I just saved $1000
I'm going to be working on some software projects soon, and I'll want to do a lot of that on a linux machine that I would access via ssh and samba from my windows machine. I was thinking I'd build another computer for that, and I had gotten all the way to the point of pricing out the components on newegg.
Then I thought: Maybe I could just run linux in a VM instead. After a little research, it turned out to be the perfect solution. VMware Server is free, and of course so is linux. I went with Ubuntu Server because RPMs have caused me no end of pain, and I'm eager to use apt-get instead.
Now I have a linux box running in the background, and as far as my ssh-and-samba interface is concerned, it's just as good as having dedicated hardware for it. If I had realized how simple and clean this setup would be, I would have done it years ago (though years ago it might not have been so simple or clean). There's even a video on youtube that specifically walks through setting up Ubuntu Server on VMware Server.
Also, I cut down a tree yesterday. It involved standing on my roof with what was basically a chain saw on a stick, which was somewhat exciting. It only took about half an hour to get the tree down to a stump; the cleanup is what took the vast majority of the time (and caused the vast majority of the scratches and scrapes). Amazingly, the entire 20-foot tree fit into just more than one (96-gallon?) yard waste container.
Then I thought: Maybe I could just run linux in a VM instead. After a little research, it turned out to be the perfect solution. VMware Server is free, and of course so is linux. I went with Ubuntu Server because RPMs have caused me no end of pain, and I'm eager to use apt-get instead.
Now I have a linux box running in the background, and as far as my ssh-and-samba interface is concerned, it's just as good as having dedicated hardware for it. If I had realized how simple and clean this setup would be, I would have done it years ago (though years ago it might not have been so simple or clean). There's even a video on youtube that specifically walks through setting up Ubuntu Server on VMware Server.
Also, I cut down a tree yesterday. It involved standing on my roof with what was basically a chain saw on a stick, which was somewhat exciting. It only took about half an hour to get the tree down to a stump; the cleanup is what took the vast majority of the time (and caused the vast majority of the scratches and scrapes). Amazingly, the entire 20-foot tree fit into just more than one (96-gallon?) yard waste container.