Penguins in spa-a-a-ce! ISS dumps Windows for Linux on laptops
Interesting article in the Reg today
So no W8 in space
And
Quote The crew of the International Space Station (once they've fixed their leak) will trade their old Windows XP laptops for Debian-powered systems to use in their Operations Local Area Network (Ops LAN).
Quote We migrated key functions from Windows to Linux because we needed an operating system that was stable and reliable – one that would give us in-house control. So if we needed to patch, adjust or adapt, we could," he said.
So no W8 in space
And
Quote Training didn't take more than a single session before the team was ready to set up the system, and Chuvala said the ease of deployment sold him on the scheme.
"Things really clicked after we came to understand how Linux views the world, the interconnectedness of how one thing affects another," he said. "You need that worldview. I have quite a bit of Linux experience, but to see others who were really getting it, that was exciting."
I come across comments like this all the time where major scientific projects and the like have all opted for Linux based on security and stability. Baffles me why anyone would pay for an Os. I just wish third parties would start taking some notice. Being a BlackBerry user I get it from both ends. Trying to get an application across platforms is a major headache at times but I still don't let it steer me away from both my Os of choice and that's testament to the quality of the bare bones.