After ~4 hours playing with my new video card [nVidia GeForce FX 5700VE] I've gotten it to work under Linux, and, for the first time in a while, I've been playing HL2. Under Cedega. In Linux.

And it's just as damned good as under Windows. Need to tweak it a bit [some sound issues, and the interesting scenario of the mouse jumping out the window making me spin] but it runs well.

Yet Another Useful Distraction (TM)

Erm, yeah. I was meant to be sleeping whilst playing with the card settings ... I've got to be up again in ~3 1/2 hours to drive to chase. Gah. I can sleep there

Lovely pretty lines ....

http://www.deviantart.com/view/14080073/

play and play and play again ....

all the pretty lines ....

Be aware, this is

1) Addictive
2) Possibly bad for the brain

I want it on my comp as a screen saver, sooo pretty ....

I'm installing WinXP on Linux atm, using the instructions here: http://maconstuff.blogspot.com/2006/06/how-to-run-windows-xp-under-ubuntu.html

Heres the installer screenie:

The job of software architect is basically a case of putting out fires and making sure nobody starts any new ones. [from page 2 of http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/19/bill_gates_column/]

That made me chuckle.

Otherwise, its a miserable day; hayfever, generally low [possible financial difficulties ahead again, bombshells dropped all over ... the usual]

Do people remember this from my last post?

Third, Windows will now for any unknown reason, reboot. Then complain the BIOS is ballsed [WTF is Windows doing looking at my BIOS??]

Well, I've found out.

Windows Genuine Advantage.

From this page: http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060608002958907

Information collected during validation

Q: What information is collected from my computer?

A: The genuine validation process will collect information about your system to determine if your Microsoft software is genuine. This process does not collect or send any information that can be used to identify you or contact you. The only information collected in the validation process is:

* Windows product key
* PC manufacturer
* Operating System version
* PID/SID
* BIOS information (make, version, date)
* BIOS MD5 Checksum
* User locale (language setting for displaying Windows)
* System locale (language version of the operating system)
* Office product key (if validating Office)
* Hard drive serial number

OK. So Windows *was* checking my BIOS. To see if I've a pirated version of Windows.

And Windows randomly reboots itself. After I downloaded the Critital Update WGA.
I'm not normally one for conspiracies, but this sucks, so I'll indulge it.

MS are fscking my computer.

This reboot problem does not happen in Linux. So its not a hardware issue.
It only happens in Windows. After it had complained about my BIOS MD5sum. And downloading the WGA.

So, MS, fsck off outta my computer. I fear a reinstall of WinXP (a-fsckin-gain) or maybe no install at all. I might shell out a tenner for Cedega/Crossover to get rid of Windows entirely; I really don't like having my computer's functionality taken away from me (this is why I use GNU/Linux, and why you should too, just in case, in the not so distant future, MS decides it doesn't like you ...)