Yesterday, I started to set up my new MacBook laptop. As it is a Mac, it is already ready to work. So, I was able pretty quickly to get all the source code from the Company servers and build the products. I simply had to download and install Xcode, that is freely available from the Apple web site.
I also downloaded Firefox (web browser) and Thunderbird (e-mail tool), as this is what I have been using on Linux and Windows. What took me a long time was to transfer my Thunderbird profile, so that I keep all my e-mails on the new laptop. Compressed, the Thunderbird profile takes 900 Mega Bytes! The procedure that I found on the Internet works beautifully.
This morning, I also transferred personal files. Then, I installed OpenOffice.org.
The next step was to install VMware, that the Company provided. And I have just installed Windows 7 Professional that I received from the Company yesterday.
I will have to be accustomed to the specifics on MacOS compared to Linux with GNOME. Already, I am missing the 18 (3 rows of 6) work spaces that I have been using on the Linux laptop.
Something that I am surprised to like is the multi-touch track pad. I was sure that I would need a 3-button mouse, but I am no longer so sure.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Receiving my new laptop
My new laptop, a MacBook Pro 17 inches, was ordered by the Company last Thursday, March 3rd. I received notification by e-mail that it was being sent to me on March 5th.
I tracked the package on the FedEx web site. It arrived at FedEx in Shanghai, China, the 5th, left Shanghai on the 6th. It reached Anchorage, Alaska, on the 7th, where it went through customs. It arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, during the night and left to Miami less than two hours later. It was ready to be delivered yesterday morning, March 8th.
Unfortunately, my apartment number was not specified on the address, so it could not be delivered. FedEx called me and I told them the apartment number. In the afternoon, it was still not delivered, the reason given that there were nobody home. I certainly was home, as I did not dare to leave the apartment for one minute so that I could receive the laptop as soon as possible. There was no notification on my door, so obviously FedEx did not go to my apartment. There must be an efficiency reason why FedEx drivers do not phone the customer, but in my case it would have been cheaper for them to phone me during the morning delivery and ask me the apartment number.
So, I phoned FedEx and went to get it at 8 PM in their warehouse. I cannot really complain, as it was scheduled to arrive tomorrow Friday March 10th in the afternoon.
During the rest of the week, I will learn how I will work on this new laptop with an operating system I don't really know. Already, I have managed to install Firefox and I am typing this blog entry on the new laptop.
I tracked the package on the FedEx web site. It arrived at FedEx in Shanghai, China, the 5th, left Shanghai on the 6th. It reached Anchorage, Alaska, on the 7th, where it went through customs. It arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, during the night and left to Miami less than two hours later. It was ready to be delivered yesterday morning, March 8th.
Unfortunately, my apartment number was not specified on the address, so it could not be delivered. FedEx called me and I told them the apartment number. In the afternoon, it was still not delivered, the reason given that there were nobody home. I certainly was home, as I did not dare to leave the apartment for one minute so that I could receive the laptop as soon as possible. There was no notification on my door, so obviously FedEx did not go to my apartment. There must be an efficiency reason why FedEx drivers do not phone the customer, but in my case it would have been cheaper for them to phone me during the morning delivery and ask me the apartment number.
So, I phoned FedEx and went to get it at 8 PM in their warehouse. I cannot really complain, as it was scheduled to arrive tomorrow Friday March 10th in the afternoon.
During the rest of the week, I will learn how I will work on this new laptop with an operating system I don't really know. Already, I have managed to install Firefox and I am typing this blog entry on the new laptop.
Friday, March 04, 2011
Getting a new laptop
My current working laptop is a Dell 15" Latitude D830, with two cores, that is running GNU/Linux. I have had it for four years. It still works well enough, except for the letter L that no longer works. I bought a wireless keyboard, so the disappearance of the letter L is no longer a problem.
I will keep this laptop, but I have asked the Company to buy me a MacBook 17", with four cores, where I will run MacOS and Windows 7. I will then be able to run three different operating systems on two machines, one in 32 bit and the other in 64 bit.
The process to get this new laptop was amazingly simple. Last Tuesday, I sent an e-mail to the president and the vice-president of the Company explaining why I would like to get this new laptop, and they both replied within less that 10 minutes "Sounds fine". That's it, no need to more paperwork, I had the approval. The reasoning is that the cost of a good machine every 3 years is less that 2% of the cost of a good engineer and it will increase the productivity of the engineer by more than 2%.
Also, there is no operating system war inside the Company. On their laptops, the president is running Windows (he used to run OS/2), the vice-president is running MacOS and many engineers are running GNU/Linux.
I expect to receive the new laptop next week.
I will keep this laptop, but I have asked the Company to buy me a MacBook 17", with four cores, where I will run MacOS and Windows 7. I will then be able to run three different operating systems on two machines, one in 32 bit and the other in 64 bit.
The process to get this new laptop was amazingly simple. Last Tuesday, I sent an e-mail to the president and the vice-president of the Company explaining why I would like to get this new laptop, and they both replied within less that 10 minutes "Sounds fine". That's it, no need to more paperwork, I had the approval. The reasoning is that the cost of a good machine every 3 years is less that 2% of the cost of a good engineer and it will increase the productivity of the engineer by more than 2%.
Also, there is no operating system war inside the Company. On their laptops, the president is running Windows (he used to run OS/2), the vice-president is running MacOS and many engineers are running GNU/Linux.
I expect to receive the new laptop next week.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Jet-lagged and sick
I should have known better than to "expect to recover in two to three days". I should have remembered that I always sleep rather well the first night I am coming back from Europe, because I am dead tired after a very long day where I was not able to sleep.
So, no, I did not recover quickly and last night was the first one where I slept enough.
In addition, I have been sick starting Monday evening: sore throat, fever and constipation. I have almost recovered today only.
It was not a standard cold, as my nose was not running. I used to have what I called "week-end colds", that start Friday evening and end Monday morning, just in time to go back to work. My theory is that you are most likely to get a cold when you are tired, which is more the case at the end of the week. I have not had one of those for quite some time.
So, no, I did not recover quickly and last night was the first one where I slept enough.
In addition, I have been sick starting Monday evening: sore throat, fever and constipation. I have almost recovered today only.
It was not a standard cold, as my nose was not running. I used to have what I called "week-end colds", that start Friday evening and end Monday morning, just in time to go back to work. My theory is that you are most likely to get a cold when you are tired, which is more the case at the end of the week. I have not had one of those for quite some time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)