[DJ Maze]

As a developer i switched to GNU/Linux mainly because it is IMHO best to use the same architecture as most servers do so that you understand the ins and outs of the system itself and to know that your code actually works.

In my C++ programming age i used Windows 2000 and XP since i was writing applications for these OS's.

Don't start bashing here that one OS supersedes the other because that is not possible. Each OS is designed for its own purposes.
Nor does OS X has less security holes then Windows as was proven at the PWN to OWN contest at the CanSecWest security conference dvlabs.tippingpoint.co...nd-wrap-up

I do still have a Windows 2k boot for using MS Office 2000, some other stuff and to test webapps using Apache in a NTFS environment.

It took me a while for figuring out the possibilities of GNU/Linux before it was actually a full blown development environment.

Some additional reasons why i switched:

• Our governments have an agreement to, as of April, only use the ISO certified ODF (Open Document Format) so that information can be easily shared between any OS and each department (which is not possible with MS Word)
• Windows Vista IMHO is not a successor and XP is not my cup of coffee
• GNU/Linux takes full advantages of my 64bit architecture (had issues with 32bit Flash and others to get running though)
• IE6 and IE7 also work using Wine
• KHTML (used as base for Safari) to test websites
• Uses less resources and increased speed
• Incredible 3D desktop using Compiz Fusion without the need of a power PC with Vista Ultimate Aero
• Cost effective

What is your current main OS and what keeps you away of using OpenSource OS's like ReactOS, BSD and GNU/Linux?
Or if you use them, why do you?

[Dizfunkshunal]

Windows XP because that is what i have always used and the majority of my apps dont have a version for linux or I would be Centos 5.1 bound.

[DJ Maze]

Dizfunkshunal wrote:

the majority of my apps dont have a version for linux

Just tell which apps.
If someone knows an equivalent app for any other OS you can have a better opinion of what you use.
It will also provide a better understanding why you use XP, especially when there are no equivalent applications

[Dizfunkshunal]

PHP Designer Pro
Photo Shop
Battlefield 2 and other games
HD tach
Camstasia
TeamSpeak
My Graphics Card Software Nvidia(monitor, control panel)

[DJ Maze]

The following answers are for BSD, GNU/Linux and OS X
ReactOS is the free version of Windows and have no clue if they work yet.

PHP Designer Pro
Geany. Quanta, PHP Eclipse, Zend

Photoshop
GIMP, Krita, Pixel
Pixel is really like Photoshop but then even 64bit www.kanzelsberger.com/pixel/

Games
Right, you need a virtual machines, wine, cedega or other stuff for most games.
www.cedega.com/
appdb.winehq.org/

HD Tach
lbs.sourceforge.net/

Camtasia
www.osalt.com/xvidcap
www.osalt.com/camstudio

TeamSpeak
This application is cross-platform

Nvidia
Nvidia provides drivers for all OS's

So it looks like you use Win XP for games, just like i use Win 2k for games

[NanoCaiordo]

HD tack could even be replaced by the built-in "hdparm"

[Mel]

I use Windows XP Pro, until next week when my new laptop will arrive with Vista Premium (which I voted for since it will be my primary).
(Four Versions of Vista; Basic, Premium, Business and Ultimate)
Basic & Business lacked the networking & other features I would need for my business.

When I set up remote Home/Office Networks I prefer to use XP Pro, because it's the most used in the enviroments I go into.

Change has forced me to move forward and adopt Vista.
My work requires I know the pros & cons of Vista, specially when so many users are being forced to switch to it.

All thanks to the many Retail stores refusing to sell new PC & Laptops with older OS (WinXP).

(This is not referring to online ordering. My geographics has not evolved to ordering computers online with the specs which fit them best. They are still trying to figure out how to pull the stick out of the center of a moving wheel)

I will report my apps after I try to install my software on Vista.

[rlgura]

My new home PC is Vista. For the same reason as Melinda - I have to learn the ins and outs of it for work (I HATE IT!). The OS I work with the most is Windows XP (which I'm responsible for about 6000+ XP Desktops at work and I know it inside out and upside down!)
My home server is Windows Server 2003 which I'll probably be updating soon to Windows Server 2008 (and maybe my workstation too). I really like the ability to remote into my server and do whatever I need (and no, not just a shell).
I tried a couple Linux distros and tried setting up my server on Suse Linux, but just couldn't get past some hurtles and needed to get it going. Will hopefully fire up one of these extra PCs I have one day and put a Linux install on it to play with, although since my work doesn't require it, I probably won't spend too much time on it.

[Heckler]

I voted OS X. I love macs!!! I've been using macs for over 10 years now and I have never lost a file or gotten a virus. Macs are really user friendly and you can use any os on them, I use leopard for school and web design (if you can call it that) and windows for gaming. I gotta give props to Linux too, really great and its free.

Windows Vista is a complete ripp-off of Mac OS X, check this out www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDNuq94Zg_8 . Windows xp is ok, but I prefer Leopard.

Here's my ranking:
1. Leopard
2. Linux
3. Windows Xp
...
100000000000. Vista

[NanoCaiordo]

If I could have a PDA with Linux as well !!!!!!

On the same box I have XP, BSD and Mandriva now which at the very beginning is so annoying because of all warnings-pop-ups and softwares reminders that comes up by default ... geee even worse then windows.

However I feel very comfortable with BSD as well as Linux and XP. I can use any software i want in all of them. But at the end of the day XP is whats come up to be more expensive then the others

BSD and Linux got a huge community of developers and there are very good softwares out there. Off course some OS does, by nature, things better then others ...

I would love a MAC for my video editing for example and in this case (only this) I prefer using XP since I've got all tools I need ... but converting videos its very simple and faster under *NIX command line for example.

As for now, and i think all of you, I need WIN and NIX.

A dream: smartphone with Linux OS but doesn't exists yet as far I know, everyone working on it, but no one got it done yet.

[layingback]

Linux - Ubuntu. I prefer the adaptation of the UI to the user (a la Mac) vs the adaptaion of the user to the UI (a la Windoze) of KuBuntu - plus the icons of Kubuntu are too big and Fischer-Price like (a la XP ;-))

Had to get new PC, got great deal on Quad, but it came with Vista Had planned to install W2K Advance Server which supports 4 processors, but was unable to find a couple of key drivers. No copy of XP as I never upgraded past W2K. So no choice but Linux

Had to run an IE7 test yesterday so dual booted into the Vista bog - couldn't believe how much slower it was than Ubuntu 7.10 + FF2: around 4 times. Much of that probably the malware - er, sorry "freebies" - pre-installed with Vista, but even so...

Have found most Ubuntu equivalents for development are equivalent, if not exactly feature identical. Geany for Notepad++ w/ plugins: not as many for Geany, and function list isn't 2-way associated like Notepad++, but Find in Files is better so overall OK. (Waiting for split view though...)

GIMP isn't too bad for screen graphics vs. Photoshop, although feedback is lacking in some filters, etc.

And once you fix fonts, etc., in linux, text display is actually better, much, much better, than Windows.

But biggest advantage is that it is a real operating system, with real scheduling, so you can actually do several things at once without "feeling" the interactions. Very, very useful when developing/testing.

nVidia drivers aren't open, but when installed, with a couple of tweaks they work extremely well. And Compiz, unbelievable: 4 desktop windows, all available at the roll of the mouse wheel.

DJ, how did you install IE7?

[DJ Maze]

layingback wrote:

DJ, how did you install IE7?

www.tatanka.com.br/ies.../Main_Page
At the installer look at the advanced options. It has the option to install to install IE7 as a terrible hack (IE6 using IE7 renderer) but it works

As for "fischer-price" KDE, i don't have that problem with my Fedora 8 (see screenshot)

As for Linux mobile phones trolltech.com/products...greenphone

[WebSiteGuru]

Currently I am using PCLinuxOS, I was using Ubuntu for a while but the constant updates from Ubuntu cause me to reconfigured my video card every time. So, I switched to PCLinuxOS. Looking good so far, still needs to learn the in-n-out of it.

My secondary computer is laptop with Vista on it, I am leaving it that way. Since I do work in the Windows environment at work.

Yes, I do missed my software in the Windows world. But I am learning fast and hard on the equivalent of the other linux software.