* Posts by Whistlerspa

41 publicly visible posts • joined 30 Aug 2015

Microsoft ends OEM sales of Windows 7 Pro and Windows 8.1

Whistlerspa

A already commented

Students are also using Chromebooks and Mac Airs.

Whistlerspa

I agree to a point but...

""They will enter the job market with next to zero influence from Microsoft"

... but 100% under Google's influence - these smartphones "grafted into the hands" of the young guns; chances are that 80% of them will be running Android, and these same kids will have grown up using a company name as the verb for searching the web. The "get 'em hooked while they're young" tactic is in full swing: this time last year, half of the classroom devices sold in the US were Chromebooks."

... as a teacher working with students who use Chromebooks in class they are very comfortable with Google Docs, or any other technology available including MS desktops with Office installed. Under BYOD many students opt for Macbook Air - small, light, compact and powerful. So in reality all the commercial vendors are out there in the teaching spaces.

Apple’s macOS Sierra update really puts the fan into 'fanboi'

Whistlerspa

mac mini and sierra

I'm not going to upgrade to this as my mac mini has no microphone and the last update nearly slowed it down enough.

Windows 10 needs proper privacy portal, says EFF

Whistlerspa

Re: Not listening ...

I've found that I can do everything I need to on Linux Mint.

Free Windows 10 upgrade: Time is running out – should you do it?

Whistlerspa

Linux myths

"No more virus checkers, no more defragging, no more slow downs over time."

Linux myth #1 - no viral worries - malware and viruses can infect Linux machines

Linux myth #2 - no file fragmentation - fragmentation will occur over time, just not as fast as on Windows.

Microsoft won't back down from Windows 10 nagware 'trick'

Whistlerspa

I use Ubuntu 16.04 with cinnamon as the GUI. Works well.

Cinema boss gives up making kids turn off phones: 'That's not how they live their life'

Whistlerspa

I don't go to the cinema anymore because:

* the tickets are too expensive.

* the confectinary and drinks sold are too noisy.

* too many patrons have no consideration for others and talk or indulge in other distractive behaviours.

* cellphone activity is common and really annoying.

* people are allowed to enter the theatre after the film has started.

Oh and in the last five years or so the standard of the films themselves has left a lot to be desired because I'm really over superheroes, remakes and sequels / prequels!!!

Is iOS 9.3 Apple's worst ever update? First it bricks iThings, now Safari is busted

Whistlerspa

Re: Safari's busted?

Mine had a restore and works great now. Safari has been reborn. (iPad 2). I'm thinking it's cumulative bugs from all the updates I've done over the years that made it lose its mojo.

Don't – don't – install iOS 9.3 on your iPad 2: Upgrade bricks slabs

Whistlerspa

Re: Worked for me

A full factory restore and update fixed all speed issues on my 5yo iPad 2.

Seems like Windows clean OS is better than an upgrade.

Hey Windows 10, weren't you supposed to help PC sales?

Whistlerspa

Re: Improve PC Specs

They took minutes at the college I attended last year on Windows 7. I think boot times relate to configuration settings such as group policies. Once converted to Windows 10 the boot times were faster.

Steve Ballmer: Get the Facts. I 'love' SQL Server on Linux

Whistlerspa
Meh

Re: I do expect at some point Microsoft will come up with Office for Linux

'Linux is still absolutely nowhere on the desktop.'

Well it's on my desktop for starters!

Who hit you, HP Inc? 'Windows 10! It's all Windows 10's fault'

Whistlerspa

Back in the day

I remember well printers of old with their parched ink cartridges, and I think that's what's killed ink jet sales. I have had Brother printers last two times and find them reliable and durable. Still have the DCP-J125 and use it as my scanner (gave up on the ink race), but the little HL-1210W mono laser that I bought last year has been great and quite cheap to run.

Looked after plenty of HP ink jets at work over the years and found them temperamental, flimsy and ink hungry.. At that time I used Epsom printers which I thought better.

Regarding OSX, the machines may have superior keyboards and graphics and the like but the OS is not easier to use IMHO. I find file and folder management ( moving and renaming and the like) more time consuming and less intuitive, and photo and music transfers between devices far more tedious than the simple copy and paste options available in the Windows/Linux world. Also dislike the single button mouse / trackpad and always attach a dual button mouse when I use a Mac.

Microsoft quits giving us the silent treatment on Windows 10 updates

Whistlerspa

Re: Mint

I agree. Found Mint quite buggy. Ubuntu has been more stable and less prolblematic for me.

After-dinner Mint? Stylish desktop finale released as last of the 17 line

Whistlerspa

Re: Mint has worked with ALL my hardware

17.2 didn't like my HP Pavilion - particularly the NVidea graphics card. GPU froze repeatedly. So know what you mean..

UK energy minister rejects 'waste of money' smart meters claim

Whistlerspa

Re: Purpose

Good luck handling the radiation related health issues that can arise from these 'Smart' meters.

iOS 9 kludged our iPhones, now give us money, claims new lawsuit

Whistlerspa

Re: Wish this had been publicized before

Me to but iOS 9 has definitely slowed it down. Chrome almost unusable and switching between apps glitchy. Some apps now freeze..

Microsoft in 2015: Mobile disasters, Windows 10 and heads in the clouds

Whistlerspa

Re: Open sorced O/S

"That will be Mint of course "

Not for me. I've found Ubuntu more stable, reliable and friendlier with NVidea graphics cards.

Whistlerspa

Re: Linux updates rarely need reboots

Didn't used to but seem to be needing them more frequently lately.

( running Ubuntu 14.04 64 bit)

Lenov-lol, a load of Tosh, and what the Dell? More bad holes found in PC makers' bloatware

Whistlerspa

HP propriety software

Same issue with this manufacturers software IMHO. Seems to work contrary to all other software. Wanted endless firmware updates also. Got rid of the lot with an OS clean install.

Doctor Who: Nigel Farage-alike bogey beast terrorises in darkly comic Sleep No More

Whistlerspa

Re: Daftest episode Ever

"If they wanted to rip off the plot of The Forbidden Planet then the scientist would have had a beautiful daughter who survives to become the Doctor's new assistant. For extra points it could have been Me."

I had The Doctor pegged as the 'Professor' and Clara as the beautiful 'daughter'

Whistlerspa
Thumb Down

Daftest episode Ever

Monsters from the (eyel)id indeed. The ghosts of 'Forbidden Planet' actors must be vomitting in their graves. A poor ripoff of that plot I think..

'A word processor so simple my PA could use it': Joyce turns 30

Whistlerspa

Re: @AC

I had an Amstrad amp as the center of my hifi system. Really grunty and a good sound quality for half the price of the competition. Sadly got stolen in a burglary.

Ubuntu 15.10: More kitten than beast – but beware the claws

Whistlerspa

Re: And when does installing video break the OS...

NVIDIA has had it's problems as well. Intel drivers have worked best for me

Whistlerspa
Alien

Re: Yeah - no ...

Imho as a 50's born kid it's about adaptability. I've used every flavor of MS since DOS 6, OS2, numerous Linux distros with all their various GUIs, Mac, iOS and Android.

Becoming adept at using any interface was a worthwhile skill to acquire for me. That way I can choose to use the OS and applications that best suit my needs at any given time. Currently Ubuntu fills that spot and Unity, although not perfect, is perfectly usable for most computing needs. Windows 10 I use when I have to for other purposes.

Microsoft rolls out first 'major update' to Windows 10

Whistlerspa

Re: These Days...

" there will always be things more convenient to do on a command line..."

Not if you have typing skills and a memory for CLI commands like mine. Give me find, point and click courtesy of a GUI interface any day.

Whistlerspa

Re: These Days...

' Re Leap is very new. ...'

Totally agree with you. To clarify I had already tried out the iso in Virtual Box and it had worked fine, so the problem was in the burning process. There is no Live DVD for Suse Leap so I risked it. I posted my original comment in response to someone else posting about the benefits of Mint and comments around the stability of Suse. I don't like USB installs as I can't really be bothered with all the mucking about that it takes to prepare the pen drive. Much easier to burn the iOS to disk and this is only the second time that a DVD hasn't worked.

I've found Linux to be a matter of personal experience and it can still be a hit and miss affair with regards to variables like hardware compatibility, software bugs and glitches and the like.

Personally had the best results from various Ubuntu versions over the years and have never had much success with distros like Arch, Fedora, Mint or Non Linux BSD.

Whistlerspa

Re: These Days...

And I tried to install firstly Suse Leap 42.1 and then Mint 17.2 on my Intel driven 5yo laptop that I decided to blow Win 10 32 bit away on. The Suse download produced an errored dvd that stalled mid way through the install ( tried two burns) twice, and and Mint 17.2 disc which I'd used before wouldn't progress past the splash screen. My original Ubuntu 14.04 installed flawlessly however - still the best distrowatch imho.

AMD sued: Number of Bulldozer cores in its chips is a lie, allegedly

Whistlerspa

Re: 80286

Re 487 did you mean 486? I don't remember a 487 chip.

Microsoft Windows 7 Pro: Halloween Horror for PC makers next year

Whistlerspa

Re: Getting boring now

So true !

How Microsoft will cram Windows 10 even harder down your PC's throat early next year

Whistlerspa

Re: Evil

I went along with Windows 10 on both my laptops and no issues. They work better on this OS than 8 or 8.1. The older one had Windows 7 on it originally but was upgraded to 8 and then 10. The newer one had a clean install. Getting tired of all the scaremongering and paranoia associated with this OS.

Windows 10 out, users happy, PCs upgraded, my work here is done – says Microsoft OS chief

Whistlerspa
Unhappy

Re: Windows 10 Out, Users Happy...

"Re: Windows 10 Out, Users Happy...

" Yes, but there are some teething troubles which really shouldn't be there (Bluetooth problems, hibernation problems, WINE problems) but I'm willing to stick it out for a while. If they can't get sorted, I can always try a different, non-Ubuntu derived distro. "

Unfortunately they are not teething problems but ongoing limitations. I used to be a full time Linux user but with the advent of laptops replacing desktops I've found that hardware incompatibility has become more of a problem with Linux Distros. Hibernation issues , video card issues and wifi issues typify this.

Microsoft now awfully pushy with Windows 10 on Win 7, 8 PCs – Reg readers hit back

Whistlerspa

" Fuck you

Fuck you in the arse with a fucking 10 inch cucumber sidewards

Fuck you until you fucking fucked up fucked fuckers fuck off."

A bit of a rant?! Steady on there - it's just software we're discussing here

'One Windows' crunch time: Microsoft tempts with glittery new devices

Whistlerspa

I'm using Windows 10

My HP laptop purchased in March came with 8.1. Very quickly became unusable as everything slowed to a crawl. Shifted to Mint 17 but hardware and software issues occurred (video card crashes, Wifi connections to Windows networks, Libre Office incompatabilities with Ofice 2013). Clean installed Win 10 two months ago and everything now works just fine.

For me it's about productivity and being able to do my work. The spying thing is just the way it is now. Every time you open a browser you're being spied upon,if you use e.g. Google, Social networking sites and e-commerce sites to name but a few.

Doctor Who storms back in fine form with Season 9 opener The Magician's Apprentice

Whistlerspa

It's just for fun

Quite entertaining but I'm not a fan of the current Dr. Too intense and guilt ridden for my liking.

Fed-up sysadmins beg Microsoft to improve pisspoor Windows 10 update notes

Whistlerspa
Holmes

What data are Microsoft actually taking? & Win 10 performance

I've been following the posts on several stories and am wondering what is the data that many people are saying that they are taking. If it's contact lists say, well if I use web based email or social media then that's already out there. If it's browsing metadata I'm really not too bothered. A library would know what books I'd borrowed so why does that matter. It's nothing that Google or Facebook or Twitter et al aren't already taking.

With regard to Win 10 performance I installed from scratch and it's been performing pretty well. All updates installed so far have increased performance and it works far better on my laptop than Mint 17.2 did before it. Had problems with NVIDIA drivers and wifi connectivity under that OS, plus general software instability such as start menu issues and dodgy Libre Office documents.

Don't want to upgrade to Windows 10? You'll download it WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT

Whistlerspa

Re: "Personal" computer no more

OK if you are not reliant on propriety applications software or have hardware that is fully compatible with Linux OS's. Unfortunately in my experience most of us are not able to say yes to both of those.

Microsoft backports data slurp to Windows 7 and 8 via patches

Whistlerspa

Re: But you never do.....

With regard to Wine I tried it a few times but always had license activation issues with MS Office when trying to run it through Wine. I need to be able to run this as Open and Libre office do not translate correctly when files are opened with MS Office software in a Windows environment.

Whistlerspa

Re: But you never do.....

I did try Mint as a matter of fact. For many of the reasons stated in this forum. Unfortunately Mint OS 17.2 Cinnamon did not perform as needed. Mint installed fine, looked great and booted quickly but then problems emerged.

Firstly I could not get the Broadcom wifi to connect to my business wifi network as it would not connect to the enterprise network there.

Next Libre Office Writer could not replace MS Word 2013 as when I tried uploading files created with it to the network (remotely from home or from removable media on a company desktop) they were sometimes missing data or had nonsense symbols or misspelling (despite using the spell check beforehand). They were also sometimes not formatted properly once uploaded and opened with MS Word.

Finally problems with the START menu emerged, in fact it disappeared completely and I could not get it back.

I have used Linux since 1997 so am not a newbie to the platform. I trawled Mint and other forums for hours and implemented many suggested solutions but none worked. I had no more time to spend so in order to remain productive - and a computer for me needs to give reliable output, I sadly and reluctantly returned to a Windows OS solution. I accept that the fault may well be on the Windows side rather than Linux itself, but unfortunately I have to work with a Microsoft environment.

This isn't posted as a lament it's simply my experience. I want to be able to use software of my own choice and hope it will be possible someday. But for now it seems that it's not.

Dropbox DROPS BOX as service GOES TITSUP worldwide

Whistlerspa

That's why it pays to use more than one cloud service I guess.