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June 13, 2007
It's a Tool, Not a Toy, and If It Ain't Working, I Ain't Playing
I've been planning since, oh, October or so, to get a laptop. I never really thought about getting one until my mother asked me if I'd accept as a Christmas help in buying one, and then I said, "Uh, sure!"
And after Christmas I went to buy one, but I didn't know what to get, and the IT guy at school came very close to talking me into buying a Mac, which I was willing to do because I hate Microsoft. But the problem is, I still use Word Perfect as my word processing program (believe me, it's SO much better than Microsoft Word), and I was going to have to run Windows on the Mac (which you can do) to use Word Perfect. And there were going to be Mac innovations and I was busy and the semester was hectic etc etc and there was always a reason to delay actually making the order, but then the semester ended, I was less busy, and it was time to buy.
So I consulted my friend and blog host Jim, asking him for specific advice about what to get. He's also a university IT guy, and he said, "Given what you want to do, you don't want a Mac. You want a highly rated PC laptop." He suggested a few makes and models.
About two weeks ago, I ordered a highly rated PC laptop, and a bunch of peripheral stuff, including a really great backpack to carry the damn thing in, and a printer, and so forth.
A week ago, everything arrived.
I let it sit in the box for a couple of days, because, well, just because. Because I knew it would be a pain in the ass to figure it all out. Because I had other things to do. Because sometimes I resent the accommodations and concessions technology requires.
Finally, Saturday, I got the laptop out of the box and turned it on.
And discovered I could do next to nothing because I didn't have a high-speed internet connection for it.
That's right: Windows Vista does next to nothing without an internet connection. And what little it does, it does SLOWLY. I got all this extra RAM or whatever it's called, and the damn thing was still just so freakin' SLOW because Vista is just SO complicated.
And most of the software I use all the time wasn't compatible, and the logic of the entire operating system seemed to have changed but not for the better, and I hated and resented the whole thing, and wanted it to go away, and wished I could just get a laptop with XP on it, because that would let me do what I wanted to do.
So my IT guy suggested I call the company and see if I could get a laptop loaded with XP, and guess what?
About a month ago, this particular company started selling XP again, because people if the only option people had was Vista, they didn't want it.
When I said I wanted to return my laptop, the customer support guy offered me $250.00 to keep it. (Remember that when you buy a computer.) But I didn't want the $250.00; I wanted to be rid of Vista.
So yesterday I boxed up everything but the bag (it's a very nice bag) and mailed it all back.
I had to spend over $50 at UPS to send it off, and the whole experience, from start to finish, was a nasty pain in the ass. But I suppose I've made more expensive mistakes in my life, and at least by buying that unsatisfactory one and trying to do stuff with it, I have a better sense of what I really want and need.
But I can't buy another until my credit card is debited.... Blah blah blah.
And part of me thinks I should just get a portable typewriter.
Posted by holly at June 13, 2007 11:51 PM
Yeah, every time they improve a program I'm using, I find something else I used to be able to do that I can't do anymore. Whenever they upgrade stuff at work, we all come to a standstill while we figure out how the new stuff works. Is this progress?
Thanks for the warning about high speed internet.
But oh, a good laptop is sooo nice to have.
I am afraid that my advice and counseling might have only added to your frustration. I hope everything works out, and once you get what you want, I'll set it up nice!
Argh. What a serious pain. I'm so getting a Mac next time, JUST because they don't have to stupid problems PCs have. This stuff is all too hard to figure out.
Thanks Rebecca! I wish I could get the people I work for to understand that. But for them Micro$oft is the be all and end all.
http://thestenz.blogspot.com/2007/03/being-in-computer-support-means.html
(Sorry for the shamless self promotion.)
Hey Stenz--no need to apologize for self-promotion, shameless or otherwise. It's not only tolerated but encouraged here, as long as you're not a porn king, cialis salesman or mortgage broker. In those cases, I tend to delete links. But otherwise, self-promote all you want!
You know, I regret giving you that advice in the era of Vista. At the time we talked about it, I didn't know what a nightmare it truly is. Also, I didn't realize a fancy-parts blogger like you didn't have a dedicated internet connection (?!) Like I admitted, I don't know anything about Macs, but I hope you have better luck with one.
Jim and the Stenz--no need to apologize for the advice you gave me. I asked for it, and both of you very generously offered the best advice you could give me. I take full responsibility for the way I implemented it.
I am still going to stick with a PC, not because I don't realize that Microsoft is evil--I do--but because it seems the best way to help me accomplish what I need to do. I'll just stick with XP instead of Vista.
And I've managed without dedicated internet at home because I have fast internet at work. It's becoming a pain over the summer, though, and I've already arranged for DSL. One of these days I'll hook it up.
I hate Vista, too.
My feeling is that it was rushed to market before it was ready (it had seen so many delays that Microsoft couldn't delay further). Its problems may be fixed in two years or so, but for now I want my XP back.
I don't see how they could have made so many bad choices in a single system. The number one problem (in my view) is performance. The thing is a dog, even on a fast new computer.
You get the sense that Microsoft is moribund.