I like to tinker with different operating systems (it's OK, I have a wife already), and I occasionally even need to muck about with Windows for various reasons. To do this, I use the generally pretty excellent Virtual PC, now developed by Microsoft.

Normally, I use it in a window under Mac OS X, but I sometimes switch to full screen to take screengrabs or whatever. When I do this, I forget that it's just a emulated system, and that, for example, if I want to close a window, my hands instinctively reach, not for control-w but for the Mac-standard command-w keystroke. This, though, closes the Mac window, which is the one containing Windows, shutting it down.

A rather more disorientating thing happened today, though: as I was working in Windows, I triggered Dashboard*, bringing the OS X Widgets floating over the Windows screen. It really threw me (nasty, aliased Window text and shiny, anti-aliased Mac text side-by side), and I spend a good few seconds trying to work out where the hell I was, OS-wise.

Hell, that was a really boring story wasn't it? Must try harder, See me, etc.


* Dashboard is an application layer (honest) that brings handy little tools zooming across the top of what you're doing when invoked. You do your thing, then dismiss them. They're much more useful than I've made them sound. I'm obviously having a bad day today, writing-wise...