition of the Windows desktop itself as the "ultimate information portal." By default, the new BSOD will be configured to show a random selection of Microsoft product information whenever the system crashes. Microsoft channel partners can negotiate with Microsoft for the right to customize the BSOD on systems they ship.

Major computer resellers such as Compaq, Gateway, and Dell are already lining up for premier placement on the new and improved BSOD.

Ballmer concluded by getting a dig in against the Open Source community. "This just goes to show that Microsoft continues to innovate at a much faster pace than open source. I have yet to see any evidence that GNU/Linux even has a BSOD, let alone a customizable one."

A pilot is flying a small, single-engine, charter plane with a couple of really important executives on board into Seattle airport. There is fog so thick that visibility is 40 feet, and his instruments are out. He circles looking for a landmark and after an hour, he is low on fuel and his passengers are very nervous. At last, through a small opening in the fog he sees a tall building with one guy working alone on the fifth floor. Circling, the pilot banks and shouts through his open window: "Hey, where am I?". The solitary office worker replies: "You're in an airplane.". The pilot immediately executes a swift 275 degree turn and executes a perfect blind landing on the airport's runway five miles away. Just as the plane stops, the engines cough and die from lack of fuel. The stunned passengers ask the pilot how he did it. "Elementary," replies the pilot, "I asked the guy in that building a simple question. The answer he gave me was 100% correct but absolutely useless; therefore, I knew that must be Microsoft's support office and from there the airport is three minutes away on a course of 87 degrees."

[Arch_Enemy]