So I just setup an AMD Turion64x2 laptop for a friend.
I showed him what the dual core could do and the he was very impressed.
For about the first 20min everything was fine. He was messing around with it and he like the speed.
Then, everything just fell apart after a while. Every little thing required configuration. The firewall needed configuration, the media player (wmp11) needed extensive configuration, and Windows needed extensive configuration. Configuration after configuration, his enthusiasm began to dwindle and I could definitely see why. Even with a basic Windows install, everything is just so, so complicated. Sure I?ve set up routers, pcs, servers, arrays, networks, and even an x-ray machine for an Animal Hospital once (good times), but I completely identified with the poor guy. It was just a pathetic user first-experience. ( I had cleaned up all he HP crap and installed the usual fare of apps like OO and FF)
We had tried out WMP 11 for him since he has a wma device, and it was an awful experience. The mp3 player wouldn?t sync with the Media Player correctly at almost any setting, much less the default setting which, yes, we tried. Inconsistencies and general confusing UI made for a dreadful experience. Here was this sweet machine he had just spent $1k on and every little thing required configuration.
I?m taking him to the Apple Store tomorrow.
The thing is, I have always been a pc guy. The first and third machines I ever used were Macs, and in that day and age, they were cool toys for Kids Pix, writing, and stuff, but that was it. In that era, the era of choice, you could get anything on a PC. In that era, that ability ruled. Somehow that really doesn?t mean anything anymore. What?s the use of all that crap if it is all sup par. Pinnacle Studio sucks, windows media player sucks, yahoo music sucks, MS outlook sucks. It just goes on and on. The only programs that work flawlessly, the ones that are sheer perfection for me are SmartFTP, VLC, itunes, and Opera. That?s it. They all do what they say they do, and do an outstanding job. They might not do everything imaginable, but what they do, they do well. Everything else just serves to depress me and my friends.
What?s plaguing me is that I have had enough of this crap. I am starting to really loath the PC experience for anything but work. Day in and day out, it is a great tool for me, but when I just want to listen to music, or take stuff with me, everything has to be so damn complicated.
Then I come back to this poor fellow, with a beast of a machine. I know my sh!t damnit, and that thing made me look like a fool. The overall unfriendly nature of the system had me repeating crap dozens and dozens of times to the extent that I finally had enough and made some excuse to come home. The thing is, everything involved in making it enjoyable was arduous, to do and to teach. None of it was consistent from program to program. That confused the hell out of them.
And forget about Linux. Don?t get me wrong, Ubuntu is a cute setup, but for a grown couple like that guy and his wife, it?s a dead end. Hell, I can?t even deal with it too long. The UI is so superfluous, so pasted on sometimes, that I gaze at the screen sometimes, confused at why the hell I have the bubbly KDE or Gnome installed when to get anything done I am in the terminal. Sure the programs are great for whatever, but the GUI itself just feels so?so unrefined. Sure Suse?s YaST is good, but that?s only one of many things in the system, only one of many things that actually work well. Don?t even get me started on how gnome or KDE deal with system wide changes?
And then I come to my quandary.
It?s not that I find Macs to be better. It?s just that I find that they just work. The dude would?ve been up and running with itunes instead of trying to use the one he say installed by default (WMP, subsequently upgraded to 11?itunes worked flawlessly btw but he wanted to use his device). Instead of having to download picasa, he would?ve been fine with iphoto. Forget about calenders and email. Poor folks were lost as hell it outlook due to the endless amounts of icons, and I didn?t even bother with thunderbird or the Sunbird [sic] calendar add-in/standalone sicne they would?ve gotten even more lost.
My point is, I think a Mac would be perfect for them, and it?s hard for me not to see why. For all the horsepower their lappy has, the general inconsistency is incredibly disconcerting to some folks and aggravates the hell out of everybody invloved.
I guess my point was to describe how pathetic the user experience was for these folks. You might be thinking ?oh this guy just doesn?t know how to set them up,? but I have quite a few people that would back up the fact that I do know how. The thing is, I just don?t find using windows an enjoyable experience anymore.
It just seems so damn needlessly tedious whereas linux is efficient but way to crude to make for a great desktop ?.
I probably sound like I am vouching for a mac, but the thing is, it?s more a rant against everything right now. I am not sure if I want a mac right now.
I?m just pissed off that they spent $1k and even when I came to help, they weren?t enjoying themselves.
Yah...my rants sucks?.I really wanted to install anything else on that lappy for them but didn?t have time ubuntu or suse?anything but that mess that was on there?.
Urgh?and yet I have no problem at all using windows for work or on my phone?go figure.
I showed him what the dual core could do and the he was very impressed.
For about the first 20min everything was fine. He was messing around with it and he like the speed.
Then, everything just fell apart after a while. Every little thing required configuration. The firewall needed configuration, the media player (wmp11) needed extensive configuration, and Windows needed extensive configuration. Configuration after configuration, his enthusiasm began to dwindle and I could definitely see why. Even with a basic Windows install, everything is just so, so complicated. Sure I?ve set up routers, pcs, servers, arrays, networks, and even an x-ray machine for an Animal Hospital once (good times), but I completely identified with the poor guy. It was just a pathetic user first-experience. ( I had cleaned up all he HP crap and installed the usual fare of apps like OO and FF)
We had tried out WMP 11 for him since he has a wma device, and it was an awful experience. The mp3 player wouldn?t sync with the Media Player correctly at almost any setting, much less the default setting which, yes, we tried. Inconsistencies and general confusing UI made for a dreadful experience. Here was this sweet machine he had just spent $1k on and every little thing required configuration.
I?m taking him to the Apple Store tomorrow.
The thing is, I have always been a pc guy. The first and third machines I ever used were Macs, and in that day and age, they were cool toys for Kids Pix, writing, and stuff, but that was it. In that era, the era of choice, you could get anything on a PC. In that era, that ability ruled. Somehow that really doesn?t mean anything anymore. What?s the use of all that crap if it is all sup par. Pinnacle Studio sucks, windows media player sucks, yahoo music sucks, MS outlook sucks. It just goes on and on. The only programs that work flawlessly, the ones that are sheer perfection for me are SmartFTP, VLC, itunes, and Opera. That?s it. They all do what they say they do, and do an outstanding job. They might not do everything imaginable, but what they do, they do well. Everything else just serves to depress me and my friends.
What?s plaguing me is that I have had enough of this crap. I am starting to really loath the PC experience for anything but work. Day in and day out, it is a great tool for me, but when I just want to listen to music, or take stuff with me, everything has to be so damn complicated.
Then I come back to this poor fellow, with a beast of a machine. I know my sh!t damnit, and that thing made me look like a fool. The overall unfriendly nature of the system had me repeating crap dozens and dozens of times to the extent that I finally had enough and made some excuse to come home. The thing is, everything involved in making it enjoyable was arduous, to do and to teach. None of it was consistent from program to program. That confused the hell out of them.
And forget about Linux. Don?t get me wrong, Ubuntu is a cute setup, but for a grown couple like that guy and his wife, it?s a dead end. Hell, I can?t even deal with it too long. The UI is so superfluous, so pasted on sometimes, that I gaze at the screen sometimes, confused at why the hell I have the bubbly KDE or Gnome installed when to get anything done I am in the terminal. Sure the programs are great for whatever, but the GUI itself just feels so?so unrefined. Sure Suse?s YaST is good, but that?s only one of many things in the system, only one of many things that actually work well. Don?t even get me started on how gnome or KDE deal with system wide changes?
And then I come to my quandary.
It?s not that I find Macs to be better. It?s just that I find that they just work. The dude would?ve been up and running with itunes instead of trying to use the one he say installed by default (WMP, subsequently upgraded to 11?itunes worked flawlessly btw but he wanted to use his device). Instead of having to download picasa, he would?ve been fine with iphoto. Forget about calenders and email. Poor folks were lost as hell it outlook due to the endless amounts of icons, and I didn?t even bother with thunderbird or the Sunbird [sic] calendar add-in/standalone sicne they would?ve gotten even more lost.
My point is, I think a Mac would be perfect for them, and it?s hard for me not to see why. For all the horsepower their lappy has, the general inconsistency is incredibly disconcerting to some folks and aggravates the hell out of everybody invloved.
I guess my point was to describe how pathetic the user experience was for these folks. You might be thinking ?oh this guy just doesn?t know how to set them up,? but I have quite a few people that would back up the fact that I do know how. The thing is, I just don?t find using windows an enjoyable experience anymore.
It just seems so damn needlessly tedious whereas linux is efficient but way to crude to make for a great desktop ?.
I probably sound like I am vouching for a mac, but the thing is, it?s more a rant against everything right now. I am not sure if I want a mac right now.
I?m just pissed off that they spent $1k and even when I came to help, they weren?t enjoying themselves.
Yah...my rants sucks?.I really wanted to install anything else on that lappy for them but didn?t have time ubuntu or suse?anything but that mess that was on there?.
Urgh?and yet I have no problem at all using windows for work or on my phone?go figure.
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