Tough call - switch to Ubuntu or stick with Windows 7?

In the last few months, I've been trying out Ubuntu 10.10. It stemmed from wanting to buy a MacBook, but not wanting to cough up the money for Apple hardware. In addition, I keep hearing about Apple hardware breaking down. Knowing my luck it'd break within a couple of months after the warranty has expires.

Back to the original post... Being a simple sole, I'd like to stick to one platform - either Windows 7 or Ubuntu. I've tried my best to switch, but have come to the conclusions...

Windows 7 runs the software I like - Sony Vegas, extensive DVD backup software, Keepass (with KeepassSync), iTunes.

Ubuntu beats Windows 7 hands down for surfing the net on my netbook. Almost everything that I do these days is through a web browser, so missing out on the Windows 7 applications isn't a major issue. I've tried switching to LastPass instead of Keypass, but LastPass gives me (unnecessary?) concerns about my security on the web.

I thought if I switched to Ubuntu, I wouldn't need to download as many software updates as Windows 7. Surprisingly, my Ubuntu system requires more updates. Which includes clogging up my grub loader with loads of dead kernels (which can be removed, but I shouldn't need to manually remove them).

So I'm going to stick to Ubuntu on my netbook. My desktop PC will keep Windows 7, hosting my video and music collection.

iPhone iOS4 with Three UK

I recently installed iOS4 on my iPhone 3G which is on the Three network. After installing my battery life was reduced from 50 hours to around 20 hours.

As I live out in the sticks with no 3G coverage, I usually disable 3G which improves battery life. Mostly due to the iPhone not continually trying to get a 3G signal. I know disabling 3G violates Three's T&Cs.

Since upgrading to iOS4, the "Enable 3G" option is no longer available in network settings. When I installed iOS4, I opted to upgrade Three's carrier settings which contained the rule to hide "Enable 3G".

Reinstalling iOS4 and not upgrading the carrier settings allows me to see the "Enable 3G" setting.

I expect the carrier profile (Hutchison_uk.ipcc) for Three can easily be edited using Apple's Configuration Utility.

Avoiding battery damage with Windows 7

My Acer Aspire netbook is great. Originally shipped with a Linux distribution, I quickly installed Windows XP. Being slightly paranoid, I locked the hard disk requiring a password to boot up.

A few months ago, XP was replaced with Windows 7. Unusually, my laptop started running out of power without being used. Within weeks Windows7 started complaining about my laptop's battery, that it needed replacing.

When batteries reach 0% charge, they get damaged. I could not determine why my battery kept discharging with Windows 7. The event logs in Windows 7 didn't contain any information,

Eventually I realised that Windows 7 quite often boots a computer out of standby or hibernate, and having a hard disk password on boot, meant the computer was stuck requesting this password. This was discharging my battery to 0%.

A costly mistake having a hard disk password with Windows 7. Hope this post helps someone else.