Windows Vista is everyone's favorite tech punching bag, and not without reason. But the reviled operating system has some amazing potential and with some tweaks and a few utilities, you can do what Redmond didn't: make Vista great.
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Member since:2007-04-29
your isp helpdesk for internet trouble, most likely they support osx/windows but not your linux distro.
and for the dutch microsoft support : http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support?LN=nl
there is a hotline you could call, there is usenet support and some other stuff.
feel free to say windows is crap, their helpdesk sucks or people have trouble pinpointing the nature of their problems. but windows is fully supported by all hardware manufacturers. with nearly all products you have phone support. you are just not part of the target audience.
Member since:2005-08-18
Good thing there's no usenet support for FOSS software...
What color is the sky in your world? Good luck getting support from any of the numerous hardware manufacturers when your shiny new equipment does not work or there's a bug in their driver (3rd party drivers are always of the "highest" quality in Windows, arent they). You'll be lucky if they even have a support forum or an updated driver.
I"m not saying FOSS is any better (or worse) but saying Windows is fully vendor supported is, quite frankly, bull.
Member since:2005-07-06
I don't want to dissent any other part of your comment. But can you please stop telling this myth?!
Seriously!
I agree. Unless one happens to be from multi-billion dollar mega corporation - its delusional to think that Microsoft (or infact any software company) actually gives a toss about a lowly end user and their problems with Windows. Unless those with the dollars are complaining - one has Buckley's chance of getting problems fixed.
Member since:2005-08-11
"I don't want to dissent any other part of your comment. But can you please stop telling this myth?"
Businesses want support, and are willing to pay for it. The old saying still holds: Nobody ever got fired for buying MS (used to be ibm).
Every retail version of Windows comes with 2 free incidents. Just because people don't use them doesn't mean they are not there.
"Every time Windows gets broken the only real "solution" most people have is a reinstall"
Theres a myth YOU should stop telling, That hasn't been the case since Windows ME. NT based systems just don't act that way, especially XP or Vista. They are much more stable. They also don't need to be reinstalled every 6 months either.
It's not 1998 anymore.
Member since:2005-10-10
I hate to break it to you buddy, but linux users get over 2 billion free support calls just via a different channel.
And linux doesn't play up at all except for third party drivers like windows.
So like windows, if your drivers are borked then you're up the creek with no paddle, it doesn't matter what OS you use!
At least with linux if it's super important, you can employ someone relatively cheaply just to fix your issue, I've not had the same luxury from windows!
Member since:2006-02-05
Everywhere I have ever lived (albeit that has all been fairly large cities) there are small computer shops in the area, and independent computer repair guys in the phone book, and both deal exclusively with windows.
For OSX, there is the Genius Bar in the apple stores, and the odd independent licensed reseller that will help you out. Both will be in the phone book.
For linux, there is nothing but online forums (which exist for both osx and windows as well), business support licenses (which also exist for everyone), and a do-it-yourself attitude.
If you are unskilled, have no job, or are in the extreme minority of people who actually enjoy doing this, spending hours and hours of your life fixing your own problems is not so much of a problem. For the other 99% of the world, there are plenty of options available to them that will take way less time then becoming a unix expert.
Member since:2006-10-28
"If you are unskilled, have no job, or are in the extreme minority of people who actually enjoy doing this, spending hours and hours of your life fixing your own problems is not so much of a problem. For the other 99% of the world, there are plenty of options available to them that will take way less time then becoming a unix expert."
- google_ninja
Attitudes like this are what prevent FOSS from taking off. There is some work involved in setting up but in the long run, I have found that once set up, linux gives me far less problems than windows does it it never gives me that annoyed/pissed off feeling that MS products give me for some reason.
To set up ubuntu (to be fully functional) on my somewhat exotic (as x86 hardware goes) iMac, it took me 2 hours to find drivers/read through forums and 15 mins to actually do the set up. For the future, I saved the drivers I needed and know their names (to find updated versions if necessary) and can get the post install set up (additional drivers) in about 20 mins incl. getting updated drivers. Thats not bad for a system that has never crashed on me in years (I have had multiple machines with many distros of linux, all trouble free for about 6? years in a row). I'm not saying that a *nix illiterate will be able to do this but if they get a friend to set up, they'll be set for a long trouble free time with their computer.
P.S - Message to the faint hearted - Feel free to disagree with me because this is just my opinion and please don't take this personally
Edited 2008-10-16 01:44 UTC
Member since:2005-09-13
//Name me one hotline where you would call and complain if your system starts to crash, programs don't work anymore or any other typical mess, AND get a satisfying answer to solve your problem. //
Erm ... Dell support ... HP support ... Sony support ... Gateway support ... IBM/Lenovo support ... Toshiba support .... Fujitsu support ....
Satisfied?
Most folks buy systems from one of the above .... and typically call them when they have a problem.
Member since:
2006-01-16
"full vendor support they can call and complain to when something's broken"
I don't want to dissent any other part of your comment. But can you please stop telling this myth?!
Seriously!
The only help with Windows the ordinary end user gets is from his Windows-knowing peers. Name me one hotline where you would call and complain if your system starts to crash, programs don't work anymore or any other typical mess, AND get a satisfying answer to solve your problem.
Every time Windows gets broken the only real "solution" most people have is a reinstall, while also a disturbingly big portion of them just arrange themselves with the problem. Perhaps they are lucky to know somebody who can fix it, but calling the vendor isn't fixing it for them at all.