One fine day, I sat and read about 120 talkback posts on ZDNet, most of them from people who will NEVER use Vista, whether because they use Linux (which is fine) or because they use Macs (which is *gasp* also fine). I've come to believe that the truth of the matter is that the vast majority of run of the mill computer users will buy a Vista box, turn it on, and have no, if any, issues.
My XP box terminally fried (Motherboard issue) on Vista release day. I had to buy a new box that day because of deadlines for a graphic design commission (Yes, Adobe CS2 on a Vista box) and, truthfully, I was dreadfully afraid of what kind of experience I was going to have. Now it's August, and I just bought a new Vista laptop, and in the whole time that I've had my two machines, I've had NO blue screens of death, Adobe suites run great, the two boxes network over a hybrid wired/wireless network just fine...
I am a geek. There. I've said it. I've got MCSA, A+, Net+ certifications. Both of my boxes are dual boot with Ubuntu because I want to keep my skills alive on Linux/Unix, and it's fun. I've built many boxes in my time, but marriage and a new baby make for less money to spend on the fun builds, so my last two desktops were HP's.
Did I mention, I've had few, to no, issues?
HP, Dell, Acer, Gateway - all those guys did just what the author of the post in question did, they just did it from a different stand point - make it work right, for a reasonable price, rather than necessarily the best functionality and "Windows Experience Scores".
Linux is clean, fast and free. As in free speech, people, not free beer. Okay, kinda. That comes with a feeling of freedom that's indescribable, but on the other hand, if you have an issue, you better hope there's someone out there who can fix it, 'cause there's not a 'manufacturer' who will do it for you. To some people, myself included, that's a small price to pay.
Apple, in my opinion, is a small monopoly. One company manufactures, codes, produces... At least Microsoft doesn't make the hardware (okay, there's the Xbox and 360, but c'mon...) I don't build anymore, but that's not because I can't. Oh, did I mention I can afford to have a machine that still runs CS2 happily - and well enough for a freelance designer to do WORK on?
Bottom line, every box has its strengths and its weaknesses. Linux, Mac, Windows, who cares. 75% (I would hazard a guess) of the people with computers out there are using them for 3, maybe 4 purposes - Email, Web, Music, and word processing et al. - that are truly platform non specific.
Can't we all just get along?
27 September 2007
19 September 2007
The Dumbing Down of America, Part 37
Blows me away on a daily basis, the things that are done for the people who ... society? ... considers to be not worth caring about.
I went to the store on the way home from work tonight and as I was waiting in line to pay for my gallon of milk, I looked over at the lane next to me. I was directly behind the check out girl, and I saw as she punched in that the customer paid for a $8.16 purchase with a $10.00 bill, the screen on her register showed a picture of the cash tray, with a picture of each denomination and coin she needed to pull, with a quantity above it. (1) $1, (3) $.25, (1) $.05, (4) $.01.
What truly made me sad was to see her looking up again and again to make sure she got it right.
I went to the store on the way home from work tonight and as I was waiting in line to pay for my gallon of milk, I looked over at the lane next to me. I was directly behind the check out girl, and I saw as she punched in that the customer paid for a $8.16 purchase with a $10.00 bill, the screen on her register showed a picture of the cash tray, with a picture of each denomination and coin she needed to pull, with a quantity above it. (1) $1, (3) $.25, (1) $.05, (4) $.01.
What truly made me sad was to see her looking up again and again to make sure she got it right.
05 September 2007
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...
So I finally feel like it's about time that I explain my -lengthy- absence.
I spent about 3 weeks at the end of June where I was beginning to wonder whether I was going to be fired, for God knows what, and then one day I get a call from my boss. Immediately, I was worried, as I'd not heard hide nor hair from this man in weeks, aside from the various quick memos that go out daily.
"Can you talk?"
"Sure."
"Are you in private?"
"Give me 3 minutes."
So I went to the most private place I know about in the entire building (a completely unfinished floor - you can see someone coming from miles away) and I let him know, "Okay, I'm here. What's up?"
"The General Manager has requested that you be replaced. Truth be told, no one down at home office is really happy about this, but we've got to keep her happy. So, we've got a new account for you and you'll start there in a week, and we've got Bill coming in from your old account to take over. His account will be taken by Phil, and Phil used to be the account supervisor for your new account. Is that clear?"
"Well," I say, a bit befuddled and ... quite a bit angry, "I thought Bill said he'd never leave the account he's at... Matter of fact, I thought I'd heard that the client had threatened to drop our company if he left."
"We dealt with it," He says with authority, but I can hear a bit of hesitancy floating in there.
"So what's the deal?" I say. "Why does she want me out? I was under the impression that everything was kosher?"
"She decided that she wanted to have someone in the supervisory position who had more experience. I'm sorry you didn't know that this was coming, and I'm sorry I didn't let you know earlier, but I didn't want to say anything before I had good news to give you."
"Fine, I suppose."
So one week later, I am taking over a new account. I've got Ryan, who's going through a divorce, Val, who's a single mother, and Walter, who's a member of a cult - and proud of it. The first two are pains in my ass because they both don't want to work anything but the schedule they've got, and Walter doesn't want to work weekends because he has "religious obligations"... I'm the supervisor, damnit, I say when you work.
Matter of fact, Walter writes me a ... I hate to say it, but 'note' gives this little chit a little too much credit. Through a weird course of events, I end up with both the original handwritten version as well as the 'final' typed version. I hesitate to even call that final, as the thing starts out 'Deer Dan jones' - no, there was no comma... and the last name was not capitalized.
It all went downhill from there.
I'm talking, misspellings, random punctuation, random capitAlization, demands (no, not requests) ... I will never publish anything whether to my wife, my parents, my boss, or a prospective employer until I've had a chance to look it over, proofread it, and spell check it.
Blame my mother.
Ryan tells me that the schedule won't work because he has to go pick up his kids from the sitter an hour into his shift. Fine, I say, you'll just come in two hours later and I'll work those two hours instead. Yippee.
Three weeks later, I've got the account running just about as smoothly as I can, and I get another call from my boss.
"You've got to go interview for another account. It's up between you and another supervisor, but both your buildings have been sold and the new owners want to pay less for the security. And you get paid too much."
What? I get paid too much?!
"Okay. I'll go Friday."
I get a call Monday to inform me that I'm the new supervisor at building number 3. and 4. and 5. It's a complex of buildings - which I'd had no idea until day one, and encompassed 2 accounts. Well, crap. More work, same pay.
So I guess, all in all, it worked out for the best. I'm in a pretty good building, with a client who respects me enough to let me do my work and leave me to my devices. My officers now are by and large pretty respectable, and I'm getting some overtime.
Oh, wait, that's not 100% a good thing...
I spent about 3 weeks at the end of June where I was beginning to wonder whether I was going to be fired, for God knows what, and then one day I get a call from my boss. Immediately, I was worried, as I'd not heard hide nor hair from this man in weeks, aside from the various quick memos that go out daily.
"Can you talk?"
"Sure."
"Are you in private?"
"Give me 3 minutes."
So I went to the most private place I know about in the entire building (a completely unfinished floor - you can see someone coming from miles away) and I let him know, "Okay, I'm here. What's up?"
"The General Manager has requested that you be replaced. Truth be told, no one down at home office is really happy about this, but we've got to keep her happy. So, we've got a new account for you and you'll start there in a week, and we've got Bill coming in from your old account to take over. His account will be taken by Phil, and Phil used to be the account supervisor for your new account. Is that clear?"
"Well," I say, a bit befuddled and ... quite a bit angry, "I thought Bill said he'd never leave the account he's at... Matter of fact, I thought I'd heard that the client had threatened to drop our company if he left."
"We dealt with it," He says with authority, but I can hear a bit of hesitancy floating in there.
"So what's the deal?" I say. "Why does she want me out? I was under the impression that everything was kosher?"
"She decided that she wanted to have someone in the supervisory position who had more experience. I'm sorry you didn't know that this was coming, and I'm sorry I didn't let you know earlier, but I didn't want to say anything before I had good news to give you."
"Fine, I suppose."
So one week later, I am taking over a new account. I've got Ryan, who's going through a divorce, Val, who's a single mother, and Walter, who's a member of a cult - and proud of it. The first two are pains in my ass because they both don't want to work anything but the schedule they've got, and Walter doesn't want to work weekends because he has "religious obligations"... I'm the supervisor, damnit, I say when you work.
Matter of fact, Walter writes me a ... I hate to say it, but 'note' gives this little chit a little too much credit. Through a weird course of events, I end up with both the original handwritten version as well as the 'final' typed version. I hesitate to even call that final, as the thing starts out 'Deer Dan jones' - no, there was no comma... and the last name was not capitalized.
It all went downhill from there.
I'm talking, misspellings, random punctuation, random capitAlization, demands (no, not requests) ... I will never publish anything whether to my wife, my parents, my boss, or a prospective employer until I've had a chance to look it over, proofread it, and spell check it.
Blame my mother.
Ryan tells me that the schedule won't work because he has to go pick up his kids from the sitter an hour into his shift. Fine, I say, you'll just come in two hours later and I'll work those two hours instead. Yippee.
Three weeks later, I've got the account running just about as smoothly as I can, and I get another call from my boss.
"You've got to go interview for another account. It's up between you and another supervisor, but both your buildings have been sold and the new owners want to pay less for the security. And you get paid too much."
What? I get paid too much?!
"Okay. I'll go Friday."
I get a call Monday to inform me that I'm the new supervisor at building number 3. and 4. and 5. It's a complex of buildings - which I'd had no idea until day one, and encompassed 2 accounts. Well, crap. More work, same pay.
So I guess, all in all, it worked out for the best. I'm in a pretty good building, with a client who respects me enough to let me do my work and leave me to my devices. My officers now are by and large pretty respectable, and I'm getting some overtime.
Oh, wait, that's not 100% a good thing...
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