I have a licensed copy of Scrivener and I have a licensed copy of Windows 11. Unfortunately, I have to dual boot (reboot the computer and tell it to load Windows) in order to use them. Which is a pain because I prefer Linux. As it turns out Windows 11 is good in all kinds of ways but not so good in some others. The big problem, aside from the inconvenience of having to reboot to use it, is that I don’t like the Windows 11 font scaling. Font scaling is how the size of the fonts change in relation to the size of the screen and available resolution of the screen. The fonts looked too small on my laptop screen, or too big. Windows 10 has more readable fonts but I prefer the stripped back aesthetic of Windows 11.
I want to run Scrivener under Linux so I chose to run Windows under Linux.
A virtual machine, in computing terms, is like a world within a world. It’s a computer inside a computer. Linux has its own way of doing that, built in, called KVM which stands for Kernel Based Virtual Machine. The laptop, on which I’m running Manjaro Linux, has a CPU that with something called a hypervisor that is used by the KVM. So I was all set for running a virtual machine with appropriate software. I wanted the easiest to use software and decided to use VirtualBox. As a side note: Type 1 hypervisors are like a computers designed to run other computers. Type 2 hypervisors are like a computers designed to run an operating systems running other computers. Basically Type 2 hypervisors have more in the middle. VirtualBpx is a type 2 hypervisor.
None of this stuff is new - it has been about for decades with big computers from people like IBM or Cray. Virtualization is currently very popular because companies such as Amazon Web Services and others can rent out virtual machines as a part of their vast infrastructures. Software and hardware as a service. The cloud, or distributed computing and storage, is very lucrative and makes a great deal of sense in terms of reliability and maintainability for many. Personally I’m not keen on ceding that much control over what I want to do with my computer. Not that I want to do anything particularly exotic or meaningful with it but a reasonable analogy is renting versus owning. They both have advantages and disadvantages.
I’m sidetracking myself.
I set up Windows 11 under Linux using VirtualBox. It worked fine. It looked exactly the same as Windows 11 running on the laptop except in a window. The same font problems were there. I installed Scrivener using the trial period and the font problems were exacerbated. I then explored various third party software to debloat and improve the legibility of the fonts. That did not go well. I broke the install. And, effectively, I had to start again.
A few days past, because life happens, and I installed Windows 11 on VirtualBox again. Except the install routine has changed: In order to install Windows 11 I now need to set up a Microsoft account.
I have zero problems with paying for Windows. If someone can afford it and they are using something that is sold I think it’s the right thing to do. At the moment a person can install Windows without a paying for it. I think that is a good thing. It gives people who can’t afford Windows a chance to run Windows and makes good business sense because Microsoft are maintaining the ubiquity of their products - people have other options these days. QED.
I have a problem with having to set up a Microsoft (who are not unique in this) account in order to use the software. There are benefits to remote storage of an identity but also downsides in terms of reliance on a third party. Imagine having a passport that is stored by someone else (not uncommon at some hotels) it’s an important document, but if somehow, even for legit reasons, a person loses access to that passport it’s a big deal. That is, in essence, what is happening with a great deal of software. I don’t think there is any problem with that. But I would rather just be able to use Scrivener on my PC without having to provide an approved form of identification.
College Student: Hi! Do you have a moment for sensible gun control?
David Angelo: I don’t know, I kinda like guns. I mean, people use them to protect against tyranny.
College Student: Wait, tyranny? Seriously? Government’s not going to come for you.
David Angelo: You liberals say that now, let me tell you, Trump gets elected, you’re going to have Rachel Maddow on MSNBC showing people how to saw off a shotgun.
So, in a change of plans I bought Windows 10 and installed that in VirtualBox instead. When asked to set up a Microsoft ID I could click “offline account” followed by “limited experience”. I spent further time getting rid of all sorts of other bits and pieces I don’t need.
Then I installed Scrivener.
Then wrote this using Scrivener. I set up a shared folder between Linux and Windows to make it easy to put compiled Scrivener documents onto the Linux partition. Which is a reasonable, if not ideal, solution. The ideal solution would be Scrivener for Linux but in order for that to happen there needs to be sufficient demand.
back© John B Everitt