Modern Life Is Rubbish

[RollingJ]

1 hour ago, trastrick said:

Used to be you bought an App and installed it on your personal computer, and that was it. You were free to buy, or not buy the product.

 

Now the Software manufacturers have required, in the name of "security" to control your computer to allow you to communicate with other computers using proprietary software, like Word, Excel, Email, Adobe PDF, which are the monopolistic standards, used by government and big business around the world.

 

Typical users now must have an account for each, with it's own sign in account, Windows, Microsoft Office, Google, Hotmail etc.

 

And every time you agree to set up an account and install the stuff, and click "agree" to abide by it's conditions and terms of use, you give up more and more control over your machine, and what is does online as soon as you switch it on!

 

As in government, Twitter, Facebook, and computing, your servant has become your master!

 

Most folks are happy with this arrangement. They are in the "Majority".

 

So life goes on

There are other (often free) applications which you can use in place of these, which will happily achieve the same results. To use your quoted examples (for Windows machines): Word and Excel have equivalents in Open Office or Libre Office, Email - numerous option, the best being Thunderbird, Adobe, again numerous options such as Sumatra PDF.

[trastrick]

14 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

There are other (often free) applications which you can use in place of these, which will happily achieve the same results. To use your quoted examples (for Windows machines): Word and Excel have equivalents in Open Office or Libre Office, Email - numerous option, the best being Thunderbird, Adobe, again numerous options such as Sumatra PDF.

True enough, but most non - IT folks go with    the flow, what their peers have. There are alternatives to Facebook and Twitter, but most don’t want to try something new (early adopters) so they go with the industry standards, PCs for business and LAN, and most other casual users, Apple products for cool folks who like designer labels, and are willing to pay for it.

 

Edited March 13, 2023 by trastrick

[RollingJ]

3 minutes ago, trastrick said:

True enough, but most non - IT folks go with    the flow, what their peers have. There are alternatives to Facebook and Twitter, but most don’t want to try something new (early adopters) so they go with the industry standards, PCs for business and LAN, and most other casual users, Apple products for cool folks who like designer labels, and are willing to pay for it.

 

Agreed. Mind you, I started out on Windows (W95), but in the last couple of years have switched to GNU/Linux, as any MS OS after W7 is a pain.

Yes, there is a bit of a 'learning curve' in the changeover, but there are OSes which are (earlier) Windows-like and not hard to adapt to. If I can do it (at 66), younger folk should be capable.

[Chekhov]

1 hour ago, Prettytom said:

Here you are Checkers.

Hope that this helps:

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/work-learning/technology-internet/

Thank you for your assistance, but if that info is only available on a website that is no good to me........

Edited March 13, 2023 by Chekhov

[RollingJ]

Just now, Chekhov said:

Thank you for your assistance, but if that info is only available on a website that is no good to me........

Why? - you are using the internet to post your (usually inaccurate) rants.

[Annie Bynnol]

  You may own the computer but you don't own Windows- you contract to a EULA (end user licence agreement) and that's what we are- a user who has purchased a license and has agreed to everything they say. Nearly all major commercial software do the same.

[RollingJ]

Just now, Annie Bynnol said:

  You may own the computer but you don't own Windows- you contract to a EULA (end user licence agreement) and that's what we are- a user who has purchased a license and has agreed to everything they say. Nearly all major commercial software do the same.

So move to free options - there are many out there.

[trastrick]

15 hours ago, RollingJ said:

Agreed. Mind you, I started out on Windows (W95), but in the last couple of years have switched to GNU/Linux, as any MS OS after W7 is a pain.

Yes, there is a bit of a 'learning curve' in the changeover, but there are OSes which are (earlier) Windows-like and not hard to adapt to. If I can do it (at 66), younger folk should be capable.

Most commercially sold PCs come with all kinds of pre-loaded stuff that is click and go. And if you click go, you might not see those other little programs that are installed by default, After spending a day or so cleaning up a new machine and making it LAN ready for the office, We graduated to having our PCs built by DELL to include only the software we needed. No conflicting virus software or the ubiquitous Edge that Microsoft keeps pushing at you.

 

I started out with DOS,  and WordPerfect, the old blue screen. Went to Macs when the came out with WYSIWYG, Excel, Write and Draw, with that handy new "mouse".. Back to Windows 3.1 when the first LANs with file sharing was introduced.

 

I got to where I could recognise almost all the files on a PC, and their purpose. No more! It's impossible.

 

One app I kept From Win 95 was Freecell (the original old classic version) that I got to run in all my subsequent versions including Win 10. Handy brain exercise while waiting for downloads etc.

 

 

Edited March 14, 2023 by trastrick

[RollingJ]

2 minutes ago, trastrick said:

Most commercially sold PCs come with all kinds of pre-loaded stuff that is click and go. And if you click go, you might not see those other little programs that are installed by default, After spending a day or so cleaning up a new machine and making it LAN ready for the office, We graduated to having our PCs built by DELL to include only the software we needed. No conflicting virus software or the ubiquitous Edge that Microsoft keeps pushing at you.

 

I started out with DOS,  and WordPerfect, the old blue screen. Went to Macs when the came out with WYSIWYG, Excel, Write and Draw, with that handy new "mouse".. Back to Windows 3.1 when the first LANs with file sharing was introduced.

 

I got to where I could recognise almost all the files on a PC, and their purpose. No more! It's impossible.

 

 

You are probably correct with regards to a Windows OS - I got to the stage where I knew exactly what was on my W7 machine, but on an 8/10/11 one I wouldn't know - never really looked at 8+10, and haven't even seen 11.

 

Still learning on the GNU/Linux machine which I use now, but that OS tends not to come with spurious bits, and is highly configurable.

 

I wouldn't go back to MS if you paid me.

[trastrick]

Just now, RollingJ said:

You are probably correct with regards to a Windows OS - I got to the stage where I knew exactly what was on my W7 machine, but on an 8/10/11 one I wouldn't know - never really looked at 8+10, and haven't even seen 11.

 

Still learning on the GNU/Linux machine which I use now, but that OS tends not to come with spurious bits, and is highly configurable.

 

I wouldn't go back to MS if you paid me.

Most techies I know would agree with you.

 

But our office worked with standardized software MS Office, Google, Outlook and interfaces easily with our client's software. Our PCs were interchangeable, and a staff member could login to the network from any machine, in case of a hardware glitch (they don't last forever) and it was a simple matter to replace with a spare a machine that was always setup in advance and ready to go.

 

I do a lot of work still, online, and this is what one of my most used apps is apparently