That's what bumpers are for

http://www.bit-tech.net/columns/2006/11/14/what_bumpers_are_for/1.html

 

lol, nice metaphors...

 

Nice column. Made me chuckle.

 

as much as I hate to admit it... I sometimes think microsoft needed to do something like vista. All one has to do is to spend a week in a tech support job and you know just now dumb ignorant and LAZY some people are. If its not done for them, they're not gonna bother, and then they're gonna complain like hell when things don't work. It applies to cars, and it applies to OS's. Its only when the car and the OS can take care of itself that the average consumer will be happy so that they can go watch their next youtube video. All the gearheads? We'll move to vista eventually, once it become apparent that XP won't be supported or when developers decide that XP isn't worth their while. But just like with cars, I hope I can disable all the nice handholding mechanisms of vista and run the OS like how i want it. We all can deal with a few crashes and BSODs right?

 

Good article, and exactly the reason im no buying vista. I can maintain XP without the extra bloat kthx microsoft.

 

I'm in agreement.

One of the reasons I no longer despise microsoft is the sheet fact that without them, using a comp would be bloody difficult. you wouldnt be able to hope from one to another and help your mates out if people had a large variety of OS's. And as for the internet, whilst there is no evidence to support this because no research has been done, i'd bet my car (see what im doing here Will?) that without windows and ie the internet would not be anywhere near as evolved as it is or as widely used.

Just my opinion, hope it doesn't get flamed.

 

So what the fork are wheel off set's and PCD's?? (I refuse to google)

I do not see any difference in the evolution of windows in terms of what comes new through the versions. 1. Higher system requirments 2. Better Visual presentation 3. Easier user interactivity 4. Increased secuirity and networking options.... Nothing changes... it just improves...

If I could do everything on windows 3.11 that I could on xp, I would use the old version simply because it's simple.

Fetus

 

click

 

Call me a whinging old git if you like, but what about natural selection in computer users? I mean, if you can't keep your machine useable, maybe YOU SHOULD NOT BE USING A COMPUTER!

More and more I feel it is our duty as technology "haves" not only to assist the "have less" people, but also to keep the truly stupid and incompetent away from technology. If we don't keep our 84 year old grandmothers who can barely use a cash machine away from computers, we are the ones who are going to suffer for it. Not only will we be getting calls about finding the "any" key, but in terms of spam and virii sent out by their un-patched machines being used to visit sites that we would know better than to touch with our worst enemy's computer.

To continue the driving analogy, operating a vehicle on a public road is a priveledge, not a right. Perhaps using a computer on the information superhighway should be too.

 

You have to realise that some people that can't maintain their computer would just love to never touch it again but they have to use the computer because a lot of jobs and even a lot of recreation require the use of the computer. Using the car analogy I would love to not have to use/maintain a car, but living in the suburbs everything is too far away to walk or use public transit.

 

I'd just love to know when MS will make a Lotus Elise equivalent to Vista's BMW 7 series with i-Drive....

Since it ain't gonna happen, I'll be heading in a *nix direction....

but I'm a Windows C++ developer....

Damn.
Al

 

For the general public, Vista is a great idea as it'll make PC's easier to use, but for us geeks it's almost a tad patronising. Is there no way to setup Vista so it acts more like XP?

Bring back DOS

Good column btw.

 

Using computers is a necessity these day I think. Why not make things simple?
Newbies can always take the ECDL (European Computer Driving License) before they start their journey on the information superhighway I suppose.....see what I did there?

 

Yes, but you don't easily break computers by using them wrong now, you just get them sending out massive spam botnet-style. Nobody bothers with viruses for destruction anymore, because that's not profitable.

Gotta say, it was an interesting read. Especially since I was listening to Wil at the same time on TWiT

 

the future of the pc makes me sad.... hence why I have lots of 486's and my fave os has always been DOS 6 (although ubuntu is rather spiffy).

 

It is a bit patronising, I had no problems with 98 and it it could do what I use xp for I woulld still use it. Sure its not the easiest but most of the fun I had with my computer has been tweaking it and building it.

 

Personally I'm going to get vista when I next upgrade my pc, having seen the interface i'm quite a fan, there's also DX10 to consider. I just hope they allow you to disable some of the built in safety mechanisms and 'tips' to make it into a useable platform.

Gotta agree with the CLI comments, sometimes things are just easier to do when you use it instead of a gui.

 

I love that quote!

I just hope vista will be friendly to us who enjoy driving an OS like its a car from the 1940's

 

Great article. I think some of us went through the same "it's to easy, don't hold my hand , I want POWER!!!" mentality when we upgraded from 98/2000 to XP...

 

Well said...
Where would Linux come in the car analogy's. 1968 Ford GT50?
It seems car history is repeating with pc's who would of thought given the petrol heads attitude to pc's