15% of people have a preferred OS that they will defend the honour of, to the death. To the point where they will link to millions of websites and studies to prove how “teh awesome” their OS is, compared to the competition.
Microsoft cops the brunt of “[insert OS here] is shit” type arguments because they’re the most visible targets. Apple follows Microsoft. Then Linux.
I have news for y’all:
.
That’s right, it’s a full stop. It represents that point where you all shut up and think a little clearly.
Protip: there is no such thing as a perfect OS
I’ve learned this over several years in many environments. My conclusion is that KISS applies everywhere – use what is simplest for you.
I once worked on a contract in a graphics design company – everything was Apple. Guess what… it all worked. Sure the laptops may be fashionable white dinky things but they worked great. They did the job that Windows or Linux machines couldn’t. But maybe they could now – the company made its choice.
Likewise I’ve worked with firms of Lawyers – they’re almost exclusively Windows-based because they need the security of group policy, complicated custom programs written for Windows and 100% MS Office compatibility.
I once worked at a software developer that developed java webapps – they used Solaris desktops – no joke.
And I’ve worked with Novell who used SLED desktops.
The fundamental point is this – when somebody asks you for advice, don’t give them what suits you – give them what suits them. If someone asks for an HTPC and isn’t interested in anything more than plug’n'play, tell ‘em to buy a copy of Windows Media Centre XP/Vista or download MediaPortal. If they want to tinker point them to Linux. If they already have a MacMini, tell ‘em reformatting to Yellow Dog is a pain in the arse and tell ‘em to find a suitable Apple HTPC solution.
Likewise with servers. Environments can work with integrated solutions. Right now I’m standing in front of a rack with a quasi-Linux-basede virtualization solution running AD, MS Exchange, Kerio, Dansguardian/Squid proxy authenticating via NTLM, apache webservers and BIND DNS servers.
The fundamental point I’m making is that even if you have an OS of choice it’s time to admit, once in a while that it has flaws and that other operating systems can be better at certain things than others. And the other point is that complexity is generally bad if simplicity offers a similar feature set.
All the way back in 2006, I started my journey into University. And there I met Craig. By mid-year, disapointed with how the IT@PE group were handling social things, we decided to try and organise a LAN party.
It failed. Hard. We cancled it a day before the LAN was ment to run. We had 6 people interested.
About month later, we decided to give it another shot. Craig set us up a fancy website, with a black background, and green tables. It looked horrid, but it summed us up. We needed a name, and after much brain storming with a good friend of us both, Mr Luke “Misc” Alabaster, we came up with the name “GreentubeLAN”, this after falling over many names, all of which caused us to keep cracking up with laughter as we kept getting weirder and weirder with names. Untill we relised we kept comming back to GreentubeLAN.
I think those who were trying to study at Monash Peninsula Library were thankfull we made a decision.
So after a meeting with a cool guy, who to this day, I only remember as “Andrew”, who did leasing on the venues at Monash PE, we finally got settled to use the “Upper Deck Cafe”, and we started the signup. We relised we needed help, and grabbed Michael to help us with the admin.
The LAN came around, 20 people showed, it was fantastic. We had SBS on the plasma showing soccar, we had lounge couches all bunched up with a TV (the TV was never used for NES games, infact, it remained off and the plasma on). I ran a Quake 3 tournament, we all played some Counter Strike. Some guys played UT2k4, whilst others played Americas Army. Nick had a case made of wood.
It was so good, we ran another one, not even a month later. We again go the Upper Deck Cafe, we had a few of our future regulars make an appearance. Matt ran people over in GTA:SA, and we had people scrambling over tables to get to the late pizza. Michael waltzed.
We also screwed up. Too few people with a watchfull eye lead to a fuse blowing, a entire cafe’ fridge turning off (and food in it going bad), a automatic door stuck, and a coffee machine that wished it had never been made.
We wern’t allowed to use the Upper Deck Cafe’ anymore.
However, I remembered a good friend of mine, Daniel. He had offered me a Scout Hall once before, back in the day. A quick phone call, and wham! We had a hall.
Whilst Craig was testing some servers, he met some people who would go on to make TanLAN, down in Traralgon. They decided to come along.
We had the slowest LAN to date, seirously, it was like 256k ADSL. And do you know what? It was fantastic. We ran a UT2k4 competition, we gave awards for the “worst computer” in the looks department. We gave some guy an Action Man doll ’cause he was good at Counter Strike. It was good fun.
Then we ran into GTL4, same venu, huge heat. We had fans going, and it was still bloody boiling. So much, that by 10:30pm, we had all moved otuside to sit around a campfire site (sans fire), sipping cold drinks, and talking. One of Daniel’s friends got the first lable of “bloody hell” when he turned off the V8 Supercars server, after taking 60 minutes to set it up.
GTL5 came around. We were all calling the LAN GTL by now, I still have no idea who cameup with that acronym, even tho it makes sense. It was small, quiet, and had Painkiller. It was really a setup for what was to come.
GTL6 came around, our 1st birthday. We put Wanko in a corner (no he doens’t get a link), we had sponsors from Intel, ATI, NOS Computers, and even some stuff Craig bought at MSY.
We ran a Quake4 tournament, Luke won a gatwatch, “bloody hell” won a orange intel jacket, and Wanko won nothing.
We also had a huge arse chocolate cake. I mean REALLY big, so big it had to be brought down ’cause it wouldn’t fit into the fridge. It had green icing.
I could go on, but the list is almost exactly the same.
Why am I writing all of this?
Well, GreentubeLAN has technicly closed its doors, without actualy closing them. But for now, you can rest assured that there will be no more open to public LANs. All that is going to be left is private invite only LANs.
I would just like to thank everyone who has ever come to a GreentubeLAN. Wether you came to one, or came to all of them. We arn’t big headed enough to say “they were so good because of us”, it was because of you, those who came to the LANs that made them so much fun, and gave us and everyone else so much enjoyment.
We would also like to think everyone who has helped us in any way with the LANs, from our own parents and partners, to Andrew and all the other little guys. You made it all posible, and we are forever greatfull for everything that you did for us.
So now, with DLC, SanLAN, Respawn, and a number of others around, will you ever be able to LAN with the GTL crew again? We would like to hope so, we have plans on attending any LANs in our area that look like fun, and there might be future invite only GTL events, that we will run (hint hint to those reading).
