Blog On The Motorway

So that was interesting.  The whole 7 days experiment was, I think it’s safe to say, pretty successful, although I will admit defeat on the timescale. I forgot how little I am on the computer over the weekend, and the fact that I had an OU assignment due in at the same time. But overall it’s been lovely to get the feedback that I have, and nice to see the rise in visitors too, but most of all it’s been good to do some writing that has stretched me a little bit.  Some of the topics were quite hard to wrap my head around, so thanks to everyone who left a suggestion, and I hope that you all liked it.

One thing this week has shown me is the potential of this blog, so over the next few weeks I’m going to try some other interesting things. I already have something in the pipeline for a collaboration with a fellow twitterer, which should be up and running in the next week.  In the meantime, as ever, any thoughts on stuff you’d like me to write about are always welcome.  The first issue of Blood On The Motorway is done, second issue is being written, so it wont be long before that starts.

Other than that, the big news for me is that I’m about to say goodbye to Microsoft completely at home. Unfortunately work is another matter, but tonight (or over the weekend) I will be installing Ubuntu on my PC at home, and saying goodbye to the steaming pile of excrement that is Vista.

It’s been a long and slow decline in my relationship with Microsoft.  Like most people like me, who aren’t particularly techie, Windows and its products were always just easier. As the default setting on every PC I’ve ever used (I used a Mac once. Didn’t like it) I learnt the Internet through Explorer, used Media Player to play music, even had a hotmail account, and ‘made do’ with the tools at hand.

It wasn’t until I met Jonic that I realised that there was more out there. I mean I had always known that there were alternatives, but I figured they would be so impossible to use that there wasn’t any point. This is the mythology that Microsoft have perpetuated throughout their history.  But then Jonic showed me Firefox.  It was a joy. Even in its infancy it was smoother and easier to use, and came with an added sense of freedom.

Next up was Gmail, and again a whole new world of usability. I still love Gmail, and am now a bit of a slave to the Google machine. I don’t know what I would do without iGoogle. (Clue: I may get more work done.) But now I’ve decided to take the next step away from the hideous chud of an operating system that is Vista.  I’m sure I don’t need to list its faults here, you will all have heard or seen for yourself.

For someone moving very slowly into the world of tech geekery, the move to a Linux based OS is quite a large step, but I’m determined to do it, and do it on my own.  Wish me luck.