OT = How Does Shrapnel Stay In Business

capnq · #1 August 7th, 2001, 08:05 PM

Saxon, your Windows experience has little in common with what mine has been. I've heard Plug and Play referred to more often as "plug and pray", and it's one of the numerous Windows "innovations" that other OSes had earlier and working better. I only see uninstall work properly about half the time.
To me, Windows seems more like a fascistic "you will do things Our Way or else" setup than a democracy.

It seems like people are finally catching on that upgrading hardware every two to three years isn't really necessary, though. PC sales are generally flat or even declining, depending on the manufacturer.

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Cap'n Q

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"

[This message has been edited by capnq (edited 07 August 2001).]

Nitram Draw · #2 August 7th, 2001, 08:54 PM

Saxon hit the nail on the head. Most consumers don't care how it works, why it works or if there is a better way of making it work. They want something simple to use that works with the programs they want. Do you care how you toaster works? I played DOS games, what a nightmare compared to Windows games. KISS to the consumer and you have a winner. All others are doomed to runner up status.

dogscoff · #3 August 8th, 2001, 09:45 AM

You seem to have misunderstood.

Windows is a crap OS. Not just from the point of view of the programmers and the purists, but for the average Users as well. Maybe you're happy with it, and that's great for you, but all it demonstrates is that MS has some outstanding propoganda going.

I fully understand and support the "I don't care about my plumbing" analogy, but the truth of the matter is, the plumbing in your system is awful and you don't complain becasue you don't know how good it could be.

Imagine if you had to flush your toilet six times to get it clean every time you used it. You'd complain, right? You'd get it fixed.

But what if everyone else in the world had the same system? What if six flushes was considered normal? You'd probably be happy enough with it, and so you wouldn't complain, because it wouldn't occur to you that something better was possible.

What's more, you'd be delighted when Bill Gates offered to sell you a five flush toilet.

That's the situation you're in now. Windows is a six- flush computer, and sometimes it still leaves crap behind that has to be removed manually. What's more the pipes make a funny noise, there's nasty smell coming from behind your washing machine, and a damp patch on the ceiling above the dining table. All your waste is stored in a big tank in the roof for 3 months before it gets piped away and half the water for your house is poured out into the street before you can use it.

The thing is, Microsoft have worked hard to ensure that this shoddy plumbing is universally accepted as the best that current technology can provide. People need to realise that better plumbing _is_ possible. Only when they do that, and start investing money in it, will we finally start to see an improvement.

DMM: Unix isn't all text commands these days you know - the unix boxes we have here at work all run HPUX mousey/ clickey/ window/ pointer type GUIs, which are far more smooth, stable and reliable than our PCs.

GeoSchmo - My Last post was an attak on you. Sorry if it cacme across like that.
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"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"I think so Brain but, if you replace the P with an O, my name would be Oinky, wouldn't it?"

[This message has been edited by dogscoff (edited 08 August 2001).]

Nitram Draw · #4 August 9th, 2001, 01:25 AM

Until someone makes a 4 flush toilet and the programs I want to use for it, I'll take Windows. I'm sure there will be a better OS made that will overtake Windows but it's not out their now and won't be there for some time. If Windows is so bad then the competition will have a much easier time entering the market, I wonder why they haven't?

geoschmo · #5 August 9th, 2001, 01:35 AM

quote:
GeoSchmo - My Last post was an attak on you. Sorry if it cacme across like that.

You were disagreeing with my opinion. I didn't take it as a personal attack. Now if you start calling me names, I might take it personal.

I think your analogy on the plumbing, though very descriptive, is a bit over the top. I have no doubt that there are better operating systems out there. I have seen a few myself. But windows is not as bad as the cesspoool you are desribing. At least not for the average user.

Now, perhaps if I was the plumber (programmer) who had to come out and clean the pipes and drain the septic tank I would feel differently. But the vast majority of Users out there don't have the kind of problems you describe with windows, or they simply wouldn't buy it. You say you and everybody you know hates windows. Well that's not suprising. Most of your friends are plumbers or plumbing geeks too.

The fact remains that computers are NOT a neccesity of life for most of us. They are a luxury. A toy for many, a tool for some. Windows has made using computers easier. If it hadn't, people wouldn't buy them, or they would buy one with an easier operating system.

Your point is that people don't buy anything else because they don't know better. That may be true, but if Windows were that bad they would demand something better, or they simply wouldn't buy computers at all. Which is exactly what people all over the world did before windows came around. They didn't buy computers.

Replacing windows isn't going to take some grass roots effort where the masses rise up and throw of the shackles of the oppressor. That kind of stuff doesn't happen, unless things are really bad, which they aren't. It will simply take someone, anyone offering them a computer for sale with the competing OS already loaded, configured, ready to go, and able to run all there favorite games and other software titles, for around the same price as they can get it from "the Bill".

Don't tell them, "Your problems will go away if you just replace all the plumbing in your house, and here's where you can go and download some new plumbing." They'll say, "My plumbing ain't that bad. But when I'm ready to buy a new house, if you have one for sale with that good plumbing already installed, I'll consider it."

Geoschmo

Instar · #6 August 10th, 2001, 01:38 AM

Ive just looked at Windows XP, and it looks to be incredibly awesome (It was a preview thing, on a laptop.)
The thing ran like a dream. Fast, and a good looking GUI to boot as well. Some of the GUI was overdone and over the top, and there are of course some things that annoy, but overall it is pretty good (I got only a small look at it, we were playing AoE2, not looking at OS's)
The biggest problem I know about it is this weirdo hardware number thing.

rdouglass · #7 August 10th, 2001, 02:01 PM

Ya' know, its funny. I've been reading along in this post and people are definitely divided - either you like it or hate it - no inbetween. My view is its like a car race or a horse race. The winner is taken apart and checked for cheating (in cars they strip it and horses get blood and urine tests, etc.) It seems that most people either like or hate the winner (Jeff Gordon for example). (Please dont turn this into a Jeff Gordon thread?!?!?) My point is this - the winner, reguardles of the race or contest, will always be scrutinized and criticized to the maximum.....

Do you drive a Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Toyota, BMW, Volvo, etc.?.?