On Fri, 07 Mar 2014 20:40:58 +0100 Ralf Mardorf <ralf.mard...@alice-dsl.net> wrote:
> On Fri, 2014-03-07 at 19:11 +0000, Joe wrote: > > > > So I'll be wiping XP off my old laptop (actually refitting the > > original 40GB drive, as the 120GB drive which has run for the last > > eight years is showing early signs of dementia) and running only > > Sid on it. > > Depending to the needs, it might be useful to install Linux and to run > XP in a virtual machine. With VBox it's possible to run a Linux > desktop and a XP desktop seamlessly. > > Take a look at the link: > > http://picpaste.com/linux-jwm-and-windows-xp.png > > The above panel is a Linux JWM panel and the below panel is the XP > task bar. XP does run as a guest in a Linux VBox. The upper right > window is the XP file browser and the left lower window is a Linux > ROXTerm. > One of my main requirements for Windows is in running several unusual USB peripherals, and I've usually found problems with USB in a virtual environment. One item is a programmer, and I can't really afford glitches in driving it. I thought it would be more likely to be reliable the other way around, so I'm building up a Sid installation in Virtualbox under Win 8. I need gschem and a couple of other things that don't have (useful) Windows ports, and they don't have to drive peripherals directly. My other need is for mobile use with some security, so I'm relieved to find it quite easy to boot to Sid on an external USB drive. There are all kinds of stories about Win 8 machines, which must have Secure Boot firmware, and it was impossible to get any kind of hard data in advance. I must remember to submit somewhere the information that this particular model is OK in this respect, I had no way to know beforehand. So I can run OpenVPN and/or ssh in an insecure network, with some confidence in the firewalling. I would not operate any version of Windows on public wifi. Given a pocket-sized USB drive which boots Linux happily, I can't be bothered messing with dual-boot. There is also the point that I only have OEM licences for XP, and that doesn't cover virtualising. I figure that if I break the MS licensing agreement, that makes me no better than them, and I'm not having *that*. -- Joe -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/20140307231231.75639...@jretrading.com
