SansBlogue: What's in a name?

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Over the last few weeks I have been tormentedby Windows Vista, the opperating system from Hell has:

destroyed by diary, to the extent that I wonder if I can justify the purchase of a Google Calendar compatible phone as an alternative to formatting the harddrive to start fresh,
refused to permit me to use my memory stick, making me late for church as I emailed the file to myself on another computer, to put it on the USB stick,
intermittently synched my email so that I have lost really important messages (don't ask, somehow it overwrote to good copy with the difficient one),
and generally consumed hours every day to no productive purpose

Yes, you are right I should have 7, but the pringt on the sticker on the base of my laptop giving the reference number of the OS has worn off (because I dare to use it on my lap - how could ANYONE use a laptop anywhere but on a desk?!?) and Acer will not accept the number the software divulges. I would rather learn a new OS (and install Linux) than pay Microsoft to save me from Microsoft!

But, I noticed a pattern. OSs with stupid twee names, like "Vista" or "Me" don't work. Or like "Windows" itself they only work when they reach a later itteration (in that case 3.1 for XP a mere service pack did the trick). The reason is obvious, if the OS sucks then give it a stupid name in the homes no one will notice... and then I read Judy's post on things she hates about abstracts and other aspects of academic publishing... scholars do it too! Got a paper whose arguments don't stack up? Give it a stupid title, and hope no one will notice. If Judy is right we probably won't, because none of us will actually read the thing ;)

Shame we can't just ignore OSs with stupid names... but manufacturers install them for us, so we can't. Though we can go Open Source :) So should I install Karmic Koala, or wait for the more sensible sounding Lucid Lynx?

Labels: digital, entertainment, hell

¶ 3:12 PM

[to Del.icio.us]

Windows 7 is actually OK, though. If you found your way around Vista, then it will feel familiar (I *didn't* but I can do Vista if I have to now that I have 7) but it works really nicely. I always swore I wouldn't install a Windows operating system until they'd at least released the first Service Pack. I really, really needed a new laptop, though, and Vista wouldn't let me install my Coptic keyboard, so I waited until the day after Dell started selling laptops with 7 installed and bought one. I've been using it for four months now with no problem except those caused by my failure to realise that I had ordered the 64 bit version which causes some hardware compatibility problems. Of course, I *am* running Ultimate on a quite powerful system, but something that will run Vista well will run 7 well too.

By Judy Redman, at March 4, 2010 9:54 PM

Tim, I've been using Ubuntu for abotu 4 years. It was a small learning curve but it is very stable and works.

The only thing that might cause you problems is if youve got libronix and the like, they might not work without a larger learning curve!

By Graham Doel, at March 4, 2010 11:36 PM

Judy,

Yes, that's what I hear, but it just seems wrong to pay someone to fix the mess they made!

Graeme,

It is Bible works (absolutely vital for the Bible texts etc.) and Libronix (really really useful as a portable library) that stop me, I am told BW runs well in Wine, but doubt that Libronix would it's such a Microsoft of a program, trying to do everything for you all the time.

By Tim, at March 5, 2010 6:31 AM

Actually, it's a portable - not a "lap" top. Apparently a few years ago someone got burnt from the heat of the processor so close to their legs, so they changed the term.

By scrubone, at March 5, 2010 9:37 AM

Mine was sold as a "laptop", and that's how I use it, I also own a portable, but it was much cheaper is smaller and less powerful, but actually works. The only feature it lacks is Windows Vista, no doubt is someone had had the good sense to install the opperating system from Hell it would be a useless but expeensive pile of junk too!

By Tim, at March 7, 2010 4:08 PM

I love my mac!

Tim, i discovered your reading in th Woman in White - it was brilliant.

Did I say Mac's rock - apple macs that is.

I am looking forward to hearing and reading more of you

By ALICE, at March 11, 2010 1:00 PM

Thank's Alice :) I can't change to a Mac, partly because I have this nice fairly new laptop, and also because I have lots of expensive reference books and biblical texts in PC format - that if I go to Linux I'll have to run those programs in an emulator is one of the things delaying this move ;)

The Woman in White was an interesting project, sometime I want to listen to the whole thing and see how it works with different literal voices doing the different narrative voices, and also to find out the whole story (at present I only know Walter's version)!

By Tim, at March 11, 2010 1:31 PM