2013-08-08, 09:53
(2013-06-05, 14:47)binaryjay Wrote: I used to refuse to use Windows (usually just used Ubuntu for this) on my HTPC but eventually after having SO MANY linux specific issues with XBMC which seemed to keep snowballing with every release of Ubuntu AND every release of XBMC I relented and just put Windows on that box.
Given Windows video drivers get a lot more attention and video drivers matter a lot for XBMC I have found using XBMC under Windows to be more of a set and forget situation. At the end of the day that's more important to me than the satisfaction of wrestling the damn thing into bug workarounds constantly.
That being said, my HTPC is probably beefier than most dedicated XBMC boxes (for now) so I am not that concerned about performance - if I was running it on a really weak atom box I'd be thinking differently.
This was pretty much my experience.
After my HD died on my HTPC, I tried Linux Mint. After struggling to get the wireless adapter / xbox 360 remote drivers working, SAMBA shares set up to transfer stuff over the home network, and synergy / steam big picture mode / a torrent downloader / couch potato / sickbeard installed and running beside xbmc, I finally gave up when I couldn't work out how to the resolution correctly and persistently. (Video drivers didn't recognise my generic brand TV). I followed multiple guides, but obviously messed up somewhere for each of them.
Next was ubuntu. A similar set of difficulties, though setting the resolution was easy this time around. And then when I upgraded to the latest version, because I did some noobish things getting everything set up on 12.04, everything died. Irretrievably.
Windows 7, the OS I'm most familiar with? Everything up and running within an hour.
I love linux (at least in theory) and happily run Ubuntu on my laptop, but be aware that if you're only familiar with Windows and want to include more than just xbmc in your setup, you could be in for a headache.