Computer Corner

[briantrumpet]

I realise that matters IT-related do engender various emotional states, trivial or otherwise, but as the tangent I've started in that thread is getting more IT opinions, here's a thread dedicated to such matters.

 

[briantrumpet]

I got a new work laptop last year. It included Skype for business, which our company doesn't use, and as far as I can tell it has been discontinued by MS. The kicker? It is marked as a windows default application, so it can't be uninstalled, and none of the tricks from the internet have worked to get rid of the barstard or remove it from auto start, so every morning I have to manually exit the blooming thing. Sums up MS to a T.

Our products are windows based, though, so no chance of moving out to a more reasonable environment.

At home I use Fedora.

I always clean out all the MS crap from a new Windows laptop - Office, Outlook, OneDrive etc., and tend to use browser-based interfaces for various other things (WhatsApp, Gmail).

Over the years I've had loads of really useful Windows apps that I've used extensively, and so am not going to diss Windows per se, as it does what I want it to most of the time since I started using PCs in about 1997.

 

[briantrumpet]

Windows is rapidly becoming unusable both at home and work.
At least at home I don't have to use teams or sharepoint and my 2003 version of Word is easier to use than the current bloatware.

I know that people who through work protocols have to use Teams and Sharepoint don't hold MS in high regard (shall we say), and I gave up on Word and Excel years ago, as they got bloatier and clunkier on each iteration, incorporating features I was never going to use. I stayed with Lotus 1-2-3 (1997) till about 2015 (at a guess) as it did everything I needed it to in a program that was only slightly more advanced than MS-DOS. I Did Open Office and Libre Office for a while, but have ended up with Google Docs and Sheets, as they do everything I need them to, but aren't clunky and run in the browser.

 

[BoldonLad]

I used to work in IT, this almost inevitably meant the Microsoft world. On retirement, I switched to the Apple World (no complaints). I have also “dabbled” with various Linux versions, (using old laptops, MacBooks and Raspberry-pi). Among my none IT drinking pals, Chromebooks are popular, although I haven’t tried them personally).

 

[briantrumpet]

I used to work in IT, this almost inevitably meant the Microsoft world. On retirement, I switched to the Apple World (no complaints). I have also “dabbled” with various Linux versions, (using old laptops, MacBooks and Raspberry-pi). Among my none IT drinking pals, Chromebooks are popular, although I haven’t tried them personally).

Ha, that's an extraordinary post in an operating systems discussion: you've managed to mention all of those experiences without telling us that any is 'obviously' better than all the rest.

I think they all have their advantages and drawbacks, and you end up with the 'best match' for your own personal circumstances, taking all things (usefulness, reliability, ease-of-use, and price) into consideration.

 

[BoldonLad]

Ha, that's an extraordinary post in an operating systems discussion: you've managed to mention all of those experiences without telling us that any is 'obviously' better than all the rest.

I think they all have their advantages and drawbacks, and you end up with the 'best match' for your own personal circumstances, taking all things (usefulness, reliability, ease-of-use, and price) into consideration.

There is probably no “best”, it depends on:

What you want to do

How much “fiddling about” you are willing to put up with.

IMHO Apple wins hands down, but, at a price. If you don’t mind a bit of “fiddling” and the software you wish to use is available, then Linux Mint is cheap and effective.

 

[icowden]

What you want to do
How much “fiddling about” you are willing to put up with.
IMHO Apple wins hands down, but, at a price. If you don’t mind a bit of “fiddling” and the software you wish to use is available, then Linux Mint is cheap and effective.

On the flip side, I usually find Apple to be very restrictive in their practices whereas with Microsoft nothing is truly locked down.
That said, youngest daughter really likes her Chromebook which is similarly restrictive.

 

[briantrumpet]

On the flip side, I usually find Apple to be very restrictive in their practices whereas with Microsoft nothing is truly locked down.
That said, youngest daughter really likes her Chromebook which is similarly restrictive.

Yes, that's about where I am.

I assume that Apple's business model is predicated on (effectively) locking people into a system that they can't hack into/bypass, so they effectively charge both the users and those wanting to supply add-ons: the users end up having to go to an Apple Store to get someone to look under the bonnet when there are problems, under threat of losing warranty cover if they don't, and suppliers have to pay a hefty percentage of income once they've got an add-on accepted by Apple.

It's quite a turnaround from when MS was the evil monopolistic behemoth and Apple was the plucky underdog trying to break the mould.

Incidentally, on another matter, it seems like Chrome has gone back to putting Google as the default search engine when you install it, contrary to what they'd been forced to do, i.e. give you the choice from a randomised list. I guess they thought we wouldn't notice.

 

[briantrumpet]

IMHO Apple wins hands down, but, at a price.

I'm sure that they have a generally good product, but that's predicated on screwing their customers once they are in the system and there's no escape. I have a deep resentment/resistance to being taken for a ride, however good the product.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I worked in IT most of my life

Most of my personal stuff was on some version of Linux for a long time - via a desktop that I used

but I always had a work laptop around that had to use WIndows - because I need it like that for work

For a while I was an IT teacher in schools and we needed to do everything through Windows as the exam boards assumed you did that
it was weird - some of the GCSE requirement were trivial if you used non windows versions - especially with databases
but if you tried to submit that it would just get rejected as the examiner would not understand it

personally I thought the exam boards should have to base the requirement of free versions - such as LibreOffice - but apparently I was not in charge!

Nowadays I am retired and 99% of what I do uses a Windows laptop - it does everything I need and I can get an older version of Microshaft Orifice for about £8 - and I need it sometimes so I can show my wife how to d things
and getting her to use Libreoffice or Google Sheets would be too complicated!

 

[PurplePenguin]

I'd love to use Linux and an alternative to Android/iPhone, but I think for anyone whose usage is between completely basic and serious pro, it's quite a challenge.

For example, mapping a network drive in Windows takes one click. In Linux, you need to get the code and commas absolutely perfect.

Also, the version of Linux I used (Lubuntu) had a security issue in that it was very easy to circumvent the lock screen. It was a known issue, but no one had the time to resolve it. This made me wonder how many other flaws there were.

 

[briantrumpet]

I'd love to use Linux and an alternative to Android/iPhone, but I think for anyone whose usage is between completely basic and serious pro, it's quite a challenge.

For example, mapping a network drive in Windows takes one click. In Linux, you need to the code and commas absolutely perfect.

Also, the version of Linux I used (Lubuntu) had a security issue in that it was very easy to circumvent the lock screen. It was a known issue, but no one had the time to resolve it. This made me wonder how many other flaws there were.

Windows is about the right compromise for me. I've got no skill (or enough patience) to faff around with code for the operating system; on the other hand I don't need to be treated like a child who's been told not to look inside the box under any circumstances.

And to be fair, now even Windows has a few decent recovery options should you manage to break the OS... and now so much more is saved on the cloud, getting up and running again from scratch isn't that much of a faff.

 

[PurplePenguin]

I'm not a fan of the cloud storage. I like my data to be mine, bu that makes my life harder.

 

[briantrumpet]

I'm not a fan of the cloud storage. I like my data to be mine, bu that makes my life harder.

It's a fair choice, each to his own and all that... I used to be like that, but have changed for most things, apart from photos, which occupy a few hard drives here.

 

[BoldonLad]

I'm sure that they have a generally good product, but that's predicated on screwing their customers once they are in the system and there's no escape. I have a deep resentment/resistance to being taken for a ride, however good the product.

Like I said, the definition of "best" depends on what you want to do, what you are willing to pay, and how much "fiddling about" you are able/willing to do.

Personally, I just like it to "work" and I have joined the Apple World, with Watch, iPod, MacBook and iPhone. I do use iCloud, but, there are something which I also keep on Network Drives (NAS) on my home Network.

When I want to amuse myself, (or "play" as my wife calls it), I dig out one of my Linux Mint machines.

I do the occasional Windows stuff, when friends or family get stuck, but, I would not choose to use it routinely. The only Family who use Windows are those whose work makes it necessary, or the two grandsons who are still school age. The latter typically know more than me, particularly in terms of circumventing Microsoft "security".