What with them already offering it on some systems, I'm betting on Ubuntu. Purely out of curiosity, I wonder if they're planning on doing something with the UMPC version of Ubuntu that Canonical is supposedly working on...
"So what did you do at work today honey?"
"Oh you know, tortured an employee. Had lunch."
"Again?"
"This one's different. He's suing."
"Guess you didn't torture him enough then."
"Next quarter should be better in that department."
My previous job was tech support of PCs and Macs in an educational setting. Hardware support wasn't much of an issue. Just keep spare macs around to swap in when something breaks down.
The software side of things is a bit more tricky. I can attest to a much longer time invested in learning workarounds and resolutions for problems, and some problems where the only solution meant waiting when you didn't have that time to waste.
That said, the macs were generally not an issue once they were configured and set up. Once or twice there would be a software update that broke some of our outdated settings, but support on the software end of things was fairly smooth once things were in place.
I expect that the corporate world would be much more fast paced and I'm not sure if macs are ready for that setting, but now that I'm part of that world, I can see the demand from end users bubbling up. I don't think existing techs would need much more than google and a willingness to learn in order to solve issues, and perhaps tech support isn't being given enough credit for being able to adapt. It seems like it's only a matter of time before macs break into this market and my hope is that GNU/linux will become more of an option as well. Sounds like a nightmare for tech support.
The least pleasant thing about my previous position was dealing with certain mac users, but not the macs themselves.
But if my girlfriend can use Ubuntu without my help, then what will I do around the house?
In all seriousness, Ubuntu is easy to pick up. It's that initial jump from one OS to another and getting joe average to know why it's a good investment of their time and effort that can be the real hassle. Since Ubuntu doesn't come preinstalled on most systems, word of mouth is what we have. Fortunately, community is one of GNU/Linux's strengths these days.
I remember when I was first learning (a scant 4 years ago, still making me a noob by many accounts) one of the most helpful things I came across was a spreadsheet listing common windows programs and the linux equivalent to them. Neither my girlfriend(a relative computer novice) nor I have had much trouble learning the new programs once we knew what they were and what they did. I agree that there needs to be a bit more helpful info out there for people who don't want to dig around google searches for hours when they first start. Still, I think the period of adjustment is acceptable and maybe even better when compared to a user new to windows or OS X.
The irony isn't that he wrote the story, it's that nobody before him had the balls to.
As far as the NY Times using the same experts, it's in the article. 9 out of 71 of the analysts wrote for them in Op-Ed pieces if I remember correctly.
Personally I'd rather read this sort of article(real news) than the distraction pieces that have become the entirety of news organizations. Obama flag pin anyone?
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What with them already offering it on some systems, I'm betting on Ubuntu. Purely out of curiosity, I wonder if they're planning on doing something with the UMPC version of Ubuntu that Canonical is supposedly working on...
"So what did you do at work today honey?"
"Oh you know, tortured an employee. Had lunch."
"Again?"
"This one's different. He's suing."
"Guess you didn't torture him enough then."
"Next quarter should be better in that department."
My previous job was tech support of PCs and Macs in an educational setting. Hardware support wasn't much of an issue. Just keep spare macs around to swap in when something breaks down.
The software side of things is a bit more tricky. I can attest to a much longer time invested in learning workarounds and resolutions for problems, and some problems where the only solution meant waiting when you didn't have that time to waste.
That said, the macs were generally not an issue once they were configured and set up. Once or twice there would be a software update that broke some of our outdated settings, but support on the software end of things was fairly smooth once things were in place.
I expect that the corporate world would be much more fast paced and I'm not sure if macs are ready for that setting, but now that I'm part of that world, I can see the demand from end users bubbling up. I don't think existing techs would need much more than google and a willingness to learn in order to solve issues, and perhaps tech support isn't being given enough credit for being able to adapt. It seems like it's only a matter of time before macs break into this market and my hope is that GNU/linux will become more of an option as well. Sounds like a nightmare for tech support.
The least pleasant thing about my previous position was dealing with certain mac users, but not the macs themselves.
But if my girlfriend can use Ubuntu without my help, then what will I do around the house?
In all seriousness, Ubuntu is easy to pick up. It's that initial jump from one OS to another and getting joe average to know why it's a good investment of their time and effort that can be the real hassle. Since Ubuntu doesn't come preinstalled on most systems, word of mouth is what we have. Fortunately, community is one of GNU/Linux's strengths these days.
I remember when I was first learning (a scant 4 years ago, still making me a noob by many accounts) one of the most helpful things I came across was a spreadsheet listing common windows programs and the linux equivalent to them. Neither my girlfriend(a relative computer novice) nor I have had much trouble learning the new programs once we knew what they were and what they did. I agree that there needs to be a bit more helpful info out there for people who don't want to dig around google searches for hours when they first start. Still, I think the period of adjustment is acceptable and maybe even better when compared to a user new to windows or OS X.
All it takes is the willingness to learn.
This just in: it turns out Bush's administration has been using underhanded methods.
Later tonight we'll delve into rumors that the world is round and kittens are cute, but now for the weather...
The idea has been around for awhile, the trouble is that it's found in governments turning towards fascism. Unfair? No. Concerning? Yes.
The worst thing about this is that tinfoil hat sales are suddenly starting to look justified and I just don't look good enough in metal headgear.
The irony isn't that he wrote the story, it's that nobody before him had the balls to.
As far as the NY Times using the same experts, it's in the article. 9 out of 71 of the analysts wrote for them in Op-Ed pieces if I remember correctly.
Personally I'd rather read this sort of article(real news) than the distraction pieces that have become the entirety of news organizations. Obama flag pin anyone?