Why oh why won’t it just WORK?!?!
Why does Windows Vista hide everything? Where the hell did it put Ubuntu when I installed it as a service running within Windows?
Why the hell does it take about 900 key strokes to install anything because of stupid security access messages?
Why did my screen go blank and I had to reboot? Why are trackpads so shit?
Why are all mail servers different with their incomprehensible authentication options and their SSL messages that would baffle Stephen Hawking?
Why can’t I get all my emails from Eudora on my old machine, import them into a mail client on Vista, that allows me to sending emails from multiple personalities (so emails *to* this domain go out from this domain, while emails to my gmail account go out as that)? Does such a thing exist? Why can’t I find it?
Why have I spent a day doing nothing except wrestle with a new laptop that was supposed to save me time?
Why does Windows Vista Home Premium (hah!!) randomly forget that my HP C5180 printer is installed on the network, whereas the creaky five year old Windows XP machine doesn’t? Like I really want to reinstall the fucking printer drivers every time I print an email.
Why won’t things JUST FUCKING WORK??????
ARRRARAHTTGAGHGGAGDYSADHGSHGDHASDHGGDGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Thanks. I wish I could say I feel better for that.
so in a...
Any reason you’re not just running Ubuntu?
June 10th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Also: http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/2007/goodbye-microsoft/
“I’ve always been a bit of an apologist for Microsoft, but the experience I’ve had upgrading my Windows XP operating system has left me determined never to buy their damn products again.”
June 10th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
So how are ya then, Bruce? Everything fine and tickety-boo? Feeling all nicely relaxed and chilled out?
Yikes! I’ll take that as a no, then…
June 10th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Totally with you on the mail SSL and Eudora questions; the latter is why I’m still using it for one of my primary accounts.
I’d also like to add “Why do I keep seeing mangled characters in various programs?” and “Why is half a gigabyte of free space on the boot volume considered almost full?”.
June 10th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Totally with you on the vista bits - it’s horrible! I wouldn’t call myself a beginner by any stretch - over 20 years using the damn things - MS since DOS 3.3 and pretty much everything in-between; I’ve a BSc in Computer Science for frick sakes and I have never been so frustrated as I get when using Vista. Some of the old menu driven SCO systems were better IMHO.
Sorry it’s not practical advice Bruce
June 10th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
My easiest and best windows install was Windows XP. On Parallels. I’m *never* upgrading that to Vista!
June 10th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Fair cop, Robin; I had my eye on a nice Toshiba 14″ notebook, and when I bought it from PC World there was a seal on the box telling me sternly that even if I didn’t want Vista, I had to have it and I couldn’t ask for any money back.
My rant isn’t anti-Microsoft—more anti-unituitiveness and anti-incompatibility; the experience setting up a home network frazzled me, and I’ve a feeling that my attempts tonight to set up a network printer will send me homicidal.
June 10th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Fair enough. I’m not sure what the licence restrictions on your version of Vista are, but when I got a new laptop recently I didn’t even boot up the preinstalled XP to start with. First thing I did was wipe it to put Ubuntu on, then installed the XP that came with it in a Virtualbox image. That way I get the benefits of the Ubuntu desktop and still get to keep Windows around for IE testing.
That of course doesn’t help you with your Eudora problems; I’ve never used it so I’m not going to be much help there.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Vista is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most unpleasant, bug ridden, headache inducing operating system I’ve ever used. I hate it today about three times as much as I hated it after my first month of using it. The list of problems is endless, and doesn’t seem to get shorter no matter how many patches get applied.
Things, they should just work. They don’t.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Bruce - why oh why dontcha stick with OSX? That just works.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
If I didn’t know you as well as I do, Shez, I might just believe that you Mac fanboys have a rota, and you take it in turns to post smug comments on blogs when people talk about their Windows woes
June 10th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Should I mention how many times my macbook has crashed since I bought it? Oh wait, it hasn’t…
June 11th, 2008 at 12:02 am
Oh Bruce, just get a Mac … oh hang on, it’s not my turn on the rota. Sorry
June 11th, 2008 at 10:14 am
I KNEW IT!!!
June 11th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Jim: I have managed to crash it, twice, both networking related.
1. Start transferring 20GB over wireless, switch to LAN and then turn off wireless. For some reason it didn’t like that!
2. Using a dodgy internet over bluetooth/mobile phone connection that timed out.
Will someone let me know when it’s my turn in the rota?
June 11th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Just do it mate. I did it in April and haven’t looked back. Vista is Apple’s killer app.
June 11th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
I thowt he did have a Mac? Didn’t you have a mini, at one point, Brucie?
Anyways, I suspect your problem with Vista, is that your laptop doesn’t consume more electricity than your fridge and make more noise than one of Howard Hughes aeroplanes, during take off. If, however, you get yourself a machine that helps to make sure your kids won’t get to enjoy their retirements, Vista will run fine (apparently): just don’t try and look at you windows sideways-on, or you’ll melt your graphics card.
Oh, and I jumped the damn queue because I’m a bad person,and even bad people buy Macs, these days.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:31 am
With you all the way Bruce, we’ve got a Mac here and 2 Windows XP and this Windows Vista. I’m yet to get this to use the printer, for example. And half the XP things I’d use to do stuff is just hidden.
MS obviously think a “better OS” is one which can’t be mussed with… WTF???
June 12th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Can’t help the fanboy bit mate, although I am writing this on a 3 year old Dell Dimension with XP, as I use both Mac and PC in my day to day and creative activities. But if the missus didn’t insist on having a PC in the house, there would be a shiny 24″ Intel iMac on this desk (with XP installed on it to keep everyone happy). Remember that old Fender Jazz bass copy I used in The Lucies? Well that was Windows. The real Fender Jazz bass I play now - that’s OSX. Maybe a crap analogy, but the point is a good tool (phnarr!) does the job far better than a cobbled together imitation. And it feels soooooooo much better.
June 13th, 2008 at 5:33 pm