Out with Windows Vista - Hello Fedora!

I'm messing around with my computer again. Yes - I fully admit to being a complete computer nerd. It calms me and makes me feel productive in one of my passions.So, if you are not a techie-wanna-be like me, then you might want to skip this post.

I purchased a laptop with Windows Vista installed about a year ago. I have struggled, like many others, with Windows Vista crashing and having problems. One of the major problems is the networking problems and difficulty printing.My network will go down, making it impossible to keep connected to the Internet and stops my ability to print anything.My printer is not compatible with Vista...big shocker! I think Microsoft and HP are in cahoots making sure everyone has to spend money every year or two to buy new software and hardware for their stupid programs.

Several months ago I messed around with making my laptop a dual boot system - which allows me to either boot into Windows Vista or Fedora 10 (Linux). I like many features of Fedora 10 and was able to get my wireless card to work with Fedora (Woot! Woot!). The only thing holding me back is that sometimes the printer works and sometimes it doesn't. Also, my dear hubby, Mike, is not exactly computer savvy or I would ditch using Windows altogether. I have my settings so that I can access ALL my Windows documents, music, and pictures while using Fedora, so I can still do all of the work I need to do except PRINT! Of course, I can't print from Windows Vista either! What to do!

I have to say that the fact Fedora is FREE and everything that goes with it is FREE is a huge plus in my book, so I'm still searching out a solution to my printing issues. The fact that it happens with BOTH Windows Vista and Fedora makes me think it just might be the stupid printer!

I took a class last year where the professor sparked my interest in using a Linux OS. i researched it and have found that while it is NOT for the average user (difficult to install without help), the computer nerd, like msyelf, can benefit from trying it out.And wow is it cool!

More coming soon...I am making a video of my super-fast Fedora set-up.(It really is sweet!)