On Mon, May 26, 2025 at 2:38 PM Joe wrote: > > On Mon, 26 May 2025 14:23:04 -0400 > Lee wrote: > > > For those of you that still use Windows, do you have a dual boot > > system where you select linux or windows at boot time or do you boot > > into linux and run windows as a vm? > > > > My wife is trying to decide if she wants to keep windows on her laptop > > or no. Obviously, it's easier not to decide & keep her options open.. > > but I don't know if dual boot or running windows in a vm would be > > better, or what the tradeoffs would be. > > > > Anyone care to say which is the better option, tradeoffs, pitfalls, > > etc? > > > > > It depends on why you want it.
Not wanting to close out her options? A general fear of missing out? I haven't heard a reason for keeping windows other than a general concern that she might need it at some point in the future. > I needed Windows on a laptop to run a > few proprietary applications relating to hardware, for programming PIC > microcontrollers and XBee radio boards, also to run my USB > oscilloscope. Both the scope driver and PIC IDE were available for > Linux but were very poor and buggy. Well.. most everything on windows is a proprietary application, but I don't know of any special hardware she has for the laptop. The printer & scanner are network attached, so they should work with Debian. Yes?? > For direct hardware access, I wouldn't even try a VM, as proprietary > auxiliary software for hardware driving is often not that well written > and may do naughty things with the PC hardware, bypassing the proper > Windows API. I don't think direct hardware access is a concern. > For applications purely within Windows, perhaps a version which can't > be safely connected directly to the Net, Hah! Are you old enough to remember the 2002 "trustworthy computing" initiative .. that was more of a PR operation than actually making windows secure? As far as I'm concerned, "Microsoft" and "safely connected directly to the net" are like oil and water - they don't mix. > possibly a VM would be more useful. or safer? If a VM gets exploited one just deletes the VM and spins up a new one - yes? Thanks Lee
