[H-GEN] Mozilla, style sheets, and Microsoft's knowledge base

David Jericho david.jericho at bytecomm.com.au
Thu Nov 14 19:42:19 EST 2002


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On Fri, Nov 15, 2002 at 11:04:53AM +1100, David Seikel wrote:
> My experience with Windows is that a reinstall once a month is mandatory. 

Just to make it clear I'm not leaping to Windows defence, Windows
_can_ be stable if you understand the broken nature of its various
elements. 

There are a few easy steps to making windows stable.

1) Don't use IE. At all.
2) Make sure you apply all Windows updates as they become available.
3) Don't, oh God, please don't install all the sh*& that people
   usually do. Download accelerators, a bazillion and one systray
   applications. You wouldn't under Linux, don't under Windows.
4) Don't allow applications to integrate with the explorer shell. You
   don't have everything all integrated under Linux, and you don't
   whinge. Don't whinge when you do it to Windows and it breaks.
5) Make sure you occasionally run applications like Ad-ware (from
   lavasoft.de), and a good (i.e. not McAfee or Trend) virus scanner.
6) If you're running XP, use the system image state saver doobie. It's
   wonderful. Like CVS tags for your Windows install.
7) Don't go updating video drivers and the like just because there is
   a new one. If it works, why change it?

Using the above methods, I've had stable and reliable Windows installs
that have lasted two years. 

If people treated their Linux installs like most people treat their
Windows installs, their Linux system would be just as unstable. Just
because you can jump off the roof of a highrise, doesn't mean you do,
especially when you're used to using a climbing harness and safety
ropes to walk around the roof.[1]

> Since I'm only doing this for browser testing, I don't need a huge
> installation, so soaking the network for an hour or three once a month is
> fine by me.  I would probably do it while I sleep.  I am even considering
> setting up a cron job B-).

Seriously look at VMware. It runs fast enough if you're only doing
browser testing, and keeping system images as backups is a truely
trivial task. It's cheaper than a second machine as well.

[1] Your free useless analogy of the day.[2]
[2] But wait, THERE'S MORE!

-- 
David Jericho
Senior Systems Administrator, Bytecomm Pty Ltd


--
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