12 Jul
2010
12 Jul
'10
7:50 a.m.
Arnold Krille wrote:
I tell them about the alternatives, I smile at them
when they talk about their
problems (they always know that I don't have these kind of problems) and
otherwise I ignore them. Totally and completely. Its not worth my time to
listen to them talking about the strange faults and incompleteness they found
in ms' products.
In an earlier life as a computer consultant, I used to do fixes on
Windows systems of various vintages. I don't do much of that at all
anymore. I'm starting to adopt the idea that a friend of mine uses when
Windows users ask him to fix their virus problem:
"I'll install Linux for you for free, or you can go to SuperGeeks and
pay them $120 to fix your Windows system."
He's gotten a LOT of takers, even including 80+year-olds who are now
happily browsing web and reading email using Linux.
PS: I my future employer reads this: I don't
hesitate to sell these people
either the newest version of their drugs. And I don't hesitate to sell them
education regardless whether about ms or free software:-)
Yah, I'm agnostic about that, too. I will still fix someone's Windows
problem, and really love expanding people's minds, even if it's about
how to do something in Word or Excel or even Powerpoint. A good teacher
can overcome any handicap! ;-)
Fortunately for me, my employer has a whole department full of people
who go around fixing problems with the corporate Windows PCs and
servers. Well, they still haven't fixed the problem on my company
laptop, where the Windows update process just hangs saying that it's
"Preparing to install" a list of security update that it has already
installed, but I don't have to wrestle with that kind of stuff now!
--
David
gnome(a)hawaii.rr.com
authenticity, honesty, community