On Mon, 26 Oct 2015, Ed Greshko wrote:
On 10/26/2015 05:55 AM, Max Pyziur wrote:
> I'm a novice at assessing the question of multi-boot vs using
> virtualbox....
>
> [snip]
Sounds as if you're asking for opinions. So, I'll give you mine.
I've never used dual-boot and never saw the need in my use case. The
only reason I would consider using dual-boot over VM's is if I were a
"gamer", and I'm not. I use Windows for a few things but the things I
use it for don't benefit from direct access to the video hardware.
Also, the things I use Windows for don't suffer from any performance
issues running in a VM.
I still *try* (see below) to do a dual boot setup because of the occasional hardware
issue.
For instance, the linux driver for my flatbed scanner is no longer supported (an Epson
V330) in linux. It *used* to be supported, but Epson stopped updating the linux driver in
2012. Now, it's a pain to load all the deprecated libraries that are necessary to
make the thing work. However, Epson still cranks out Windows drivers.
I can't get the drivers to work on Windows XP in virtualbox (which I have for the rare
software I need to run on Windows), so I *try* to keep a Windows distro on as a dual boot
for when I need to scan something (yes, I'm too cheap to buy a new scanner).
On the other hand... I have a habit of re-installing different linux distros on a whim
just to see how they work. Right now, I'm running Kubuntu, but will probably switch
to Fedora 23 when it comes out next week (and there's virtualbox kernal mods
available).
One of the problems with obsessive installing of random distros, is that it seems almost
inevitable that one way or another I'll screw up the repartition. There's a
couple of distros (I can't remember which) out there that don't make it easy to do
custom partitioning on installation; it's easy to hit the wrong button and, poof, the
Windows partition is gone.
That's what I get for doing my installations while watching TV and drinking Tennessee
whiskey...
I did that when installing some distro a month or two ago, I think it was Kali, and I lost
my Windows partition. I've noticed that I really don't miss it. I now keep an
old laptop with a slightly cracked screen and Windows on it hooked up to my scanner, and I
just use that box with I have to scan something. I like having the extra disk space to
hold all my junk linux files that I'm too paranoid to delete.
It's becoming less and less useful to have a dual-boot machine, I think, and I have a
bad feeling about Windows 10 wrt privacy.
So, two years ago, I'd have been a big proponent of dual boot. Today, not so much,
particularly is you have an old obsolete box that can run some version of Windows that you
can hook that old obsolete peripheral to.
If I were to go out and buy a new laptop today, I'd probably make a half-hearted
attempt to maintain a Windows partition, but then I'd eventually screw it up -- and
wouldn't really care.
Maybe I should write a manual on "Jack Daniels school of system admin."
billo