[WriteLog] Operating system--followup

[W0UN--John Brosnahan]

With lots of replies--both on the reflector and direct to me--it is
clear that there is very good user support for Writelog.   But then
that has been obvious just reading the mail for the past month or
so.  Seems that everyone is very helpful.  Thanks.

The one other thing that is obvious is that Writelog works well
under a number of Windows versions--which is a credit to Wayne
and his programming skills.

I am aware of the "issues" with XP and lack of direct control of the
parallel port--in fact I downloaded UserPort some time back--although
I have not yet played with it.  And I have been planning on buying
the keyer to sort out the timing issues--CW is VERY important to me!

As I mentioned, I run a mix of operating systems here.  NT 4.0 on
one older CAD system, 2000 pro on a dual-Pentium running Pro/Engineer,
XP home on a few machines, including this HP notebook, and 98SE
on a number of older systems.  (And one old dog still running Me until
I get a chance to back it up and upgrade.)

My philosophy has been that hardware is cheap (compared to big towers)
so I have tended to have separate platforms for different functions.  And
the shack is separated from the house--so there will be dedicated ham
computers (would be very upset if a logging program messed up my
household accounting program--or, even worse, my business accounting--
so they are on dedicated systems).

The one OS that I have NOT used is XP pro.  And IF there is any winner
in the OS race for Writelog it appears that it would be XP -- specifically
XP pro.

My problem with XP and XP pro is that they "phone home" to MS.  It is
not an issue as far as licensing goes--I don't mind buying a license.  I just
resent the invasion of privacy that phoning home involves.   I don't really
know what all they are telling MS and I feel that the information on my
computer is mine--even if the OS is only licensed from MS.

By far and away my first choice for OS would be Linux--but none of the
logging program authors have chosen to make that leap.  Which is
really too bad.  Hint--I would pay MORE for the logging program if the
OS was free!  Even DOUBLE the price!

So now it comes down to Win XP pro, which I have to buy, or Win 2000 pro,
which I have a never-installed version available.  So it comes down to XP pro
being the best but being somewhat morally repugnant to me and Win 2000 pro
which would not involve spending any more money, but which may ultimately
be a dead end.

I just want to get the most functionality and ease of use from Writelog, but
most important I want to get the most stability out of the program.  Having
to spend time in the heat of battle rebooting the system is even less helpful
that falling asleep at the key.   No Qs are made in either case--but sleeping
gets you some rest--rebooting causes undue stress and the need for more rest!

I have seen a bit of discussion on the steps needed to reboot during a
contest and that is pretty scary.  36 hours into the contest and you expect
me to recall all of that?  So some sort of script or bat file is clearly the
answer.

Historically I have always gotten the logging program going again just before
the start of the contest.  And combining that with last minute antenna
repairs or upgrades puts one at a big disadvantage.  (Yes, I know of
Dave Leeson's rule about never adding anything the week before the
contest--but that is when I do EVERYTHING.)  Having a dedicated computer
for contest logging (or possibly shared between contest and regular logging)
reduces the stress level needed to get the system back up and running
just before the contest.

And maybe having a dedicated logging computer that never accesses the
internet would reduce my anxiety about sharing my files/data with MS--so
MAYBE XP pro is the right way.  But 2000 pro is still in the race--and there
would be NO race if/when Writelog comes out for Linux!

Thanks for all of the input.  Guess it would be nice to see a FAQ about this
at some point--nice for new or potential users.  Discussing the pros and cons
of each operating system when used with Writelog.  Actually just a table
with the various OSes listed and the pros and cons for each.

73--John   W0UN

BTW   There ARE a couple of motherboards out there that still have a token
ISA slot.  I am tempted to go that route since I still have a couple of K1EA's
voice keyer boards--and, who knows, some guest op may insist on CT.