What OS/Browser are you using at AR?

I thought I would start a poll asking what people were using to post here. Specifically:

1. What OS/Desktop?
2. What browser?
3. What Audio player?
4. Sound Editor?
5. Any other interesting computer-AV integration (light controls, Logitech Harmony, etc.)?

My answers:
1. OS: MS WinXP during the day, Xubuntu Linux in the evenings
2. Browser: Firefox
3. Player: Quintessential & Amarok
4. Editor: Audacity & Ardour
5. Other: none yet, but that may be coming.

...But I'll tell you anyway. ;)

1. XP @ work and home.
2. Internet Explorer @ work and Crippled IE at home.
3. WMP, or iTunes, or my soundcard's s/w.
4. N/A
5. N/A at this point.

My next computer upgrade will be integrated with my TV & AV receiver.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nightflier

I thought I would start a poll asking what people were using to post here. Specifically:

1. What OS/Desktop?
2. What browser?
3. What Audio player?
4. Sound Editor?
5. Any other interesting computer-AV integration (light controls, Logitech Harmony, etc.)?

My answers:
1. OS: MS WinXP during the day, Xubuntu Linux in the evenings
2. Browser: Firefox
3. Player: Quintessential & Amarok
4. Editor: Audacity & Ardour
5. Other: none yet, but that may be coming.

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1. OS: I use Ubuntu Linux in three varieties, and in in this order of frequency of use: Ubuntu (Gnome) Kubuntu (KDE) and Xubuntu (XFCE). Mostly Ubuntu and Kubuntu. For the non-Linux users, you can set up your system to intall multiple OS's yet share the same settings and files on the same machines without much fuss - uses less disk space than Vista, too! I also use a few other Linux distros to tinker around with when I have time just out of curiousity, but I'm satisfied with Ubuntu. At work I use both Mac OSX, and WIndows XP. My wife's new computer has Vista on it, and I use that once in a blue moon.

2. Browser: Mostly Firefox, some Opera and as little IE as possible.
3. Player: Amarok and VLC
4. Editor: Audacity - not very often though
5. Nothing yet.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas

I think I'm being set up...But I'll tell you anyway.

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I'm not trying to judge anyone here - just curious about what's out there with the AV crowd. I'm a big Linux fan, that's no secret, but I know it's not for everyone. The OS debate can go on elsewhere; live and let live...

You forgot to include the wink icon when you quoted me...

I'm completely unfamiliar with Linux; I use XP only because, in my case I have to, so there's no debate from my POV.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nightflier

I thought I would start a poll asking what people were using to post here. Specifically:

1. What OS/Desktop?
2. What browser?
3. What Audio player?
4. Sound Editor?
5. Any other interesting computer-AV integration (light controls, Logitech Harmony, etc.)?

....

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My answers:

1. WinXP SP2, day and evening
2. IE 6 daytime; IE 7 evenings
3. iTunes latest version, or Foobar2000 v0.9.4.2
4. Nero OEM -- haven't really used it.
5. None

1. XP pro
2. firefox 2
3. itunes, windows media
4. logic or wave burner ( at the studio on campus)
5. not really. hooked up with digital to a yamaha receiver.

1. What OS/Desktop?
Well that's a bit tricky. I have a number of computers at my disposal. My new home desktop is a homebuilt running Vista 64 Ultimate. I also use XP Pro on laptops and have OSX Tiger on my Mac in my office.

2. What browser?
Firefox for the most part, but I am starting to play with Opera more. I don't think I'll be switching fully but it may be a good secondary browser.

3. What Audio player?
Winamp & Foobar (sometimes Windows Media Player) in Windows and iTunes (begrudgingly) on my Mac.

4. Sound Editor?
I have used Audacity, that's about it. Forgot about CDEX and EAC for ripping CDs.

5. Any other interesting computer-AV integration (light controls, Logitech Harmony, etc.)?
I do have a Logitech Harmony 880, which I have not installed or setup on my new computer. I would have to wake my old desktop up from hibernation to make changes to the Harmony and I may keep it that way. I'm contemplating some sort of wireless bridge to my stereo. A modded Xbox takes care of playing music on the home theater.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nightflier

I thought I would start a poll asking what people were using to post here. Specifically:

1. What OS/Desktop?
2. What browser?
3. What Audio player?
4. Sound Editor?
5. Any other interesting computer-AV integration (light controls, Logitech Harmony, etc.)?

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1. Mac OSX Tiger
2. Safari
3. iTunes
4. PeakExpress
5. I just use Logitech speakers and sub, they get the job done for work purposes.

Wow, are Kexo & I the only Linux users out there? Say it isn't so...

'Nice to see we have an even mix of Win & Apple out there. Anyone running Windows on a Mac?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nightflier

Wow, are Kexo & I the only Linux users out there? Say it isn't so...

'Nice to see we have an even mix of Win & Apple out there. Anyone running Windows on a Mac?

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Consider:

• Windows = cheaper hardware + expensive OS + largest number of apps
• Mac = expensive hardware + OS + a few apps
• Linux = cheapest hardware + free OS + a few apps.

So where does that leave me vis a vis Linux? Hummm ...

• Lack of popular software -- I have to run multiple OS or at least Windows emulator. So does the advantage vanish?
• Learning curve, especially stuff like security -- not true? Convince me otherwise.

1. WinXP Pro SP2 at work and on my laptop, Mac OS X Tiger at home

2. Firefox on all, IE only if absolutely necessary

3. Real Player Plus, iTunes (podcasting and radio only), and Winamp on the PCs; iTunes on the Mac; and VLC Media Player on all

4. Real Player Plus (for format encoding and conversion) and Cakewalk Pyro (for editing and crossfading) on the laptop, still trying some of the iLife apps on the Mac (only had the Mac for a month)

5. nothing especially interesting yet, although I have been doing wireless media streaming from the Mac to my laptop since the Mac has a much larger capacity hard drive. Plan to eventually move the media files onto a NAS device and use a wireless media player with my main system.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Feanor

[*]Learning curve, especially stuff like security -- not true? Convince me otherwise.[/LIST]

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Don't think you'll ever hear anyone argue the transition from windows to Linux is simple, fast, and completely painless for every application. Nope, it's going to require hours of learning. How much? Who can say. If you just use email, a web browser, and media player, maybe an hour or two.

You're right, more apps are supported on Windows.

But the learning curve - geez, I cannot think of anything else I've ever done on a computer that was quick and easy to learn really...including OS X or MacOS. After a few weeks of exlusive home use, you're almost as functional with Linux as you were with Windows, and you'll know where to look to get the answers to most of your questions. Put in 1% of the time you've spent working on Microsoft's Operating Systems, and you'll be a wizard.
The desire to learn has to be there. If you get frustrated with Linux because it doesn't work like Windows, well, you should just stick with Windows. If you just want to keep using Windows because you know how Windows works and can't be bothered to learn a new computing methodology, that's your choice. Some people prefer to spend as little time on a computer as possible. I can respect that. Learning a new OS probably isn't high on the priority list.

Before Christmas the only Linux experience I had was an older version of OpenSuse and Novell's proprietary stuff. They sucked so I never really stuck with it. Until the Christmas 2006 incident. Then I put Linux back on the computer. In about 3 weeks I completely replaced 90% of the functions I use my computers for.
There's only a few things I haven't bothered to learn that I still use Windows for are setting up my home network for file sharing (because any wireless connection on my property that visits undoubtedly has Windows, and the rest of the time it's just not a big deal. I could do all the wireless home networking stuff through Linux, just haven't developed a need to bother trying yet. The rest is just 2 programs I run with a Windows Emulator. There are Linux based alternatives to these programs, but I prefer the Windows apps. Not Windows, just the program. But they run fine on my Linux OS using an emulator.

There's an unbelievable amount of quality software available to Linux. Much of it is programs you know from Windows. What specifically do you need that is make-or-break for you?

As for security...if security is a big concern for you than you should ask yourself why you haven't already migrated from Windows to Linux.

For most people, if they wanted to put forth a bit of effort and get off the Windows addiction, they could. In a fraction of the time it took them to become familiar with Windows. But, it's just much easier to not try, or to think up reasons to talk themselves out of it.

Wooch,

I didn't want this thread to become an OS debate, but I will say that my personal reason for using Linux at home is the exact opposite of what you always hear about it: Linux is actually far more secure, has far more choices (in apps as well as configuration), and it is easier to install and use. Oh, and yes, I'm also super-cheap, so the pay-as-you-go software model just wasn't for me.

Anyhow, my apologies if I went too far off-topic.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nightflier

I thought I would start a poll asking what people were using to post here. Specifically:

1. What OS/Desktop?
2. What browser?
3. What Audio player?
4. Sound Editor?
5. Any other interesting computer-AV integration (light controls, Logitech Harmony, etc.)?

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1. Win XP home SP3
2. IE 7
3. MusicMatch 10 mainly
4. Roxio Creator 9/MusicMatch 10
5. Squeeze Box 3 wirelessly connected to network and connected via optically to AV with server in garage running Slim server, OS Win NT Pro, wireless connection to network 900+ tunes on 2nd drive 20gighd,

Since my computer is 8 years old...

1. Win98 SE
2. IE 6
3. WinMedia Player 9, Real Player 8 (Found later versions of RP too bugy)
4. Computer Speakers: Altec Lansing satellites with 6 inch woofer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kexodusc

Don't think you'll ever hear anyone argue the transition from windows to Linux is simple, fast, and completely painless for every application. Nope, it's going to require hours of learning. How much? Who can say. If you just use email, a web browser, and media player, maybe an hour or two.

You're right, more apps are supported on Windows.
...
The desire to learn has to be there. If you get frustrated with Linux because it doesn't work like Windows, well, you should just stick with Windows. If you just want to keep using Windows because you know how Windows works and can't be bothered to learn a new computing methodology, that's your choice. Some people prefer to spend as little time on a computer as possible. I can respect that. Learning a new OS probably isn't high on the priority list.
...
As for security...if security is a big concern for you than you should ask yourself why you haven't already migrated from Windows to Linux.

For most people, if they wanted to put forth a bit of effort and get off the Windows addiction, they could. In a fraction of the time it took them to become familiar with Windows. But, it's just much easier to not try, or to think up reasons to talk themselves out of it.

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I'm not averse to learning stuff but it's worth only so much effort. I've tried Linux three time in the past, but given up each time. The last time it was a the security issue, i.e. not the actually security but the admin of the security. I set up an account under one tool, then another account under another tool. Guess what? The two tools used slightly different security strategies and they weren't quite compatible: it took me about three hours to sort out that mess.

Here's the heck of it: I design computer applications for a living. Nothing as sophisticated as operating systems, of course. However for my audience, they have to utterly intuitive to learn and use. At the end of the day (literally), I lack the patience to learn a new way to do something I'm already doing another way.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Feanor

I'm not averse to learning stuff but it's worth only so much effort. I've tried Linux three time in the past, but given up each time.

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Yeah...me too until this time. You might like Ubuntu..they've really simplified things for dummies like me...

I even run it on my Mac.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nightflier

Anyone running Windows on a Mac?

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Ewwwwww.

1. What OS/Desktop? XP professional
2. What browser? FireFox
3. What Audio player? windows media player / winamp
4. Sound Editor? n/a
5. Any other interesting computer-AV integration (light controls, Logitech Harmony, etc.)?
running toslink out to a Denon DA-500

Recoveryone,
I've been intrigued by the Squeeze Box for a while now, particularly since it tunes Internet Radio streams w/o a PC. Just out of curiosity, I didn't know it had wireless networking, or did you buy an additional adapter. Also, is the remote RF?

PeruvianSkies,
Ewwwwww? OK, let me rephrase the question, anyone use something besides OS X on their Mac? LOL ;)

Feanor,
If you're a programmer, I can't think of a better platform to program on. There are more programming tools available on the Linux platform than on any other, and most of them are free.

Smokey,
Can you even get online with Win98 anymore? You must have one heck of a firewall.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nightflier

...

Feanor,
If you're a programmer, I can't think of a better platform to program on. There are more programming tools available on the Linux platform than on any other, and most of them are free.

....

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I'm not a programmer, I'm a system analyst, so I tell programmers what to do, (sort of). :) :biggrin5: :cornut:

Nightflier, The Squeeze box 3 comes with built in network ablilty and has a cat 5 port if you want to hard line it or use it as jump port to something else. The remote is RF too.

Recovery, but how do you make the Squeeze box 3 wireless?

The Squeezebox 3 originally came in a Cat-5 only version that was a bit cheaper than the version that also included wireless. They now sell the combo version only.

When you initially setup the player, you can select ethernet or wireless as well as other variables (such as static IP or DHCP, etc.)