I admit it: I really get more work done on Windows 7, so that’s what I run on my primary machines. The integration with the hardware simply cannot be matched in Linux and it’s almost boring how things keep working so well without a bunch of tweaking. Most Linux users are constantly tweaking their systems, in part trying to resolve long-term issues. Were I facing a higher threat context, I would probably run Linux on the metal, but it simply does not work as well.
Instead, I run virtual machines. I keep Debian Wheezy on VMWare and I also have XP Mode for stuff that doesn’t work on Win7.
The latest VMWare Player (free version) does a really good job of making Debian easy to install. It correctly identifies the installer CD and may offer to install the tools for you right away. Don’t; wait until you get Debian installed. The menu on VMWare Player allows you to add the tools later. What happens is that it mounts the tools as a virtual CD, typically at /media/cdrom/. You can’t run it from there; you have to copy those files somewhere within the file system of the running Debian VM. I used /opt/. There, you can unzip the untar the files and run the installer logged in as root.
Basically the command is perl vmware-installer.pl — you pretty much need only accept all the defaults for every question it will ask you. Then log out and log back into your user account; this will restart X with all the drivers.
This allows you to integrate it more fully into your Windows desktop and add permissions on your Win7 system folders and files for Debian to read and write. Frankly, the primary value is being able to run the weird networking stuff Linux offers and all the security. Your running Debian VM is just as secure as Debian stand-alone from viruses and malware. I know a few folks who do all their surfing and email on a Linux VM to protect their Win7 desktop system. The one thing you simply cannot get is the Linux X-server mouse behavior using mouse-paste.
I still recommend folks installing Debian if they can get by without a full-blown Windows installation. If your system has enough horsepower, go ahead and install VMWare on Debian and run XP or whatever version you need for Windows stuff. If you are just surfing the Net and doing simple stuff, that should work. Still some hardware is just not compatible with Linux and if you do any significant real work with specialized software, sometimes Linux won’t do it for you.
Make up your own mind, but don’t ignore the possibilities.
Addendum: I should have noted the laptop runs Debian Wheezy as before. There are too many factors I can’t control when I take that thing somewhere and try to use wifi connections I can find.
Reblogged this on roslionel.
That was then; hardware changes have caused me to reverse the roles. Now I run Debian as the host OS and Windows in the VMs. Still, there’s nothing like a VM to to give you the whole range.