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To start at the end. I use none of the apps you mention, so for me that's not really relevant to me. That's kind of the point, particularly when the OSS/Linux crowd start. The things I want, in both my work and home environment include the ability to run certain specific apps, mostly commercial ones. There are some OSS aps I use but not all of them.
For example, people say I could use Libre/... office. It's of no use to me at work as none of our standard Excel templates would work. They all have a lot of embedded code, mainly to protect the user and to enable me to guarantee the results are correct. For example a workbook that lets businesses make accurate predictions of their tax bill. Accurate to the cent even for complex business structures. That is an absolute requirement in my work environment.
I'm not saying OSS/Linux is not useful, just that it is not an option for me given my requirements.
I understand completely what you mean by "consumers", but I don't agree with changing the meaning of a word to suit some marketer. And I don't like they way it labels people. I've struggled all my life with peoples assumptions about me. It "annoys" me when a person makes an assumption about me that turns out to be wrong and then somehow blames me? How an I in the wrong because of someone else's invalid assumptions?
Let me tell you a story about how well MS staff are at using their own software. When 95 was in beta, one of the testers managed to drag the task bar down so it wasn't visible. When he spoke to beta support at MS, they told him no one knew how to fix it and all they could suggest was a wipe and re-install. Ever since then, I really don't take any notice of what MS say about how to use their OS or what they can or can't do. I suspect a lot of what MS are saying is not about what it can do, but about the image or concept they want to sell us. I buy it and use it the way I want to and expect others to do the same.
I've learned every other version of Win the same way. By working through every screen/dialog, every More and Advanced button and working out what they do. by opening up every little app and doing the same. Same way I learn Office on each upgrade.
When I comment, I am talking about my experiences, not those of others. I cannot know what they do, and I really don't care if I'm not supporting them at work. I like certain things in an OS that others don't and dislike what others love. This is normal.
I'm not trying to brag, but I work in a team of 25, many of whom have various MS certifications. Not one of them knows half the tricks and shortcuts in Windows and Office I've worked out over the years. So many see a new way to do something and for some reason think the old way no longer works. That is almost never the case and it's a matter of taking what works better and blending it with that staff that still works well.
The Q&A you quote sounds to me like they are specifically talking about WinRT or "Metro" apps. I would agree on that basis, but it's not the whole story. If, for example instead of a start button, I have to go to a start screen, and that takes one click. How is it worse than a start button that needs one click to open? It's the same thing. You can of course still pin apps to the taskbar in the desktop interface, and I already use that almost exclusively to start and switch between things now. How is that worse?
One thing I'm not happy about is the loss of Aero. I like an attractive interface rather than an ugly one. I puts me in a better mood! The coloured squares and solid colours are Super B_tt Ugly!
All this probably comes across as arrogance, but that's really not what I'm about. It's just that I've always been someone that finds the "norm" a bore, and made my own choices. From primary school onward, this has been the case. I try not to make choices that harm others, and I'll help anyone that asks me to, even if it's to use something I would not. What I write, as I said, is about my personal experience and knowledge which is really all any of us can know. I'm not arrogant enough to assume I know what others are or are not able to do or what they might prefer, and I expect others to act the same.
Finally, I'm not here to get into an argument with you, or anyone else. I often respond to categorical statements (and I'm also guilty of making them), when they don't apply categorically. I expect writers/bloggers/... to be accurate in their language. It's their specialty after all. I also expect the title of an article to accurately reflect the content, something that is becoming rarer as time goes on.
Regards
For example, people say I could use Libre/... office. It's of no use to me at work as none of our standard Excel templates would work. They all have a lot of embedded code, mainly to protect the user and to enable me to guarantee the results are correct. For example a workbook that lets businesses make accurate predictions of their tax bill. Accurate to the cent even for complex business structures. That is an absolute requirement in my work environment.
I'm not saying OSS/Linux is not useful, just that it is not an option for me given my requirements.
I understand completely what you mean by "consumers", but I don't agree with changing the meaning of a word to suit some marketer. And I don't like they way it labels people. I've struggled all my life with peoples assumptions about me. It "annoys" me when a person makes an assumption about me that turns out to be wrong and then somehow blames me? How an I in the wrong because of someone else's invalid assumptions?
Let me tell you a story about how well MS staff are at using their own software. When 95 was in beta, one of the testers managed to drag the task bar down so it wasn't visible. When he spoke to beta support at MS, they told him no one knew how to fix it and all they could suggest was a wipe and re-install. Ever since then, I really don't take any notice of what MS say about how to use their OS or what they can or can't do. I suspect a lot of what MS are saying is not about what it can do, but about the image or concept they want to sell us. I buy it and use it the way I want to and expect others to do the same.
I've learned every other version of Win the same way. By working through every screen/dialog, every More and Advanced button and working out what they do. by opening up every little app and doing the same. Same way I learn Office on each upgrade.
When I comment, I am talking about my experiences, not those of others. I cannot know what they do, and I really don't care if I'm not supporting them at work. I like certain things in an OS that others don't and dislike what others love. This is normal.
I'm not trying to brag, but I work in a team of 25, many of whom have various MS certifications. Not one of them knows half the tricks and shortcuts in Windows and Office I've worked out over the years. So many see a new way to do something and for some reason think the old way no longer works. That is almost never the case and it's a matter of taking what works better and blending it with that staff that still works well.
The Q&A you quote sounds to me like they are specifically talking about WinRT or "Metro" apps. I would agree on that basis, but it's not the whole story. If, for example instead of a start button, I have to go to a start screen, and that takes one click. How is it worse than a start button that needs one click to open? It's the same thing. You can of course still pin apps to the taskbar in the desktop interface, and I already use that almost exclusively to start and switch between things now. How is that worse?
One thing I'm not happy about is the loss of Aero. I like an attractive interface rather than an ugly one. I puts me in a better mood! The coloured squares and solid colours are Super B_tt Ugly!
All this probably comes across as arrogance, but that's really not what I'm about. It's just that I've always been someone that finds the "norm" a bore, and made my own choices. From primary school onward, this has been the case. I try not to make choices that harm others, and I'll help anyone that asks me to, even if it's to use something I would not. What I write, as I said, is about my personal experience and knowledge which is really all any of us can know. I'm not arrogant enough to assume I know what others are or are not able to do or what they might prefer, and I expect others to act the same.
Finally, I'm not here to get into an argument with you, or anyone else. I often respond to categorical statements (and I'm also guilty of making them), when they don't apply categorically. I expect writers/bloggers/... to be accurate in their language. It's their specialty after all. I also expect the title of an article to accurately reflect the content, something that is becoming rarer as time goes on.
Regards
Posted by dogknees
5th Nov
