For a while now, I've been a kind of uninformed Linux advocate. I took the position that it was a good idea and more people should be running Linux rather than (or in addition to) Windows. I've had vague notions of setting up a dual-boot system at work or home. Now I've got my wish. I've installed Ubuntu Linux alongside Windows at work and the plan is to use it as my primary environment. I'm the guinea pig for the rest of the section.
It's not the first time I've run Linux, but it's the first time I've been this deep. Thus far, it's all been live discs that let me boot up, play around for a while and then disappear without a trace or short-lived virtual machines that might as well be an alternative web browser. Installing programs, figuring out hardware configuration issues and even resizing disk partitions has been a bit of an adventure.
I don't expect the migration to go all that smoothly. I've now made a virtual Windows copy that I can keep around, like a security blanket, whenever I find something I can't accomplish. I've managed to get my self-written note-taking program WorkDiary operating, even though it's written for Microsoft's .NET platform. Thanks go out to the good people who develop the compatible Mono libraries for that. However, that's not the only program I've got to get moving here in Linux Town. I've built up a whole slew of partially-useful applications, practices and techniques over the years that are specific to Windows. I imagine I've got some un-learning to do and some new tools to find.
If interesting things happen, I'll keep you posted, but that's quite enough for today.
Mokalus of Borg
PS - My passwords database has been the most valuable migration so far.
PPS - And my Firefox profile will come next.
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