I haven’t blogged for a very long time.  I’ve had lots to say.  Unfortunately, when I finally threw in the towel on Vista and went back to Windows XP, I recalled just how crippled that OS was for serious development.  So I upgraded to Server 2003, a very stable, functional and reliable OS (except for a weekly corrupt lock issue form VM and tortoiseSvn but that is besides the point). 

No LiveWriter on any stable OS’s. period.

I can do everything I need to in Server, at least for Windows development, except blog.  Windows LiveWriter installer, in their product team’s infinite wisdom, will prevent installation on Windows Server OS.  It works FINE if you can get around the c0ck-block and install a hacked version of Windows LiveWriter but then plug-ins won’t find the install.  That is a huge problem because most of what I blog is code.   That nifty code plug-in that formats gorgeous c#?  …sorry,  doesn’t work if you back door LiveWriter.

What about that sweet Mac you carry around with you?

I decided it was time to blog again and looked into Ecto, once again.  Unfortunately, it remembers that I once launched it (never actually tried it) and will not allow me to launch it now.  That’s foolish, illuminex, really.  I think it would be sufficient to just irritate me with a launch screen reminding (begging) me to pay the measly $20 every time I launch it.  Or allow one blog post and then close the app with a “please buy” notice.  Anything except preventing launch.  You must be taking lessons from Microsoft.

Just buy it, dood, you say?  Well, I’m sort of “not able to use credit cards” if you know what I mean.  :-/

Solution – VM with XP

I read the Ecto vs LiveWriter smackdown and I realized I had all I needed.  It seems so silly but, in reality, its why I switched to Mac in the first place. 

When I code, I code.  If its Windows, its Server.  I don’t want extra software installed unless it directly applies to the art of coding. 

When I blog, I am blogging.  I might download photos and try software and exhibit all kinds of consumer behavior that will very likely introduce spinning icons and the inevitable need to rebuild the OS.  I only need about 500MB to blog with so fire up an isolated VM for blogging and be over it.  That XP machine I configured to try to code on?  Its now my blogging computer.  Yes, I fire up an entire computer just to blog.  Well, a virtual computer.  Nonetheless, how beautiful is that.  Its like having a house to live in with your family that stays clean and fresh and a second house where you keep your exercise equipment and your old beer signs. 

For the Adventurous

I’d gotten spoiled with my Mac because it hasn’t hiccupped in more than a year.  I’ve been able to reduce to just one instance of Windows Server for my Windows programming duties and everything else works on the Mac.  If that were a real goal of mine, I’d try Msi Install for Windows LiveWriter.  Actually, I WILL try to install that and see if plug-ins work after that.  I have Visual Studio ad everything I need on my XP instance so I can pull a quick bug fix without firing up my fat behemoth of a server VM.  I should have the same convenience the other way around.  However, this XP Instance boots in less than 30 seconds.  LiveWriter will be in my startup items from now on.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 at 7:03 am and is filed under Blogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.