I woke up today, craving for some Half-Life 2, especially because I didn't get a chance to finish it. So I booted my computer. Linux. Linux doesn't run games, at least it's not very good at it if you try to force it into doing so.

The only backup I had to do before waving Ubuntu goodbye was to sync my bookmarks for Firefox, highly recommended if you value your bookmarks. Formatting and installing went on during breakfast and shower, after the formalities like passwords and time zones, the Windows CD was the last one I used, and here's what struck me: Everything's become so convenient:

  • Steam - Downloads, updates and even defragments your game files, all tied to your steam account

  • Google pack - Everything I was going to scavenge old CDs for was on there, and a little more, including google desktop, my personal grade-saving Jesus.

  • Google sync - already mentioned, the biggest feeling discomfort coming from a fresh install is the uncustomized browser, mine's instantly pimped out again now:)

  • iTunes - Don't remind me of last time I had to migrate my mp3s, iTunes picked all my music off my iPod (the iPod renames files to random sequences of letters because apple is evil) and renamed them according to the ID tags, done over lunch.


    • Last but not least, my iPod finally saw it's first sync in 3 months!

    Naturally, there's always something that ruins a perfect streak of get-along-with-a-computer; Microsoft's genuine advantage spyware thingie, who wouldn't let me install DirectX. What's the point of protecting DirectX from distribution when it's on every game CD out there since 1995?

    Also, it just struck me that Microsoft software integration about as seamless as Anna Nicole Smith...