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Topic
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Operating system for work, as opposed to app-oriented commerce ecosystem
LockedWe’re sourcing a new laptop for our daughter who starts college in the fall. The university recommends anything running a relatively new version of Microsoft Windows or Apple OS. She is familiar with Windows and uses Office 2010 interface and Windows Vista on her 4-year-old Dell Inspiron. She likes her Dell and wants a new one; there are Mac users in the family and she has never liked them, so Dell/Microsoft it is. Is there an easy way to use the latest version of Windows and avoid this app foolery?
I run Windows 8 on my work machine (no touch screen) and find it the most annoying human interface I’ve ever encountered, bar none. My problem is that Microsoft has optimized it for interfacing with entities that sell things–it’s a market ecosystem rather than a work environment. We’re all used to this with our smart phones (iPhone), but frankly it seems an affront when I’m sitting at a desk trying to do work.
My daughter knows she will be learning a new interface and has several weeks before school starts to get used to it. We may have to buy into an extended service agreement as her university computer store does not have an offer that includes onsite warranty maintenance for 4 years like some other universities do. The plan is that she’ll have a useful computer for 4 years. In terms of price, we are comfortable in the mid-high range; should we spring for a touch-screen version or not? Should we buy into the annual licensing arrangement of Office 365 or stick with Microsoft Office?
Thanks!