The 2018 Operating System thread

[momaka]

I guess I'll do the honors this year.

What's the OS of choice for your main computer(s) for 2018?

I'll start with a tally mark for Windows XP.
Yes. Seriously.

Though I will note here that I did quite a few more Windows 7 installs in 2017 on my personal test PCs than I did with Windows XP. So I am slowly (very slowly) beginning to warm up to Windows 7 even more.

[Topcat]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

You beat me to it....I was going to create this thread tonight.

Still running se7en on my office machine. Several others are running S2K12R2 carved into "topcat's workstation edition", which is basically the 8.1 interface....using classicshell and the aero glass mod, its quite nice....and being the server version, its easy to decrapify. I still have S2K3R2 (fancy XP that dual boots with S2K12R2) on my bench system, it runs some stuff that won't run on anything newer.

FWIW, I'm getting to the point that I can't stand XP anymore....the blocky fonts, slow booting, and most of all; lack of support. When it comes to retro systems, Win2k w/USP5.1 beats XP by leaps & bounds!

[retiredcaps]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

Still running Lubuntu 64 bit. Will upgrade the main computer to 18.04 when it is released in late April.

Running beta 18.04 on my test machine.

I ditched Manjaro LXQT after it failed for the 3rd time to boot after another rolling update.

Waiting for a good distro to incorporate LXQT 0.12 so I can test it. So far running LXQT 0.11 has a number of annoying bugs.

PS. In April, I will have to run Windows 10 so I can use my tax software.

[Curious.George]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

What about OS's that aren't in your list?

I run two different releases of Solaris/SPARC, two releases of NetBSD/amd64, plus NetBSD/i386, Windows 7even/64, Windows XP/32, DOS4.1, OpusV, W98 in some of my benchtop tools and I think the Chimera runs W98 (though the LA and 'scope probably don't count as "main computers")

[No, I don't run Linux]

[Topcat]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

What about OS's that aren't in your list?

I run two different releases of Solaris/SPARC, two releases of NetBSD/amd64, plus NetBSD/i386, Windows 7even/64, Windows XP/32, DOS4.1, OpusV, W98 in some of my benchtop tools and I think the Chimera runs W98 (though the LA and 'scope probably don't count as "main computers")

[No, I don't run Linux]

I fixed the last option to reflect a little more unix/linux variety....the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

[Curious.George]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

I fixed the last option to reflect a little more unix/linux variety....the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I still can't "pick one" as my "main computer" is really distributed across a set of several workstations, each running an OS that is appropriate to the tools that are hosted on that workstation. Do I choose based on the amount of time I spend using tools hosted by OS <whatever>? Or, the value of the "work" done using tools hosted by a particular OS?

E.g., I spend far more time maintaining the Windows machines than all of the others, combined. It's just a cost of using Windows (nothing there is ever easy).

I would answer differently if the question was "if you had to restrict yourself to using one OS for the next year, what would it be?"

And, if phrased as "for the foreseeable future" it would be different, still!

<frown>

[stj]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

i voted like i always do.
damn, that shows how long i'v been here!

[dmill89]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

Still Windows 7 on my main laptop, "travel laptop", and main desktop (and it will likely stay that way at least until EOL), as well as my work laptop.

I did pick up a cheap ($20) used Thinkpad T510 and tossed a spare SSD in it with a Windows 10 install to "play around" with and get "used to" (since it sounds like we'll be getting Win 10 in late-2018/2019 at work in prep to the Win 7 EOL) it.

I've also got an HTPC still running XP (too cheap to buy new versions of some specialty software on it and it works just fine and is rarely connected to the internet), and another with Ubuntu 16.04.

And I've also got an old Thinkpad T400 with several flavors of Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora), and FreeBSD on it.

[ratdude747]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

Workstations and work laptop: 7 (x64 when possible)

Asus T200TA tablet: Windows 8.1 x64 (similar mods to Topcat edition Win S2K12R2)

Laptops: Arch Linux x64 + Windows 7 x64 (one also has XP Pro X32 in a tri-boot setup)

Server: Debian Jessie x64 Headless (no GUI)

I may be making the move to 10 on many of my systems down the road, but due to cost (unless they make it a free upgrade), no reason to spend money on it.

[Topcat]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

I may be making the move to 10 on many of my systems down the road, but due to cost (unless they make it a free upgrade), no reason to spend money on it.

AFAIK, the 'upgrade from 7' trick still works:

https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...70&postcount=7

[Curious.George]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

I may be making the move to 10 on many of my systems down the road, but due to cost (unless they make it a free upgrade), no reason to spend money on it.

Don't the Dell/HP disks sort out the licensing for you? I.e., have one legitimate disk and install to any number of Dell (HP) machines? Or, has the licensing model changed? (I don't run 10 and only run Vista and 8 on laptops).

[I'm pretty sure I have a Dell 10 disk but have never tried to install it; I have far too much legacy software that I don't want to be forced to repurchase!]

[ratdude747]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

SLIC died with windows 8 (other than server 2012). OEM 8/8.1/10 systems have the individual license key embedded in the UEFI. Also, three of my workstations are not SLIC'd (incompatible BIOS).

[Curious.George]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

SLIC died with windows 8 (other than server 2012). OEM 8/8.1/10 systems have the individual license key embedded in the UEFI. Also, three of my workstations are not SLIC'd (incompatible BIOS).

So, how (specifically) does this differ? My understanding was that the BIOS contained a key that identified (to the Windows installer) the machine as being a "genuine Dell, licensed for Windows X, Y and Z". Therefore, using that install media with any (to simplify discussion, assume "same model") Dell would legitimately skip the S/N entry process and on-line activation (most of my machines are air-gapped). Strictly speaking, the license terms required the machine(s) to have valid CoA's -- but the numbers on those CoA's were unimportant (to the installer).

Do newer machines now have unique S/N's installed in their BIOS's, instead? I.e., if I were to dump the BIOS of two "Model 12345 Dell's", would they be ALMOST the same -- but for these S/N's? Yet, the install media is not unique to each machine...

Or, do newer OS's require on-line activation?

[FOSS is just SO much easier to deal with! ]

[stj]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

a little something to think about.
https://www.phonearena.com/news/Micr...17063_id101183

btw, rumor has it that the next update comes with a USB interfaced Anal Probe!

[jondoe]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

A nice mix of Windows 7 and 10, with the odd Linux laptop thrown in for good measure.

[hikaruichijo]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

Linux is more troublefree for dailly use, no need to wait two hours to install an update, as long as the hardware is well supported.
Windows 10 is a must for gaming with new hardware, and the other MS OSs depend on the hardware and the use of the cumputer.
For every day work, and multimedia, and server, I prefer linux withought doubt.

[ratdude747]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

So, how (specifically) does this differ? My understanding was that the BIOS contained a key that identified (to the Windows installer) the machine as being a "genuine Dell, licensed for Windows X, Y and Z". Therefore, using that install media with any (to simplify discussion, assume "same model") Dell would legitimately skip the S/N entry process and on-line activation (most of my machines are air-gapped). Strictly speaking, the license terms required the machine(s) to have valid CoA's -- but the numbers on those CoA's were unimportant (to the installer).

Do newer machines now have unique S/N's installed in their BIOS's, instead? I.e., if I were to dump the BIOS of two "Model 12345 Dell's", would they be ALMOST the same -- but for these S/N's? Yet, the install media is not unique to each machine...

Or, do newer OS's require on-line activation?

[FOSS is just SO much easier to deal with! ]

Yes. The UEFI has a COA code in it that is a unique license. Not a VLK. That means a machine sold with say, windows 8 standard, cannot be swapped to 8 pro for free like in the old days with SLIC.

They did this because SLIC mods (including DAZ) are too effective. That was MS's only way to stop SLIC piracy.

[CapLeaker]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

I am tired of Windows updates that take forever and these reboots that leave the computer useless by doing so. I have more luck in Linux.

[Curious.George]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

Yes. The UEFI has a COA code in it that is a unique license. Not a VLK. That means a machine sold with say, windows 8 standard, cannot be swapped to 8 pro for free like in the old days with SLIC.

But, the problem there was not differentiating the license keys between 8S and 8P. I.e., if the BIOS only has a valid key for "8S" then simply acquiring install media for 8P wouldn't be sufficient to upgrade/replace it with 8P.

They did this because SLIC mods (including DAZ) are too effective. That was MS's only way to stop SLIC piracy.

I don't see how "serializing" the BIOS on each machine prevents piracy as one can still copy a legitimate BIOS from a "model 12345" to another "model 12345" and end up with a valid license. You have to require a centralized repository to verify that the license hasn't already been activated. Or, lock down the BIOS so it can't be altered (e.g., tie it to some other "unique" datum that the software can examine and that can't be altered by the hacker)

[For example, the MCUs in my devices have unique serial numbers that are folded into the signatures for the operating firmware. If you try to use an image from one device in another device, it won't POST.]

[Curious.George]

Re: The 2018 Operating System thread

Linux is more troublefree for dailly use, no need to wait two hours to install an update, as long as the hardware is well supported.

And that's the rub with all FOSS. MS has them beat when it comes to turn-key support for just about any COTS hardware. You don't have stories of folks saying "Everything works -- except my bluetooth/multitouch/GPS/wifi/phone/etc."

[I've rescued a cute little tablet that I would like to set up as a media player -- but for the fact that there are no drivers that allow the entire device to be functional.]

For every day work, and multimedia, and server, I prefer linux withought doubt.

I rely on MS OS's to support most of the fancier COTS tools that I use on a daily basis (CAD, EDA, graphics design, DTP, modeling, multimedia authoring, etc.) because the FOSS equivalents are so far behind (in terms of capabilities) that they would be crippling -- I want to get work done not play with trying to make a useful computer!

For my local services and 98% of my software development efforts, I've been running one of the BSD's for almost 25 years -- though I rely on MS-hosted compilers to verify the portability of my code (the FOSS world seems to rely too heavily on just gcc). Likewise, Solaris tools. I simply can't afford to wait for a tool vendor to "fix" a problem AND NOT INTRODUCE OTHER CHANGES THAT I'VE NOT VETTED. (By contrast, I can hack the sources and know that only the problem that I'm interested in has been "touched" without worrying about the consequences for some other aspect of the tool)

This usually means keeping different OS's around to support different tools (so I don't have to keep repurchasing those tools each time a new OS is released AND don't have to upgrade the OS under my other tools just because I upgraded one tool and it required a newer OS). In the future, I'll be hosting more of these tools under VM's on my ESXi server as a way to cut down on physical hardware.