Anti-Virus on a Virtual PC?

DANGER! Updating Windows can break the functionality of your applications!

I have all too often found myself chasing obscure bugs incurred after a Windows update- something I have yet to encounter with other operating systems with which I am familiar. I am of the opinion that, if it's working and you stay off the Internet, don't change it.

Broken application or infected computer?

For me the choice is easy, I'd rather figure out why one application is broken than have the entire registry broken when crud climbs in

But I'm not trying to support legacy hardware either.

I occasionally need to go to a site than only works with IE or I want to rule out the possibility that a problem I'm having is because of some windowscentric thing.

I am going on line with a windows virtual machine, so it's just a bad plan not to be current on updates & security.

Personally I've never had more than a minor infection on any of my windows machines. though I've certainly had stuff like printers give me fits when updates break drivers

For accessing IE only sites from Firefox, try this:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ie-tab/

I have it, but haven't found an IE-only site to test it on yet!

I haven'y been able to install, I get a message that it's windows only

when I install it

it doesn't actually work

turbo tax is IE only

I also use my XP vm for safari to check functionality on websites

I just recently installed the kindle reader app [windows or mac only] so I could read the preview of transcendian's book

I haven't had much luck with wine

Itunes & access both run fine [a little slow] on my vm

I haven't tried my printer, But I don't really use the VM on the computer that's hooked up to printer

What haven't you been able to install? If you are talking about IEtab, it is a Firefox plugin, and apparently cares less about what operating system. Maybe I gave you the wrong link. What I have is IETab 2 and I am using Firefox 3.6.16. Seems to work for me. I also don't seem to have a problem looking at your turbo tax link- they even say you can use Firefox or Chrome, but you need Adobe Flash Player, which causes hiccups on my system (mostly because I could care less about videos and haven't bothered to fix it- there are ways to use Adobe Flash Player in Firefox under Ubuntu).

I have had very good luck with Wine- but I always check the AppDB on the Winehq website to see if what I want to use works- they often provide information about tweaks and setup parameters that help getting an application to run. I use Wine 1.2.2. Again, I don't do a lot on the Internet from Wine- If a company won't put something up that I can use with MY system, working the way I want to work, then I have no use for them...Of course, I have no use for turbo tax anyway.

We seem to be usurping this thread. Maybe we need to move off line?

I kind of doubt Lyn cares

this would be good over on the blog

I'm always trying for the biggies like office or itunes & wine doesn't cut it

for any thing else, there's better stuff by far on linux

other than the google stuff which is their own version of wine & works

Have at it. I don't care.

OK, Lyn gives permission to run with this...

The only thing I still use from MS Office is Excel 2000, which works perfectly in Wine...Even the Analysis Tool Pack, which is where they used to hide the FFT analysis.

I find the new LibreOffice Suite far superior to OpenOffice or MS Office, and, for sharing, the save as *.doc function works beautifully (and I can even edit a *.doc file in LibreOffice, without converting first). Also, direct export to *.pdf, which saves me a lot of hassle I used to have to go through (i.e., special packages to "print to file"). With LibreOffice, there is a built-in export to pdf function.

I've had some troubles with CAD stuff I have tried to run in Wine, and getting some of my usb instruments to work with Wine requires some hacking, but then I used to have to do some hacking in Windows to get that sort of equipment to talk to the computer anyway...

I haven't been back to the blog for a bit- been pretty busy lately. It's about time to put something new up.