Why Do Geeks Get All Irate About Microsoft?

[Q Classic]

With flaws like that, how could one assert that said OS(es) are stable and reliable? Where do you get gall like that? Where can I buy some?

because, ur, microsoft windows xp has not crashed on me, a person who knows how to use and take care of a computer, at all in the last several months--and this is with near-constant uptime.
maybe i'm just blessed. operating systems don't crash on me unless i actively try to crash them. linux is rock-steady, and i've never had it crash on me while i was at school--with near-constant uptime.

[Q Classic]

This is pretty much just tangentally related, the problem here is again MS putting in "features" people hardly use. Do you use macros in MS Office? How many people you know use macros in MS Office?

actually, in the second job i have, which is to proofread and revise hundreds of word documents for some research project, i have to use macros. i sure as hell am not going to right-click-left click-menu-left click-ok every time i need to do something for fifty documents in a row.
that said, i'm the only one i know that's used them.

That's right, and NT boxes are not that stable, just more so than Windows 9x.

gnu/linux isn't particularly stable, from what i've seen. gnome keeps dying on a friend's computer. could be the gtk, but seeing as it's a fresh redhat install...

[FrustratedPoet]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
This is pretty much just tangentally related, the problem here is again MS putting in "features" people hardly use. Do you use macros in MS Office? How many people you know use macros in MS Office?

It's disgraceful how M$ put features into their programs that only a minority of users will get full use out of. Their programs should be simple to use and only features that everyone will need should be included, just like Linux.

[JohnT]

*

Uses macros in Office.

*There's no "raising hands" smilie, so this'll do.

[Drake Tungsten]

You get my PM, John?

[Q Classic]

i can always count on good ol' johnt to come to my side. at least we're not alone with macros.

[JohnT]

For simple, repetitive keystroke tasks, macros rock.

Drake: Yes, I did.

[Dr. A. Cula]

I think this whole Windoze debate boils down to 2 things:

1) A lot of people are unwilling to admit they have to learn anything in order to be able to use a computer. I mean, we, simians of the Homo Sapiens variety, have to learn everything we do in life, things like walking, talking, eating, reading, writing, driving cars a.s.o. Why anyone would think they could just sit in front of a computer and all the answers would magically come out of it, before they even think of the questions, is beyond me.

2) The phrase "Windows is user friendly"(tm). Combine this phrase with the people from (1) and you get the overwhelming majority of those that run into trouble while using Windows on a daily basis. As far as I'm concerned Windows is anything but user friendly. I don't expect it to do my laundry, clean my house or cook my meals. After establishing that, I found my Windows experience quite enjoyable, as long as I keep in control. Most people that have asked for my help with their Windows problems actually expected the OS to take care of itself. They neglected elementary maintenance procedures, such as virus scanning, and hard drive defragmenting, then started whining about having to do so. It was as if they expected to buy a new car, then all they ever had to do was get in and tun the key, without even holding the steering wheel, not to mention refuelling, changing the oil and other chores. Most people understood when I used this approach, but others didn't. I guess such people would have trouble using Windows even if Bill manages to get it to HAL 9000's level.

[Q Classic]

dr. a. cula, you do realize that a large number of people buy a new car, and then don't change the oil or go in for any sort of maintenance unless something's wrong with the car.

a lot of problems with windows, and computers, can be pinned on o.e.

that, and bad drivers.

[Dr. A. Cula]

I don't know, I never met such people. Everybody I ever knew made me feel like an ignorant monkey because I didn't know anything about cars, until about 2 years ago when I finally learned how to drive. Almost everybody I talked to seemed to consider that since they were born driving a car, so was everyone else. Since I had to learn both using a computer and driving a car, I always use this analogy when someone starts whining about Windows and computers, in general.
Just like the car people I met, I also met people who seemed to think that they were born with a computer in front of them and with instant knowledge about using it.

IMO most computer problems derive from people who consider computer knowledge is a birthright, whether they think they have it, or they don't.

[Q Classic]

it's a good analogy, actually. usually people who know how to do something like that, which to them is a basic thing, can't understand how exactly to convey how to do it to others.

that's why end users too often don't like it geeks.

i have to admit, i don't know how i learned all the computer stuff i know. i know i wasn't born with it, but i don't know where it came from. i figure it was from puttering around and tinkering with it, and reading what was around when it interested me--much like how many people get interested in mechanics and cars. things that seem obvious to me aren't obvious to someone else: no, you don't stick a phone cord into the ethernet jack. then again, i wouldn't know a flywheel from a drive shaft.

on the other hand, most of the problems i see derive from the people who do extraordinarily stupid things. you don't take candy from a stranger, but these people open attachments from them.
you don't leave your car's maintenance to itself, but these people leave computers maintenance to the computer.
you don't sign a random contract that appears out of nowhere simply because it looks official, but these people accept spyware licenses because it looks complicated: (the website you are visiting is trying to install...) at which point eyes roll over and then just click "ok".

a lot of problems are simply operator error, not windoze.

[FrustratedPoet]

you don't sign a random contract that appears out of nowhere simply because it looks official

I'm afraid many people do. We've recently found out that my Grandmother changed her electricity supplier 4 times in the past year because she kept receiving junk mail and just signed up for everything.

[optimus2861]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
This is pretty much just tangentally related, the problem here is again MS putting in "features" people hardly use. Do you use macros in MS Office? How many people you know use macros in MS Office?

You're kidding, right? Macros are just a subset of the VBA extensions to Office, and those are exceedingly useful.

Our timesheet system at work is a VBA-enhanced Excel spreadsheet that presents us with our lists of active jobs and account numbers to charge our time to, then automatically saves the spreadsheet in a "bare" formatting suitable for emailing to the boss, then optionally automatically creates a new email message with the file attached, ready for sending.

We've also developed our own custom VBA add-ons for various clients, typically in Excel (in our line of work we don't get much call for Word macros), sometimes combined with Outlook.

If you want to criticize that Office VBA extensions are too easily capable of getting access to the rest of the OS, that's your prerogative (and one I would partly agree with), but I hope you don't seriously believe that VBA gets little real-world use.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
i can always count on good ol' johnt to come to my side. at least we're not alone with macros.

Well, geeks do tend to stick together, I guess.