Posted on 2007-03-12
I got my new machine from the Dell Outlet, so it wasn't configured exactly the way I wanted, but close enough (anyone want a Bluetooth keyboard, cheap?).
The main reason I got it from the outlet was so I could get Windows XP instead of Vista. I wanted a legit license that I could run in a virtual machine. I wasn't willing to shell out the additional $'s for the high-end version of Vista that you are allowed to run in a VM. I didn't realize that Dell would remove the option of getting XP on a new box. Microsoft is really in control in a way that isn't in a customer's best interest.
I'm running Debian Etch on it. I was really impressed with how easy it was to install and how everything "just worked". Video, sound, network, external USB drive, everything.
It is somewhat unfair to compare performance, since I don't know what XP would have been like on the new hardware, but performance is fantastic. Everything has that nice instantaneous "pop".
I installed VMWare Server (again, hassle-free, though it would have been nice if there was a .deb for it). I used the VMWare Converter to make an image of my old machine, and it just worked (well, it did after I managed to get Windows XP activated again, grrrrr...). Maybe it was because my old machine was such a dog, but performance seems excellent: it seems faster in the VM than it did on the real box!
Maybe this is just the honeymoon, but I am really impressed.
Tags: debian etch vmware