As part of
my media PC for the home project (see previous blog post) I decided to install Linux
on one of my test boxes here in my work cubicle. (I currently have three test boxes and a production PC in here with me
Hmm toasty!)
I have
always been under the impression that installing Linux was a time-consuming and
often frustrating task that involved gathering drivers from weird Web sites.
You know, drivers that some guy reversed engineered and then wrote because he
had that printer and wanted to install Linux to stick it to the man
(Microsoft).
It was with that mindset that I began my first Linux install on a
late Friday afternoon. I was anticipating missing dinner.
Boy was I
wrong! I installed Suse Linux Enterprise Server 9 and was up and running in
about an hour. I didn’t have to hunt for drivers or fiddle with configuration
settings or any of the other horror scenarios that had been placed in my head
in years past and that I so stubbornly held onto through the years. It was a
simple process. If my test machine was a little faster in the CPU and disk
drive departments, it would have been much less than an hour I’m sure.
This
experience leaves me with one burning question (well probably more, but only
one right now) what’s the big deal? With my query comes the realization that
the operating system is the least important determining factor when configuring
a Media PC.
The important factor is what applications you want to run. There
are two very good Media PC apps for Linux that I know of, so I’m thinking that
may be the way to go. But the key factor is not the OS, but which Media app is
going to work the best for me.
If you have
some experience with LInux Media PC software, perhaps you could share some
advice.