Tomorrow's Trip To Pampanga
I may or may not be writing anything for a couple of days. Tomorrow's schedule looks like this:
- Stop by a money exchange to exchange dollars for pesos.
- Head to Subic Bay Freeport Zone, stop for gas, hop on Subic/Tipo Road expressway to bypass the Olongapo City zigzag part of the highway.
- Exit the expressway (it's very short) and continue on to San Fernando, Pampanga (about 50 kilometers/30 miles).
- Stop at a repair shop to pick up a video camera (not mine). The cost of the repair is 1,600 pesos or about $37.00 in US dollars.
- Head to SM Pampanga to examine computer offerings and/or select a new desktop computer at COMPEX International.
- Return home via the same route.
- Set up the new PC (if I buy one).
Desktop computers range in price from as little as 9,999 pesos (about $228 in US dollars) if ordered through DATAWORX to as much as 59,900 pesos (about $1,362 in US dollars) if ordered through VillMan Computer Systems. I want to get something somewhere in the middle, obviously. The options in Olongapo City are limited and most places order them through the distribution centers in Manila.
Only certain models (HP, Acer, etc.) come with some version of Windows preinstalled. Other models require purchase of Windows separately. I don't want another Windows PC. I plan to build a USB-bootable version of Windows XP (can anyone say BartPE?) to run Internet Explorer (to access my bank and other places that require it due to Active X controls). I plan to go with Linux this time. I'll have to choose between Debian, PCLinuxOS or Ubuntu. For assistance, I know I can rely on people like MrCorey and Hari to get me through the rough spots. It's been a long time since I worked with Debian Linux and even longer since I worked with Redhat/Fedora Linux.
Writing will recommence either before I do the setting up or after I complete it. How fast can I set it up? Heck, I don't have a clue. On another note, I haven't received the USB drive that my wife bought me yet, so I'll have to use the BartPE live CD until it arrives.
(Going to SM also gives me an excuse to eat at McDonald's, Wendy's, KFC, etc.)
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Give the latest version of Debian a go. You'll be surprised at the ease of installation with all those new enhancements like a graphical installer. Hardware detection is also quite good.
I second that advice. Debian has been and will be around for quite a while. Ubuntu is also a good choice for a new machine. Although PCLos has been my primary desktop for some time now (although I do miss Gentoo), I've found it easier to work with Debian and its cousins overall. Setting up LAMP was a tad easier on the PCLos machine, though (at least the alias to files in my /home directory). They're all good choices…(I've written this from within Debian)
Enjoy your trip — sure gonna miss your daily posts
I made it back late last night. Needless to say, I was tired and slept for a long time.