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Ask HN: Anyone else planning to head back to Microsoft?

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Re: Ask HN: Anyone else planning to head back to Microsoft?

#71

Post by Delmania »

leeleelee wrote: post #67

Has anyone gone through the horror of doing things like installing python or mysql on a windows machine? Maybe it's easier nowadays, but last time I tried installing python I had to follow multiple tutorials, one of which actually worked. Installing mysql was a little more pain-free, but still too much work. Also the lack of a linux/unix/whatever shell in windows? There's no way to measure the infinite utility in hav…

For the 2 specific cases you've mentioned, there are installers for both Python and MySQL for Windows. You could even use the unoffical Windows package manager, Chocolately to get them.

As for the lack of a *NIX shell, PowerShell is an acceptable alternative, but with both GoW and msysgit, it's easy to use the most common shell tools.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else planning to head back to Microsoft?

#72

Post by zokier »

mbrock wrote: post #28

I'm idly curious about whether Microsoft will ever "pull an OS X". In my imagination, they'd drop their whole legacy OS except for an emulation layer, and port their Windows Store stuff to a new platform. The new platform, as I imagine it, would be based on Linux and focus primarily on web apps and games. One part web-based cross-device UI runtime, one part serious gaming support. The idea of Microsoft embracing Linu…

WinRT and Metro was kinda an attempt of what you describe. NT as a kernel is not that bad compared to eg. classic MacOS that it would be in dire need of replacing. Longhorn and WinFS also was supposed to provide a new paradigm, but that didn't really pan out and we ended up with Vista...

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else planning to head back to Microsoft?

#74

Post by zokier »

leeleelee wrote: post #67

Has anyone gone through the horror of doing things like installing python or mysql on a windows machine? Maybe it's easier nowadays, but last time I tried installing python I had to follow multiple tutorials, one of which actually worked. Installing mysql was a little more pain-free, but still too much work. Also the lack of a linux/unix/whatever shell in windows? There's no way to measure the infinite utility in hav…

I would be really curious to hear what issues you have had installing Python on Windows? As far as I can remember it has been just clicking through wizard and nothing more.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else planning to head back to Microsoft?

#75

Post by greggyb »

zorked wrote: post #20

No the best UI. Not Unix. Not a major mobile platform. Dominates a huge but dying market. Why would you do that?

I'm curious about what elements of their markets that you believe are dying?

I work for an MS Gold Partner consulting firm, and many of our clients are transitioning to the MS data/collaboration stack (SQL Server and all associated services; SharePoint and associated services) for both OLTP and BI. We see customers transitioning from other traditional enterprise solutions (Oracle, DB2, and others) as well as open source solutions (Vended and homegrown MySQL and PostgreSQL).

I am just curious where you see the market dying - it seems to me that Microsoft is competing effectively, gaining some new customers and losing others.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else planning to head back to Microsoft?

#76

Post by storer »

lsiunsuex wrote: post #3

When Windows 10 comes out I'll probably pull the trigger and get a Microsoft Surface for testing, but I don't think I'll ever leave OS X for Windows. (to name a few) 1: Recently helped a friend install a new hard drive in a Lenovo Edge 15 only to find out the laptop has problems with Crucial SSDs (it brought back to many driver / hardware compatibility issues from my past jobs) 2: Features like Dashboard, Expose, Not…

Long-time OS X user here. I bought my wife a Surface Pro 3 recently. We both love it. The pen is beyond excellent. The touch-screen works as well as Apple's own touchpad. The new start screen works as a fine replacement for Dashboard. Installing CygWin lets me use all the linux tools I want. I'm sure the new start menu and continuity stuff in Windows 10 will be just as good as with Apple, if not better. Sublime Text works fine on Windows, my son uses it all the time with CygWin. Haven't had any driver issues, granted we're only using the built-in hardware. I even installed Emacs and it works just as well as on my Mac.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else planning to head back to Microsoft?

#77

Post by greggyb »

toothbrush wrote: post #46
igrekel wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regarding number 1... Installing non-apple SSD in a macbook isn't smooth sailing either. The difference is that in windows the OS isn't necessarily playing against you.

I run two MacBooks with non-apple SSD's (and Linux). What goes wrong for you? (serious question) (Disclosure: I'd prefer to run a ThinkPad or something, but meh, boss-provided machine.)

The problem that the parent is referring to is hardware compatibility in OS X, which using Linux obviates.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else planning to head back to Microsoft?

#78

Post by scott_karana »

a2tech wrote: post #17

Nope. The Unix underpinnings of OS X are way too valuable for me. Powershell is (imho) a verbose mess and is the current best attempt at making a working scripting language for Windows. I use Powershell all the time but its..inelegant. Give me bash scripting any time. MS is always flirting with new technologies and sexy R&D, but at their heart they're never going to change.

While I would agree that ad-hoc bash pipelines are very elegant, actual long-form scripts that run safely turn into horrificaly ugly sludgy messes.

As poor as Powershell's verbosity is for an interactive shell, it's pretty reasonable when writing scripts.

Bash + Perl/Python is certainly a more standard/sane combination on Unix, but not really a fair comparison at that point. :)

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else planning to head back to Microsoft?

#79

Post by [deleted] »

leeleelee wrote: post #67

Has anyone gone through the horror of doing things like installing python or mysql on a windows machine? Maybe it's easier nowadays, but last time I tried installing python I had to follow multiple tutorials, one of which actually worked. Installing mysql was a little more pain-free, but still too much work. Also the lack of a linux/unix/whatever shell in windows? There's no way to measure the infinite utility in hav…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else planning to head back to Microsoft?

#80

Post by PopeOfNope »

mathgeek wrote: post #18
lsiunsuex wrote: post #3

When Windows 10 comes out I'll probably pull the trigger and get a Microsoft Surface for testing, but I don't think I'll ever leave OS X for Windows. (to name a few) 1: Recently helped a friend install a new hard drive in a Lenovo Edge 15 only to find out the laptop has problems with Crucial SSDs (it brought back to many driver / hardware compatibility issues from my past jobs) 2: Features like Dashboard, Expose, Not…

Hardware concerns are really a moot point, as you can always run Windows on your favorite flavor of Mac hardware. That's really the only way that I ever run Windows these days.

Couldn't agree more. The reason I'll never go back to windows is simple: no POSIX, no deal. I want my ZSH and gnu tools. And no, cygwin doesn't count.
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