Back On Windows, And I Still Find It Lacking

Yesterday was my first day back on a Windows laptop full time at work. I have not used Windows as my primary OS for work since sometime back in 2007 when I had the opportunity to dual-boot my corporate laptop to run Ubuntu. Ever since that day, Windows was always the afterthought, not the prime OS on my machines.

But I started a new job yesterday that requires Windows. Not only does it require Windows, but the target hardware is running embedded Windows. And I have set aside C programming for the time being and taken up the C# programming language for my new job. 

Yes, my programming world has changed.

Do I mind? Not really. I still know that Linux rules the embedded space, and the server space, and completely owns the super-computer space. And I will still use Linux at home. I know that I will still be writing C code on my personal projects and C# is an excellent language. That is sufficient.

No, I don't mind. This new job gives me the opportunity to advance my skill set and do something different for a change. A welcome change actually. I needed to be challenged with something new again. And getting used to the constraints of Windows again will definitely be a challenge.

But I have been using Windows 7 and XP off and on when necessary since I made the conversion to full-time Linux. But I didn't have to rely on it. Mostly I booted into Windows at home just to play World of Warcraft and at booted to Windows at work just to access some Word document that used some obscure feature of Word that Microsoft decided to not document in their "standard".

Yet I still found it a bit shocking how much I have to wait on my computer. This Dell laptop has a Core i7 CPU at 2.7 GHz and 8 GB RAM and is running Windows 7. It is slower than my previous work computer with a Core i5 at the same clock rate and RAM when running Linux Mint and the Cinnamon UI.

And no, there's nothing wrong with the laptop. A Windows user would probably agree that it is quite zippy. But the Linux user would complain of delays.

Seriously. It seems like there is delay in every mouse click and every access to a flash drive.

The other thing that is a bit numbing was realizing I could no longer simply "sudo apt-get install" anything I needed. If you need to do something, you have to find the app for that. I did remember "portable apps" and I downloaded and installed that. That is a big improvement but I still lack the control of the environment that I had in Linux.

So here I am on day 2 of my return to the Windows world. I have determined to satisfy my Linux cravings by keeping my personal machines and personal devices on Linux and I accept that the company I am working for now deems the use of Windows on the desktop and Windows in the devices to be a good thing. For them, it works and I have no complaints.

I will probably write some more over time as I try to adjust my software development paradigm to the Windows way. It requires me to change because developing embedded C code on Linux and developing embedded C# code on Windows are two different paradigms.

Imagine growing up and learning to drive here in America. Driver sits on the left, cars pass on the right. Imagine you've been doing that for years. Now you move to England. Driver sits on the right, cars pass on the left.

It's that different.

I know there are some out there would say "oh you just need to try Windows 8 and you'll change your mind".

No. No I won't. I've tried Windows 8 and I completely dislike Windows 8. It is a disaster and Microsoft knows it. As far as Windows goes, Windows 7, in its latest patches, is probably the pinnacle of the Windows family of operating systems. The last one to have such solid working was probably Windows 98, second edition. That is not a joke.

It's not about hating on Microsoft. It's not about loving on Linux. It's not about fan boys or fan girls. And it's not about technical purity. It's about the OS experience.

I have tried Windows many times. I have used it as a user, a tester, and a developer. And I have this to say to Windows:

"You have been weighed. You have been measured. And you absolutely have been found wanting."

Copyright 2013, Kevin Farley (a.k.a. sixdrift, a.k.a. neuronstatic)

Betty Farley’s Fried Apple Pies

Betty Farley’s Fried Apple Pies

This is the recipe for Betty Farley’s fried apple pies. The crust recipe is Jackie Pauley’s “fruit pie crust”. We have known it always as “fried apple pie crust” in the Farley household because that’s about the only fried pies mom made.

This recipe makes about 10 small fried apple pies (about the size of a half-sandwich).

Ingredients Needed

Filling

About 2 pounds of apples, or 6 large apples.

½ cup sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

Pie Crust

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda (see note)

1 tsp salt (see note)

2 eggs

2 tbsp shortening (Wesson vegetable oil)

½ cup canned milk (Carnation canned milk)

Flour Note: If you are using self-rising flour you do not need to add the baking soda and salt. It is already added to the self-rising flour.

Things Needed

A pot big enough to cook your apples. A 4 quart pot should be plenty.

Rolling pin and surface to roll on (I use wax paper typically).

Extra flour to put on rolling surface and your hands.

Skillet and cooking oil to fry the pies in.

Plate and paper towels to put hot pies on.

Preparation

Cooking the Apples:

Peel and cut apples into ½ chunks. If you want more of an apple sauce filling, cut them smaller. Put apple chunks into a pot on medium heat with about ½ cup of water in the bottom of the pot. Don’t add too much water as a lot of liquid will come out of the apples themselves.

Add the sugar and cinnamon. The amounts given are only starting suggestions, you should figure out your own tastes and add or reduce accordingly.

Cook on medium heat about 20 minutes, giving a couple stirs to prevent overcooking the bottom. But do not over stir the apples unless you want them mashed into a sauce. I prefer chunkier bits so I did minimal stirring.

Once apples are cooked to desired softness, remove from heat and set aside covered. Note I like mine less soft and I don’t want them too runny so I try not to overcook them and I prop the lid open to allow moisture to evaporate from the apples.

Work Surface:

Prepare your work surface for rolling. I use wax paper, and several sheets of it over the course of making the pies - I have to replace it after a few pies. Lay down some flour on the work surface and have everything ready.

Hot Skillet:

Put your skillet on medium heat with enough oil to cover the bottom. I think I prefer the heat to be a little more than medium, but that is up to you and your stove.

Pie Crusts:

Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl using a wooden spoon or your favorite method. Once you have it thoroughly mixed, the dough should be quite stiff and sticky.

Sprinkle enough flour onto the dough mixture to allow you to cover it on all sides. Cover your fingers and hands with flour in a vain attempt to keep it from sticking to you. It will be very sticky so just get messy and don’t worry about it.

Once you have a ball of dough covered with flour, pull off a wad about the size of a golf ball or a little bigger. Get it well floured and roll it in your hand a bit. Then on a well-floured surface, roll it out with your rolling pin. It will want to stick, so take your time and move it around with lots of flour on your hands and everything else.

You want it rolled thin enough to give you a simple crust on your pie without tearing. Too thick and the crust will be kind of chewy. You may have to sacrifice the first few you make to trial and error. I did, and they were still delicious.

Once you roll out a thin sheet of dough about twice the size you want your pies to be, they are ready to be loaded and sealed. If you have too little dough, pull off some more and start the ball over with the dough you are working with. You can do this several times, it’s ok.

Depending on how big your pies will be, add anywhere from 2 to 4 tablespoons of your cooked apples on one half of the dough sheet, leaving room by the edge to seal it. I used a little too much on some pies and some apples squished out. But I would rather have too much than too little. It’s up to you.

Once you have the right amount of apples on the dough, fold the other half of the dough over the filling and bring the edges together. Use a floured fork to press the edges together to seal the pie.

Now immediately transfer this completed pie to the hot skillet.

BE CAREFUL! Hot oil burns. Trust me on this. Don’t let the pies “flop” over.

You want to turn the pie over once the bottom starts to brown. It only takes a few minutes but I had time to start rolling out the next pie while one cooked. I kept a rolling wave of pies going into the grease this way. You will have to add more oil to the skillet along the way, that is expected.

Once you flip over the pie and both sides are a glorious golden brown (or dark brown as some of mine turn out), remove from the skillet and place on paper towel on a platter or plate to drain off some of the oil. Immediately sprinkle sugar on the top to taste.

Copyright 2013, Kevin Farley (a.k.a. sixdrift, a.k.a. neuronstatic)