[Tfug] 2 weeks of Hackintosh fun..

[Andrew Ayre]

Bexley Hall wrote:
> --- On Sun, 11/9/08, Andrew Ayre <andy at britishideas.com> wrote:
> 
>> My wife uses Ubuntu. She is not into computers and
>> doesn't really care what is running. But she uses Ubuntu
>> without problems to:
>>   - email
>>   - look at web pages and videos
>>   - transfer pictures from her digital camera and edit them
>>   - create documents and spreadsheets
>>   - print
>>   - write reminder notes
>>   - play games
>> I set her up with Ubuntu because it doesn't crash or
>> break while she is using it. I was tired of endless XP
>> problems.
>>
>> I guess the real work you do is something other than this?
>> Please be more specific. Thanks.
> 
> Take away her IT department ( <grin> ) and give her a live CD.
> Give her a brand-spanking new machine to sit in front of.
> Supposedly, "an hour or so" (I believe that is the quote?)
> later she should be back where she started, right?  <frown>
> 
> If you've written any code, you know that its a cakewalk
> to get something running "steady state" -- the problem is always
> startup/shutdown and error handling.  I suspect anyone reading
> this could "fly" the Space Shuttle -- *if* someone else got it
> airborn for us!  :>
> 
> You can't just say, "well, he/she has no problem using this" and
> handwave away all that came before/after.  What happens when she
> replaces her printer?  Or, her camera?  Or, switches to a different
> ISP?  Or different email account, etc.?  When her tech support
> department (i.e. *you*) isn't there, does she find these things
> just as "easy" to do?
> 
> Note how many businesses run Linux (discounting as "servers")
> for their desktops.  Or NetBSD.  Or FreeBSD.  Etc.  People
> pay the MS/Apple "premiums" because they want something that
> is familiar to their users, "supported", etc.  I look at
> firms with 1,000 - 10,000 seats and say, "Why the hell are you
> going to spend a few megadollars "upgrading" to MS<blah>?
> At the very least, why not stay with MS<foo>!"  Despite
> their size (i.e., clout among their vendors/suppliers) they
> almost always claim they "have to" upgrade to keep things
> working (with systems and software to which they interface).
> 
> <shrug>
> 
> Start your own business.  Then, start keeping track of what it
> costs you to keep your "technology" running <however>.  You
> will be *amazed* at the cost!  (even if all you are doing is
> "typing term papers" for folks)

Everyone I know (bar my wife and one other) runs Windows. All of them 
have asked me for help more times than I care to remember. I also have a 
couple of people who pay me for Windows help. So I think everything you 
wrote equally applies to Windows based on my experience.

So do you also say that Windows cannot be used for real work because of 
this? :)

Note my wife is using a vanilla install with some apps added (which 
Ubuntu makes super easy for most) and email configured. No big deal.

Andy

-- 
Andy
PGP Key ID: 0xDC1B5864