Finally had it with Windows. I'm done.

[picky]

The primary reason I have not adopted an Apple PC is because of their incessant need to keep their wares proprietary. It's the same reason I refuse to purchase many Sony products: Both Sony and Apple insist on releasing many devices with unique connectors, cables, fittings and the like, not to mention how Apple locks all of its software and code down. I refuse to invest in such nonsense only to eventually get burned by obsolescence.

The only Apple product I have ever purchased is an iPhone 4. I bought it two years ago and its been the best phone I have ever owned. I wanted to try it and become familiar with how it worked as I'd only heard from others how good it was and I had become fed up with most of my other phones. My 2-year phone contract is now up and I have been considering whether or not to replace the iPhone. I'm not certain that I will because it continues to work fine. However, among my considerations have been the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S-III (or the soon to be released S-4). Naturally, there have been a huge outpouring of raves about the S-III, which is now out-selling iPhone 5. Several friends have S-III's and they are ecstatic about them.

In comparison, I know 2 friends who have the iPhone 5 and they both have experienced nothing but issues with them. Plus, every time I talk with them on their phones, at some point in the conversation, their voices always seem to cut out and sound a million miles away as if they are talking through a tin can phone. One of their iPhone 5's refused to shut off for a couple of days and after it finally did, it turned itself back on! This doesn't sound like something I'd be willing to put up with. My wife has a Motorola Droid X, which she got the same time I got my iPhone 4. She's had a few minor problems with it and she seems to have to turn it off and reboot it often when it "freezes" and she has to charge it every single day, while I charge mine about every other day. Her phone's Android OS works very clunky and the touch screen does not respond as smoothly as my iPhone's. The Droid X display is much larger but its resolution is terrible. I believe the Samsung S-III uses the same or similar Android OS as my wife's phone, but it's supposed to have much faster processors and a superior screen and battery life. Add to this the fact the Apple has changed the I/O connector on the iPhone 5 and any devices or cables one purchased for prior releases of the iPhone will no longer fit. Now, there's a "surprise"!

So this dilemma for me is parallel to the whole Windows / Linux PC debate. Still undecided. - Glenn

[germerikan]

I have the Galaxy S3 and have absolutely no problems with it. Very fast and top quality. I was thinking of the Nokia Lumia and W8 just to have everything on one platform but was worried about all the childhood bugs in new products.

[Jeff Matthews]

We DOS people were reluctant to switch to Windoze. You will find that you will actually have to be accustomed to the change to 8 unless you wanted to be relegated to the dust bin of history. Wait until Windows 14. All the kids then will be saying, ".... but Win 8 was so intuitive. We grew up with it."

[picky]

We DOS people were reluctant to switch to Windoze. You will find that you will actually have to be accustomed to the change to 8 unless you wanted to be relegated to the dust bin of history. Wait until Windows 14. All the kids then will be saying, ".... but Win 8 was so intuitive. We grew up with it."

Jeff: One of the beautiful things about Linux is that is, if you prefer to utilize the command line instead of a GUI so it will run more "DOS-like", Linux will accommodate you nicely: All you need do is change the inittab from runlevel 5 to runlevel 3 and Linux will boot right into command line and never bother with starting a GUI. -Glenn

[Islander]

I jumped from XP to Windows 7 and found it was a big improvement. I've read a few times that Microsoft OSs seem to alternate between good and bad. I've been lucky to jump from "good one" to "good one". I think I'll stay with Win7 until Win9 comes out.

As for phones, people are loving their Galaxy S3s, and I'm really liking my HTC One S. I upgraded it to Android 4.0.4 the week I got it last October, and a few weeks ago, I did the upgrade to 4.1.1, which seems to be "first-gen" Jelly Bean, with 4.2 being the newest version. 4.2 will take a while to be offered by all the phone companies.

In each case, the update made the phone more efficient and more fun. I'm really happy with Android.

[j-malotky]

Glenn

Runlevel 3 "multiuser mode" is a great old school feature. Just a warning, Sometimes you have to watch how applications are installed. I have seen some that launch as you pass through runlevel 4 and 5. But there in lies the beauty of Unix. As you go up and down the run levels, the /etc/inittab files tell the exact order you want your applications to come up and shut down. This is a lot better than the Windoze free for all.

JM

[JJkizak]

The problem with Windows 7 is it does not like old hardware. You have to update everything at considerable expense to get Windows 7 drivers.

JJK

[Mighty Favog]

I really liked Windows 3.1 but they changed it. I reeally liked Windows XP but they changed it.

Well that's about it.

JJK

TabWorks!! []

[tigerwoodKhorns]

The problem with Windows 7 is it does not like old hardware. You have to update everything at considerable expense to get Windows 7 drivers.

JJK

Good point, my netowrk scanner/printer will only run directly off of the computer in WIN 8. So do I buy a new network scanner and printer or junk WIN 8. Tough decision. MS is evil.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I jumped from XP to Windows 7 and found it was a big improvement. I've read a few times that Microsoft OSs seem to alternate between good and bad. I've been lucky to jump from "good one" to "good one". I think I'll stay with Win7 until Win9 comes out.

You are lucky. I have one Vista laptop and one WIN 8 laptop.

But let's talk about the 800 pound gorilla in the room. The "cycle" where you have to buy new every few years, meaning that you are renting all of this equipment. My XP machine from 2005 still runs like a champ. I do not want to change it because it is my work computer and the changeover is going to really slow me down if I go to the MS imposed "latest and greatest."

Years ago Bill Gates stated that you have to create a continual need for your product. He did a great job, and really screwed all of us.

[Mighty Favog]

The problem with Windows 7 is it does not like old hardware. You have to update everything at considerable expense to get Windows 7 drivers.

JJK

Good point, my netowrk scanner/printer will only run directly off of the computer in WIN 8. So do I buy a new network scanner and printer or junk WIN 8. Tough decision. MS is evil.

I had to do that with my wife's new all in one Dell that's running 7. Her tank of a printer (HP 4050) could only communication via a wireless print server.....and with some incredible help from Marvel []

[Mallette]

The primary reason I have not adopted an Apple PC is because of their incessant need to keep their wares proprietary.

Amen Picky! What a racket.

Dave

[Gilbert]

Windows 8 makes crap on a stick look good.

LMAO, that's the best description I've heard yet about Windows 8.

[Boxx]

Windows 8 makes crap on a stick look good.

LMAO, that's the best description I've heard yet about Windows 8.

"When injustice becomes law, then resistance becomes duty."
-- Thomas Jefferson

Great quote....

[Jeff Matthews]

I don't mind needing to upgrade regularly - although, I tend to let the newest releases of Windows and Office play out in the market a bit to see how stable they are.

The way I see it is this: My computer is my living. The cost of a new computer from time to time is peanuts if I can use some new tools to do my job better or more efficiently - or even if I just enjoy using the new system more. Work is work, and anything that helps to make it more pleasant or productive is a good investment.

So, what if you spend $1,500 every 3 years?

If Win 8 was an otherwise "winner" and worth it, I'd get a new printer/scanner in a heartbeat.

I sure like the HP DVt laptop Quad Core I got about 2 years ago. It's still modern in terms of performance. With an SSD, this thing boots in 20 seconds. Love it! This makes a difference in enjoyment just for those times when you download an update or program that requires a re-boot, when the system hangs, or when it acts funny and you need to correct an issue with a reboot. All of these are recurring needs all the time, and it sure is nice not to have to wait more than about 20 seconds to get going again.

I'd like to know how good the on-line MS Office is. I use 2007 and am considering going to 365 somewhere down the road not too far.

[Marvel]

I'd like to know how good the on-line MS Office is. I use 2007 and am considering going to 365 somewhere down the road not too far.

We just rolled out Office 2010 at work. Much nicer than 2007, as they removed the large button on the top left. A flatter look, but all seems to work well.

We got two of the MS Surface Pro tablets for the guys in our HVAC group. I don't know how they did the wrieless, but when they remote desktop into the server that runs their HVAC software, the desktop opens almost instantly, as do web pages. Everyone who has had a look at them really likes them.

I took one of our older Dell machines (Optiplex 755) and installed Win8 Pro. EVERYTHING worked without installing other drivers. I can't remember the last time that happened with an MS install. Did the same on a laptop. One of our faculty took his personally owned netbook and upgraded to Win8 on it and said it's faster than it was with Win7 and very stable. He used to poo-poo MS stuff, but really likes it. He also now has a Nokia 920 Win8 phone and LOVES it. He keeps class notes in his SkyDrive folders (the MS version of iCloud) and can open them up in class with no problem, in case the classroom equipment causes him grief.

I got the Nokia about the same time he got his, and I really like it too.

Bruce

[picky]

I don't mind needing to upgrade regularly - although, I tend to let the newest releases of Windows and Office play out in the market a bit to see how stable they are.

The way I see it is this: My computer is my living. The cost of a new computer from time to time is peanuts if I can use some new tools to do my job better or more efficiently - or even if I just enjoy using the new system more. Work is work, and anything that helps to make it more pleasant or productive is a good investment.

So, what if you spend $1,500 every 3 years?

If Win 8 was an otherwise "winner" and worth it, I'd get a new printer/scanner in a heartbeat.

I sure like the HP DVt laptop Quad Core I got about 2 years ago. It's still modern in terms of performance. With an SSD, this thing boots in 20 seconds. Love it! This makes a difference in enjoyment just for those times when you download an update or program that requires a re-boot, when the system hangs, or when it acts funny and you need to correct an issue with a reboot. All of these are recurring needs all the time, and it sure is nice not to have to wait more than about 20 seconds to get going again.

I'd like to know how good the on-line MS Office is. I use 2007 and am considering going to 365 somewhere down the road not too far.

Jeff: Three years ago prior to being laid off, I held a philosophy similar to yours regarding upgrades. However, poverty can be humbling and I now find myself trying to eek out as much usefulness from most products as I can before considering discarding or replacing them. My 2002 HP dual-Xeon processor workstation is still kicking butt on XP for my video editing, so I'll be trying to keep that old boy up-and-running as long as possible.

Regarding Microsoft Office products that others have mentioned: I am shocked no one here has mentioned Apache Open Office or other freeware. Open Office has been around for years and it is an excellent alternative to MS Word, which will open .doc files and the best part is that it's FREE! I use it at school like crazy! -Glenn

[Marvel]

Open Office is now managed by Sun/Oracle. We'll see how long that stays free.

Libre Office is the same code base and is what I use at home, and ver. 4.x supports all the MS versions.

Bruce

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I took one of our older Dell machines (Optiplex 755) and installed Win8 Pro. EVERYTHING worked without installing other drivers. I can't remember the last time that happened with an MS install. Did the same on a laptop. One of our faculty took his personally owned netbook and upgraded to Win8 on it and said it's faster than it was with Win7 and very stable. He used to poo-poo MS stuff, but really likes it. He also now has a Nokia 920 Win8 phone and LOVES it. He keeps class notes in his SkyDrive folders (the MS version of iCloud) and can open them up in class with no problem, in case the classroom equipment causes him grief.

I got the Nokia about the same time he got his, and I really like it too.

Bruce

That is what I love about XP, it was the first really stable OS that MS put out. Software generally loaded without needing drivers and crashes were a thing of the past or very infrequent.

Vista is also very stable and if they really improved the OS to make it faster, great, they made significant progress. But why did they have to screw up the interface and all of the things that we have used for 20 years? This reminds me of an old episode of the Simpsons where Mr. Burns loses the nuclear power plant and tries to change his ways and be a good person, and he accomplishes good things in an evil way.

I have touted MS for years when others trashed it because I love XP and even learner to deal with Vista, but this is really going too far. My productivity slows down when I have to re-learn everything, so now I have to pay MS to have an OS that winds up costing me a whole bunch of money in lost hours that I cannot bill for.

BTW, Linux Mint loaded and did not need any drivers on the new computer and automatically downloaded one Linux driver (for the wireless) for the older computer. And it is fast.

And to show that I am not just complaining or not willing to learn, Linux Mint is different than MS and I do need to figure out where things are located, but it is so easy to figure out. Just poke around and everything is clearly marked. They also do not try to get too fancy so everything is clear and simple and I do not find myself hunting for things. If you need a button for something is has a nice big icon, label AND short explanation of what it is. No instructions necessary. This is what MS should be.

I would gladly keep buying new MS systems if they were easy to use and made my work faster as they would easily pay for themselves.

[Islander]

I jumped from XP to Windows 7 and found it was a big improvement. I've read a few times that Microsoft OSs seem to alternate between good and bad. I've been lucky to jump from "good one" to "good one". I think I'll stay with Win7 until Win9 comes out.

You are lucky. I have one Vista laptop and one WIN 8 laptop.

But let's talk about the 800 pound gorilla in the room. The "cycle" where you have to buy new every few years, meaning that you are renting all of this equipment. My XP machine from 2005 still runs like a champ. I do not want to change it because it is my work computer and the changeover is going to really slow me down if I go to the MS imposed "latest and greatest."

Years ago Bill Gates stated that you have to create a continual need for your product. He did a great job, and really screwed all of us.

For me, the software has never been the reason to upgrade. When the hardware starts failing is when I start shopping. The Windows 98 machine was dying, so I got a new computer, which came with XP. That was in 2003.

By late 2010, the hard drive was making funny noises on startup, so I left it always on, and replaced the tower in early 2011, keeping the two old CRT monitors I was using. That's how I wound up using Windows 7.

Over the last year, those monitors started getting really bad, so last week I received a nice pair of Dell Ultrasharp monitors. They're a real pleasure to work with.

So for me, I only change operating systems when I need a new computer. I've never changed because a new OS came out. It's just been a bonus that comes with new hardware, and I seem to keep getting the less annoying OSs. I don't feel like I'm getting screwed, because each new OS I've got has been a big improvement over the previous one.