Public Address | System (Home)

Posted at 12:01PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Ironically, the performance of Microsoft Office 2009 under Snow Leopard is one of my problems.

About 2/3rds of the time when trying to log out or shut down, I get "Microsoft Word could not close properly" error messages - irrespective of whether Word is actually open. I then have to click through a bunch of windows before trying to log out or shut down a second time. Grrr.

Posted at 12:10PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

So. When are you having the party?

Posted at 12:13PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

My loathing for Windows FAIL, I mean, Vista, is extreme.

Guess what our IT department have 'upgraded' us to?

Their suggested 'fix' for not being able to use some of the basic functionality of the system without causing a PC meltdown is.....to not use that functionality.

I guess that makes the big plastic box on my desk a large paperweight, then.

Not so bad, I suppose. We're probably only stuck with it for the next, ohhhh, six or seven years.

Posted at 12:14PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

It's like it's got this aura around it. Of just working."

Leo says we should lock it in a box where it will stay for 700 years before being used to disable SkyNet with its unmatched ability for FAIL.

Leo is clearly totally made of WIN today.

Posted at 12:17PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Heh, the only fault with Leo's plan is that it would mean Vista was eventually useful for something and this is so patently not the case. Otherwise, well done to him.

I remember Gen-i reps 3 yearsago trying to convince me that Vista was actually a really good step forward and we should upgrade. I ignored them and stayed with XP like pretty much every other corporate around the country. In the last 12 months their view has changed to, "you'll love Windows 7, it fixes all the problems associated with Vista... #whyyoushouldneverlistentocomputersalespeople

Posted at 12:25PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

It always takes me several years to upgrade to a new operating system; the only time I did so when it was spanking new was with Vista and I lasted a week before going back to XP. I'm not anticipating updating to Windows 7 in a rush either. This however caught my eye

I routinely browse with dozens of tabs open, occasionally more than 100, and some of those pages have multiple Flash movies on them -- it was a serious issue.

Can we briefly discuss your operating system, Russell?

Posted at 12:26PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Ubuntu 9.10,Karmic Koala launches in one week.

Try it, you might like it. (And it won't cost you anything).

Posted at 12:32PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Maybe it's just that it's not Vista, but Windows 7 does seem to have arrived in good shape.

So, Windows 7 is the Obama of PC OSs, compared to Bush's Vista?

Which makes XP, what, Clinton?

Posted at 12:34PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Can we briefly discuss your operating system, Russell?

It's not Apple's fault that Adobe can't handle Unix... Flash on Linux is a similar POS, and don't even ask about Flash on my favourite OS...

Posted at 12:40PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Doh...
That video clip was supposed to be this one.

Posted at 12:44PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

So, Windows 7 is the Obama of PC OSs, compared to Bush's Vista?

Which makes XP, what, Clinton?

Yeh, and Windows ME was Bush Senior. I think you're onto something here?

Posted at 12:54PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Can we briefly discuss your operating system, Russell?

It's not Apple's fault that Adobe can't handle Unix... Flash on Linux is a similar POS, and don't even ask about Flash on my favourite OS...

Sorry, I was unclear: I meant Russell's own operating system, the thing he uses to process all that information. By using that metaphor I neatly become my own worst enemy, but hey.

Posted at 12:55PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Windows 7 is to paraphrase Leo, a Cake Made of Win.
However, having been using the Beta and RC for most of the year, I've somewhat got out of the idea of paying for my OS.

With the power of hindsight, I realise that I should have sold my copy of vista on trademe months ago. D'oh.

Windows 7 RC pumpkins in March I think? so I have until then to either decide that I want to pay for it, or try Mythbuntu or something.

Quite tempted to see if work will upgrade my laptop to Windows 7. My XP install is getting a bit tired. Although I'm starting to wonder if what I want is the new Dell 11z. It seems like the bastard love child of a netbook and laptop. Mmmm 1.35kg. Mmmm dual cores. And only ~$1200

Posted at 12:59PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Sorry, I was unclear: I meant Russell's own operating system, the thing he uses to process all that information. By using that metaphor I neatly become my own worst enemy, but hey.

Ah sorry, I see. You have to be careful using metaphor around literal-minded IT-types such as myself - simile is much safer.

Agreed, Russell must be pervasively multithreaded.

Posted at 1:00PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

I feel like Clinton should really be Windows 98. Fun but not very reliable. I guess that would make Windows NT Helmut Kohl, or perhaps Madeline Albright?

Posted at 1:04PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

I am clearly the only person in the world running Vista on both a desktop and a laptop with no problems at all. I have never had a blue screen of death, a crashed anything, or issues with my three browsers and multiple tabs running concurrently. I feel deprived of prime bitching-on-the-internet possibilities!

Posted at 1:14PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

I remember Gen-i reps 3 yearsago trying to convince me that Vista was actually a really good step forward

Did you ask the rep to open their laptop and show you what OS it was running? I'm thinking XP, if not Win 2k. (Also, check out the conspicuous "EDS" asset tag next time a Gen-i person drops by).

Dogfood?

Posted at 1:21PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

I am clearly the only person in the world running Vista on both a desktop and a laptop with no problems at all.

Burn the witch!

Posted at 1:32PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Burn the witch!

You must be kidding I want to see what happens if Danielle comes to "bless" our ill Vista Machines at work !

Posted at 1:37PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

My Vista Ultimate SP2 laptop has no major issues, considering the abuse (drivers) it gets.

I forecast that releases as we know them will die out in the next few years, and MS will move to a Google-like model where new features ripple out as updates (possibly with a "Labs").

Posted at 1:44PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

I am clearly the only person in the world running Vista on both a desktop and a laptop with no problems at all.

Same Danielle. I run a Mac myself (with Vista on a partition simply because I need to access Indo banks and NZ insurance companies...and refuse to pay the $600 that shitty MYOB charges for a win to OSX upgrade) but am responsible for 4 Vista and 1 XP machines. The XP machine gives far more problems than the Vista ones.

I feel as if I'm odd as I've found Vista rather stable over the years. Never an issue. No blue screens, no farts, nothing....and they never seem to attract the swarms of viruses that MacLore swears will plague them.

I have Mac-using friends who get very angry when I tell them this...

Posted at 1:51PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Leo says we should lock it in a box where it will stay for 700 years before being used to disable SkyNet with its unmatched ability for FAIL. That sounds like a cunning plan.

Gold.

I remember decommissioning an old system in the 90's. Everyone hated it. So we (as a joke) sold tickets for people to come and hit it with a sledgehammer (we're talking an old computer about the size of a fridge) one Saturday in the Car Park.

Dozens turned up. We had to pull one guy off - I swear he was crying with joy at his revenge on the misery this crock had caused his life...

So maybe in a car-park in Redmond this weekend...

Posted at 2:00PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Dozens turned up. We had to pull one guy off - I swear he was crying with joy at his revenge on the misery this crock had caused his life...

That reminds me of one of my favourite movie scenes ever, the destruction of the printer/fax in Office Space:

God bless Mike Judge.

Posted at 2:01PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Doh...
That video clip was supposed to be this one.

Of course it was.

I plan on having an awesome Ubuntu 9.10 install party. Everyone will get a go with the GIMP.

Posted at 2:01PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Leo's Skynet quote made my day. My Windows 7 Launch Day.

Windows 7 has arrived in better shape than Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard

Went from Vista (awful, awful) to Win 7 RC (much faster ) a couple of months back then to Snow Leopard on a new MBP last weekend. 7 is good but even with the been-away-from-OSX-for-a-few-years learning curve I still more <3 the Mac. A lot of that may be hardware/software integration I suppose...

But the Win7 Beta to RC to full release process helped iron things out I imagine - if SL had been as-widely spread before release perhaps the "whoopsie daisy we deleted all your data" Guest account bug would have been squashed.

Posted at 2:04PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

"It does," Leo agreed. "It's like it's got this aura around it. Of just working."

Why isn't Leo in advertising? "Windows 7. Just working." Score!

Leo says we should lock it in a box where it will stay for 700 years before being used to disable SkyNet with its unmatched ability for FAIL. That sounds like a cunning plan.

Heh... I bet it would work on The Borg too.

Posted at 2:06PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

Although I'm starting to wonder if what I want is the new Dell 11z. It seems like the bastard love child of a netbook and laptop. Mmmm 1.35kg. Mmmm dual cores. And only ~$1200

But that page says Dell's charging US$399 - at current exchange rates plus GST it ought to be NZ$600.

I've been a long time Dell fan but Dell's NZ online sales sucks badly - they haven't tracked the NZ$ changes - the quad core laptop I lust after comes in at some silly price over $12k - and the NZ web page is so poorly configured it's not actually possible to buy it. Last time I checked their web page also requires you to choose what city you live in - there are four choices, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Rotorua. I still get paper spam addressed to ".... Dunedin, Christchurch, New Zealand"

Posted at 2:09PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

actually the Borg may be the result of locking Vista in a box for 700 years ....

Posted at 2:20PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

actually the Borg may be the result of locking Vista in a box for 700 years ....

Nope, I'm pretty sure the Borg descends from Ubuntu - which is, after all, "Linux for Human Beings".

Posted at 3:02PM on 22 Oct 09. Permalink.

I've been a long time Dell fan but Dell's NZ online sales sucks badly - they haven't tracked the NZ$ changes - the quad core laptop I lust after comes in at some silly price over $12k - and the NZ web page is so poorly configured it's not actually possible to buy it.

A smart dell (as a graduation present to myself) is just about the only expensive, non-entry lavel piece of technology I've ever purchased. One of its drawcards was the super-duper international warranty and service. So this year I found myself in Italy when the fan broke. I phoned the assistance and they told me that yes, they could see my service code in the system, but it would take two weeks for the warranty to be transferred to Italy. Okay, says I once I've processed the information, it's just a fan after all. How much is it and where can I buy it? No sir, we cannot even sell it to you until your service tag details have been transferred into the European database.

Cue much swearing and banging of head on desk.