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Author Topic:   Windows 8
Jon
Inactive Member


Message 16 of 97 (753968)
03-23-2015 4:30 PM


Open Source vs. Hello Kitty
Ultimately, I think open source is the future.
Where I work, we are getting rid of our primary software app in exchange for an open source application. At present, there are certain tasks that require three different applications to complete and even then they aren't well done. I anticipate that within a few months to a year on the new system, we'll have an application that is perfectly suited to handling all the work we do.
As I pointed out in Message 1, businesses are tired of having to waste their employees' productivity learning to do the same thing in different ways for no reason other than because someone thought some change was in order.
Businesses see no point in updating to shinier models lacking any real improvements in functionality and will soon get sick of doing so every couple years for the sake of MS's forced obsolescence.Can you imagine every improvement to automobile engines being accompanied by a change in how they are driven? What's the point of the touch-screen interface in Windows 8? Most people on a PC can't even take advantage of it. But it's part of the package that's paid for when one upgrades. Smart businesses know better than to pay for crap they don't need and can't use.
If software companies like MS continue in their effort to increase profits by making an ounce of improvement and adding a tone of chrome, more sensible businesses (especially the larger ones with capable IT departments) will switch to open source for everything they do and leave weasels like out in the cold.
And comparing the people who believe in using computers for real work (instead of for just looking like they're doing real work) to dinosaurs isn't going to stave off the inevitable.

Love your enemies!

Replies to this message:
 Message 19 by coffee_addict, posted 03-23-2015 4:49 PM Jon has replied
 Message 20 by Percy, posted 03-23-2015 4:55 PM Jon has seen this message but not replied

  
Jon
Inactive Member


Message 17 of 97 (753972)
03-23-2015 4:33 PM
Reply to: Message 4 by coffee_addict
03-23-2015 10:45 AM


You made bold declarations about a system and then say you don't even use the system you made bold declarations about. Just like how phat is trying to tell people how to have a relationship when he never had any himself.
I have used Windows 8.
And that's the reason I don't use it on a regular basis.

Love your enemies!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 4 by coffee_addict, posted 03-23-2015 10:45 AM coffee_addict has replied

Replies to this message:
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coffee_addict
Member (Idle past 476 days)
Posts: 3645
From: Indianapolis, IN
Joined: 03-29-2004


Message 18 of 97 (753976)
03-23-2015 4:40 PM
Reply to: Message 17 by Jon
03-23-2015 4:33 PM


There are plenty of young earth creationists who have taken a biology class in college and also plenty of young earth creationists who have worked on a graduate degree in biology. Doesn't mean they are any less wrong.

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 Message 17 by Jon, posted 03-23-2015 4:33 PM Jon has not replied

  
coffee_addict
Member (Idle past 476 days)
Posts: 3645
From: Indianapolis, IN
Joined: 03-29-2004


Message 19 of 97 (753983)
03-23-2015 4:49 PM
Reply to: Message 16 by Jon
03-23-2015 4:30 PM


Re: Open Source vs. Hello Kitty
You might want to spend some time watching the following lecture.
I used to be a dedicated supporter of linux development. In fact, I used to donate $300/month of my own money to various linux projects. Here's the problem. They were always thousands or tens of thousands of dollars below their goals.
I can't eat on people's good will. If anything, open source has proven to be a failure. I know this because I used to contribute to various open source projects, both with my money and labor. Again, I can't eat people's good will.
There is no doubt that open source software will continue to linger on for many generations to come. But it will be just that. And kudos to all the believers that continue to support it.
Allow me make another guess. You are like a college student, yes?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 16 by Jon, posted 03-23-2015 4:30 PM Jon has replied

Replies to this message:
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Percy
Member
Posts: 22390
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 20 of 97 (753987)
03-23-2015 4:55 PM
Reply to: Message 16 by Jon
03-23-2015 4:30 PM


Re: Open Source vs. Hello Kitty
This sounds similar to the point I made over at Message 17 in the Computer Help Please? thread. If you're already productive in your current environment, then why upgrade? One reason would be if changing provides improved productivity. Another reason may be discontinued support. But short of a good reason my rule of thumb is to not upgrade - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I broke this rule a few months ago and upgraded the Overdrive app (online book and audiobook library checkout/download software). It no longer works for the wma format for the iPod. I can only check out MP3 audiobooks now.
I use an old editor called Emacs. I'm very productive with it. IDE's are nice, I think I could be productive with them, too, but not so much more productive that it'd be worth switching.
I still don't have a smart phone. They're neat, but I'm not interested in texting or tweeting or Words with Friends or keeping my Facebook page up to date. I already have too many interests.
Everyone in my group at work (before I retired last year) had a smart phone. I used to taunt them into contests. One was where I'd suggest a scenario where their wife has just called and asked them to pick up milk, eggs, cottage cheese and hamburger at the supermarket on the way home. How fast can they enter that list into their smart phone. I would pull out my notepad and be done in about 15 seconds, the first smart phone guy wouldn't finish for at least another minute.
The way I see it, if you don't have enough activities and hobbies and you're bored, technology provides many very entertaining distractions, and upgrading to the latest and greatest can be one of them. But if you're already busy - meh!
--Percy

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Replies to this message:
 Message 22 by ThinAirDesigns, posted 03-23-2015 5:08 PM Percy has replied

  
Jon
Inactive Member


Message 21 of 97 (753993)
03-23-2015 5:07 PM
Reply to: Message 19 by coffee_addict
03-23-2015 4:49 PM


Re: Open Source vs. Hello Kitty
Open source doesn't have to equal free.

Love your enemies!

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 Message 19 by coffee_addict, posted 03-23-2015 4:49 PM coffee_addict has not replied

  
ThinAirDesigns
Member (Idle past 2373 days)
Posts: 564
Joined: 02-12-2015


Message 22 of 97 (753994)
03-23-2015 5:08 PM
Reply to: Message 20 by Percy
03-23-2015 4:55 PM


Re: Open Source vs. Hello Kitty
Percy writes:
Everyone in my group at work (before I retired last year) had a smart phone. I used to taunt them into contests. One was where I'd suggest a scenario where their wife has just called and asked them to pick up milk, eggs, cottage cheese and hamburger at the supermarket on the way home. How fast can they enter that list into their smart phone. I would pull out my notepad and be done in about 15 seconds, the first smart phone guy wouldn't finish for at least another minute.
Not to render your point invalid (because it is valid), but with one click on the front of my android, I can voice record that list faster than you can write it and it will save both an audio and text copy.
Things improve.
JB

This message is a reply to:
 Message 20 by Percy, posted 03-23-2015 4:55 PM Percy has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 24 by Jon, posted 03-23-2015 5:15 PM ThinAirDesigns has not replied
 Message 26 by Percy, posted 03-23-2015 5:33 PM ThinAirDesigns has not replied

  
ThinAirDesigns
Member (Idle past 2373 days)
Posts: 564
Joined: 02-12-2015


Message 23 of 97 (753995)
03-23-2015 5:10 PM


And as a general note on Window 8, I HATED it on my first laptop. I mean I had to control my urges to destroy the machine. Next laptop has a touch screen and I now quite enjoy it.
It was designed for a touchscreen and without that you want to kill it. (I also run "Classic Shell" for when I'm not using it as a touchscreen.
JB

  
Jon
Inactive Member


Message 24 of 97 (753997)
03-23-2015 5:15 PM
Reply to: Message 22 by ThinAirDesigns
03-23-2015 5:08 PM


Re: Open Source vs. Hello Kitty
Not to render your point invalid (because it is valid), but with one click on the front of my android, I can voice record that list faster than you can write it and it will save both an audio and text copy.
And all your coworkers will know what you're having for dinner

Love your enemies!

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Son Goku
Inactive Member


Message 25 of 97 (753999)
03-23-2015 5:31 PM


.NET
Actually coffee_addict what language do you use VB.Net, C#, C++, if C++ is it on the CLR (i.e. C++/CLI) or native? Any preferences if you've tried a couple of these.

Replies to this message:
 Message 27 by coffee_addict, posted 03-23-2015 5:41 PM Son Goku has replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22390
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


(1)
Message 26 of 97 (754000)
03-23-2015 5:33 PM
Reply to: Message 22 by ThinAirDesigns
03-23-2015 5:08 PM


Re: Open Source vs. Hello Kitty
ThinAirDesigns writes:
Not to render your point invalid (because it is valid), but with one click on the front of my android, I can voice record that list faster than you can write it and it will save both an audio and text copy.
To give you more detail, I tell everyone who tries to talk me into getting a smart phone now is that I'm waiting for certain features, and being able to talk to the phone is one of them. I'd love to be able to do what you just described, but I have a feeling that if we went head-to-head I'd still win by a wide margin.
It didn't matter what my friends at work did, whether typing or using voice recognition, they'd always lose. I'm no expert on what went wrong because it was them using the smart phones and not me, but maneuvering to the right app was one problem, and for those using voice recognition getting the recognition part accurate was a big problem. The iPhones using Siri did pretty good, but you couldn't create a new list using voice recognition. Creating a new list had to be done manually.
I will eventually get a smart phone, but they have to get better. For example, I often get my best ideas in the car. I wish I could just talk them into my phone and have them automatically integrated into my database (that exists as notes in files right now) by date and subject.
Or how about this. My wife calls me at work and tells me to pick up some things at the supermarket on the way home, and my phone, listening, automatically puts the items on a list. By the time I'm actually on my way home I've forgotten, but when I drive by the supermarket my phone pipes up and says, "Did you forget that you have to go to the supermarket?" Now that's a smart phone!
--Percy

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coffee_addict
Member (Idle past 476 days)
Posts: 3645
From: Indianapolis, IN
Joined: 03-29-2004


Message 27 of 97 (754004)
03-23-2015 5:41 PM
Reply to: Message 25 by Son Goku
03-23-2015 5:31 PM


Re: .NET
Mostly C# and C++ native. I used to code in Java. And back in grad school, I used Fortran a lot more extensively. Why?

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
 Message 28 by Percy, posted 03-23-2015 5:51 PM coffee_addict has replied
 Message 30 by Son Goku, posted 03-23-2015 6:34 PM coffee_addict has not replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22390
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 28 of 97 (754007)
03-23-2015 5:51 PM
Reply to: Message 27 by coffee_addict
03-23-2015 5:41 PM


Re: .NET
coffee_addict writes:
Mostly C# and C++ native. I used to code in Java. And back in grad school, I used Fortran a lot more extensively.
Now you've got me curious. From Fortran to Java, C# and C++ is not a transition one sees very often. Either there was long empty space between Fortran and the more recent languages, or grad school was maybe not so long ago and you inexplicably used Fortran. Were you a physics major?
--Percy

This message is a reply to:
 Message 27 by coffee_addict, posted 03-23-2015 5:41 PM coffee_addict has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 29 by coffee_addict, posted 03-23-2015 6:23 PM Percy has seen this message but not replied

  
coffee_addict
Member (Idle past 476 days)
Posts: 3645
From: Indianapolis, IN
Joined: 03-29-2004


(1)
Message 29 of 97 (754011)
03-23-2015 6:23 PM
Reply to: Message 28 by Percy
03-23-2015 5:51 PM


Re: .NET
The only formal programming I ever took was intro to Java in my 1st year. Started taking physics courses and learning Fortran informally seemed a logical choice. After I joined the real life, I figured out that Java, C#, and C++ along with the more visual languages like html and xaml had more practical applications. So, over the last few years I've been learning on my own these things. Along the way, I improved my skills by participating in various projects.
What bothers me nowadays is the freemium movement. One of my apps in the windows store that is paying for our house is considered a little pricier than most. And I've gotten many angry emails from strangers demanding that I make it 99 cents instead of charging $9.99 for it. Their reason? It's only an app, so nothing should cost more than 99 cents. My response is always the same: please use another app where there's no quality at all and the developer never reply to email.
I'm constantly perplexed by people's willingness to make others work for free.

This message is a reply to:
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Son Goku
Inactive Member


Message 30 of 97 (754013)
03-23-2015 6:34 PM
Reply to: Message 27 by coffee_addict
03-23-2015 5:41 PM


Re: .NET
Similar to myself actually! Fortran in grad school (Percy, for me grad school was recent enough, it's still heavily used in particle physics) and the three big .NET languages (C#, VB.NET and F#) and native C++.
No real reason why, just saw you wrote for the app store and wondered which languages you used.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 27 by coffee_addict, posted 03-23-2015 5:41 PM coffee_addict has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 31 by xongsmith, posted 03-23-2015 8:18 PM Son Goku has replied

  
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