[mythtv-users] I'm thinking of switching to windows :(

Raphael Pooser rpooser at gmail.com
Wed Nov 30 13:28:51 EST 2005


Justin Hornsby wrote:

> I happen to agree with the whole linux vs windows argument being a 
> non-starter.  Yes, Windows is an OS you can install in less than an 
> hour to have a working system, but then there are a lot of Linux 
> distros which allow you to do that aswell.  Don't forget that the 
> Windows install process is rarely ever over when you eject the CD.. 
> all those security updates that need reboots, followed by more updates 
> & reboots... you can easily kiss goodbye to the best part of a day 
> doing a fresh windows install & update-fest.

Amen.  In fact, I tested it.  XP is so old now and the install process 
is so bad, it takes longer to install XP on my machine than it does to 
install ubuntu.  For the "linux is hard to install" croud there are tons 
of alternatives to XP that are in fact easier to install.  Let's see, 
Mandrake (well, mandriva), Ubuntu, Mepis, all extremely easy to install 
and actually take me less time to install than XP.  I'm talking about 
the installer copying files, configuring things, etc, not about me 
sitting there looking at the screen saying now what do I do when 
presented with a choice.  And for mythtv, don't forget Knoppmyth, a 15 
minute install that often works right away for people (I don't like it 
but it did work when I tried it).  In fact, It took me 12  minutes to 
get ubuntu up and running on my mythtv machine.  I also installed XP on 
this same machine, and it took 40 minutes.  Before service packs, etc.

> Then there's the thorny issue of getting tuner card hardware to work 
> properly.  You only have to take a quick look at a forum like 
> www.tv-cards.com/messageboard to determine what a nightmare capturing 
> video on any PC platform _can_ be.
>
> I almost gave up on Linux a year ago when I first tried getting mythtv 
> working.  That was after giving up on trying to get my new tuner 
> working in Windows.  I stuck at it and after about a week's worth of 
> late nights I got the kernel modules working properly.  Getting mythtv 
> installed & running after that was a breeze - and it's been going ever 
> since.

Yup sam here.  I tried my hardware in winwoes and actually had a harder 
time getting everything to work (never got the remote working even 
though it worked perfectly on the XP machine in the other room).

> What I would've done if I hadn't got Linux to work doesn't even bear 
> thinking about - the only other option for me would be a standalone 
> PVR (eeeeeew!).
>
> Anyway.. I say stick at it.  Yes, hardware can be a total pain in the 
> ass to get working in Linux, but when you do, it generally stays like 
> that.  Those tales of folks needing to reboot XP MCE every day haven't 
> come out of nowhere, I suspect.

See my last post about my friend with XP MCE. stay away I think, after 
hearing this..

> And contrary to popular belief outside the Linux fraternity, Linux 
> isn't an OS that needs constant cuddling & massaging to keep working.  
> Or at least not if you leave it alone (i.e. don't upgrade everything 
> just because there's an update available without making backups).

Yup, if it ain't broke don't fix it.  Easy to backup your whole system 
in about 5 minutes: tar / with assorted options of your choice (try 
backing up that easy in windows).  If something breaks after an upgrade, 
compile the upgrade from latest source instead, after restoring your 
working backup.  More than likely what broke was already found and fixed 
in the latest CVS, or is documented to be broke and noted not to upgrade 
it you want this or that feature.

Raphael


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