[Tfug] 2 weeks of Hackintosh fun..

[Bexley Hall]

--- On Sun, 11/9/08, Andrew Ayre <andy at britishideas.com> wrote:

> My wife uses Ubuntu. She is not into computers and
> doesn't really care what is running. But she uses Ubuntu
> without problems to:
>   - email
>   - look at web pages and videos
>   - transfer pictures from her digital camera and edit them
>   - create documents and spreadsheets
>   - print
>   - write reminder notes
>   - play games
> I set her up with Ubuntu because it doesn't crash or
> break while she is using it. I was tired of endless XP
> problems.
> 
> I guess the real work you do is something other than this?
> Please be more specific. Thanks.

Take away her IT department ( <grin> ) and give her a live CD.
Give her a brand-spanking new machine to sit in front of.
Supposedly, "an hour or so" (I believe that is the quote?)
later she should be back where she started, right?  <frown>

If you've written any code, you know that its a cakewalk
to get something running "steady state" -- the problem is always
startup/shutdown and error handling.  I suspect anyone reading
this could "fly" the Space Shuttle -- *if* someone else got it
airborn for us!  :>

You can't just say, "well, he/she has no problem using this" and
handwave away all that came before/after.  What happens when she
replaces her printer?  Or, her camera?  Or, switches to a different
ISP?  Or different email account, etc.?  When her tech support
department (i.e. *you*) isn't there, does she find these things
just as "easy" to do?

Note how many businesses run Linux (discounting as "servers")
for their desktops.  Or NetBSD.  Or FreeBSD.  Etc.  People
pay the MS/Apple "premiums" because they want something that
is familiar to their users, "supported", etc.  I look at
firms with 1,000 - 10,000 seats and say, "Why the hell are you
going to spend a few megadollars "upgrading" to MS<blah>?
At the very least, why not stay with MS<foo>!"  Despite
their size (i.e., clout among their vendors/suppliers) they
almost always claim they "have to" upgrade to keep things
working (with systems and software to which they interface).

<shrug>

Start your own business.  Then, start keeping track of what it
costs you to keep your "technology" running <however>.  You
will be *amazed* at the cost!  (even if all you are doing is
"typing term papers" for folks)