Falling into the Vista Trap

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Falling into the Vista Trap
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skedone

Joined: 19 Oct 2006
Posts: 351
Location: essex inbetween a blue bit and a green bit

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 07 12:15 pm Post subject:

what u need sage for there are far better accounting programs on linux that are sage combatilble also i use Redhat (fedcore 6) plus knoppix both have there merits and i have xp installed (but thats coz my mobile service equip) if u want one that does run windows programs out the box get linspire or its free version freespire both have wine built in and running and special install scripts that will run most microsoft products out the box along with sage ect

as for tcpa thats one reason i hate them and am glad i run athlon proccessors

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28111
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 07 12:28 pm Post subject:
Please point me to a SAGE compatible package!

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 07 1:13 pm Post subject:

dougal wrote:

bagpuss wrote:

I hope we can avoid vista for as long as possible but I am not sure we will be able to to

Though that does remind me

people should fill in the bbc consultation on iplayer to try and convince them tying it exclusively to windows is a bad idea

JB fill out the consultation form otherwise we might need to keep a microsoft machine around to utilise any of the bbc online content we have paid for

While I do agree that ramming the point home to the BBC cannot be a bad thing - the BBC Trust (which I believe used to be called the "board of governors") has already required that iPlayer be "platform agnostic".
https://www.ukfree.tv/fullstory.php?storyid=1107051202

However, the issue may NOT be cut and dried.

Linux, Mac (and other) non-Microsoft system users should note that they ARE consulting on a M$ monopoly

Here's Question 5 and my response

Quote:

Question 5
How important is it that the proposed seven-day catch-up service over the internet is available to consumers who are not using Microsoft software?

It is absolutely essential that no service be tied exclusively to any monopoly commercial provider.
Does the BBC plan to make any services available to solely to owners of Sony television sets or radios?
I hope I'm not alone in thinking that, even though I happen to own Sony products, such a move would be disastrous for the BBC.
While it may not be of great consequence today to *current* Microsoft customers, I think it wholly unacceptable that the BBC should contribute to "locking in" those customers to be forced to continue to be Microsoft customers in perpetuity.
It would be scandalous if Microsoft were to induce the BBC to do such a thing.
And it should be seen as equally scandalous if the BBC were to do it *without* having being bribed to do it.

mrutty

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1578

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 07 1:32 pm Post subject:

As much as I dislike etchasketch I have to agree with Dougal. The BBC is a public broadcaster and as such has certain obligations. Now I think pushing out a broadcast that was also VMS compatible would be a waste of money, they must look at the spread of IT systems in use by the licence payer and as long as there is say 10-25% useage then that IT system should also be able to use such a broadcast service.

skedone

Joined: 19 Oct 2006
Posts: 351
Location: essex inbetween a blue bit and a green bit

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 07 9:55 am Post subject:
do a google for "open source accounting program" without quotes i mean i use gnucash to do mine and i love it i know it open quicken files etc as that is what my accountant uses u can get there software at gnucash.org

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28111
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 07 10:36 am Post subject:

skedone wrote:

do a google for "open source accounting program" without quotes i mean i use gnucash to do mine and i love it i know it open quicken files etc as that is what my accountant uses u can get there software at gnucash.org

I tried that without finding any mention of SAGE compatability, and if SAGE is what my accounting uses, then SAGE is where it is at.

Maxwell Smart

Joined: 29 May 2005
Posts: 607
Location: London Town

Posted: Sat Mar 17, 07 12:15 am Post subject:

skedone wrote:

i was (am) a beta tester for vista i can tell u now i wont install ity on any of my pcs...

Have you tried any of the release candidates - they are a lot better than any of the betas. True you need an amazing machine and even then it can struggle but if you have the hardware its a fantastic os. I've been using a release candidate for about 4-5 months and love it.

I was ready to throw the betas out the window however. (no pun intended)

Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91ï¿½ N

Posted: Sat Mar 17, 07 11:46 pm Post subject:

Maxwell Smart wrote:

skedone wrote:

i was (am) a beta tester for vista i can tell u now i wont install ity on any of my pcs...

and therein lies a major problem. "you need an amazing machine"

If microsft really had their way then there would be an entire archaeological (try typing that after a good malt and a bottle of wine!) layer composed of machines thrown into landfill for no better reason than because bill gates thought you couldn't live without semi opaque windows.

OP

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 4661
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Sun Mar 18, 07 7:02 am Post subject:

I have Vista running on a fairly old 1.7 Athlon, and it seems fine. I don't think the hardware requirements are that demanding. I think there are some compatibility issues - we can't get an old MP3 player to sync with it for example, but nothing major.

Having said that, I am not sure there is a compelling reason to upgrade from XP (apart from the prettier interface), but on the other hand if you are getting a new PC there is no reason not to go with it.

I also have SUSE Linux on another PC, and agree with an earlier post that modern Linux can do most of what Windows can do - but also that it is far more difficult to install and configure. Until someone like Dell starts offering Linux pre-installed and properly configured I can't see Linux being a mass-market alternative.

Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91ï¿½ N

Posted: Sun Mar 18, 07 10:16 am Post subject:

orangepippin wrote:

I also have SUSE Linux on another PC, and agree with an earlier post that modern Linux can do most of what Windows can do - but also that it is far more difficult to install and configure. Until someone like Dell starts offering Linux pre-installed and properly configured I can't see Linux being a mass-market alternative.

That's part of the reason I changed to using Ubuntu for most of my linux platforms (well at least the desktop ones). It runs from a single CD install and provides all the MS compatible apps most people are likely to need.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 07 11:23 am Post subject:

dougal wrote:

bagpuss wrote:

JB fill out the consultation form otherwise we might need to keep a microsoft machine around to utilise any of the bbc online content we have paid for

Although that doesn't mean that they give everything equal priority...

And oddly enough, given the title of the thread in which this subject was raised - they've decided to start with XP plus Explorer 6, and WMP 10), not Vista, and justify that by saying

Quote:

It will go live to the general public in open beta on Friday, allowing the number of users to increase over the summer in a controlled manner, before a full launch in the autumn.

So they started with XP, let me get this straight, so that they wouldn't get too many users too quickly?
Orwell (a sometime BBC employee) would have recognised the Doublethink.
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6913297.stm

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 07 11:36 am Post subject:

dougal wrote:

So they started with XP, let me get this straight, so that they wouldn't get too many users too quickly?

You have a minor point here. 'Course they could have designed of for mac users, but they'd probably both have send a response to the BBC, enclosing a new version that works brilliantly for them, but no-one else.
Windows users are pragmatic - they're used to things not running and so wander off and find something else to do and try again later.

judyofthewoods

Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 804
Location: Pembrokeshire

Posted: Sat Jul 28, 07 12:26 am Post subject:

After my old laptop died a couple of weeks ago (luckily a brain transplant was possible) I had to get a new laptop, alas with Vista. There are a few features I like, and some I am getting used to, but the machine is no faster than my decrepid old machine was with a fraction of the RAM etc. There are a lot of anoying things, settings which won't stay put and more. And as for IE - crap, crap, crap. If Firefox hadn't become bloatwear, I would install it again without hesitation, but if I get really fed up with IE I might just do that anyway. I am sooo tempted to get XP installed. Any idea if one can go back on a new machine? I looked at the MS website for XP purchase, but was just sent around in circles.

skedone

Joined: 19 Oct 2006
Posts: 351
Location: essex inbetween a blue bit and a green bit

Posted: Sat Jul 28, 07 6:06 pm Post subject:
yes of course u can go back to xp mate thats what i did and would not use vista like i said. Also so many vendors are dropping it that Microsoft are now making a new os already lol as for Mozilla don't worry mate its far less bloatware than ie7 and has the added bonus of being able to stop a seven year old taking over your hole pc with 2 lines of hidden code in a website lol unlike ie7 lol

judyofthewoods

Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 804
Location: Pembrokeshire

Posted: Sat Jul 28, 07 11:31 pm Post subject:

Thanks skedone. I called the computer shop today, and they could fit me out with XP, including work for £80. Confirmed too, that the computer would be faster with XP, which begs the question, what good is Vista for? Glossy buttons? Well, guess I have to have something pretty to look at when I have to wait 5 seconds for each photo preview to load, which rather adds up when you are editing a stack of them. Maybe I should also go back to Firefox. Hopefully they can omit IE from the outset, just a waste of hard drive space. Rant over.

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