>>So only dishonest and lazy people can become multimillionaires?
Of course, and that's no secret to anyone who knows real life. If you are saying otherwise you are either living in your dreams or are just trying to bullshit others.
If installation program crashes "on multiple systems" and "at various points", there is a 99.9% chance of bad CD. I bet if you just exchanged the CD it would work just fine. How morons like you are even let near computers, let alone "have a conversation with an IT manager at IBM" is beyond me. Mayber this is the real reason computers crash and IT sucks - CLUELESS IDIOTS LIKE YOU.
1. It is experiencing essentially the same problems as popular web sites: many non-paying users, high costs of doing business. And before anyone mentions that users did pay for the product, yes, they in most cases did (some can pirate the program and then contact support with angry rants as of why it doesn't work for them), but that often doesn't cover tech support costs. If tech support costs to be covered, product prices would have to be increased, often dramatically. As it curently is, support lives on what remains from other departments, so the service is corresponding.
2. Often unreasonable expectations from users, which is the most common cause of disappointment. ("what you mean you can't tell me exactly and right now why my computer crashes (which was the first computer he built himself, from cheap crappy parts, and is running 40 various utilities on the background). Fixing such issues would require many housr, but lusers only have attention span of 30 seconds. Besides, they didn't pay for 10 hours for the technician, so why should he go out of his way to fix luser's faults?
3. Insufficient capabilities. I still consider phone and email support(most commonly used) to be ridiculous means of resolving technical issues. Anyone who ever tried doing that knows what I mean. ("so now you click Ok""there is no Ok""sir, Ok button is in the lower right corentr of the dialog box""which box??"... ridiculous" I believe and hope that this sort of crap will eventually go away. We need remove desktp access as in XP. That, or just bring your goddam peecee to local specialist. I mean I don't see Honda or Ford fixing cars over the phone ("ok, ms. jones, now remove transmission..."), so why is it considered that much more complex computers can be fixed while talking to retatded users over the phone?
I believe that to improve things in support:
1. It will have to be paid for by users. As I said, currently retail prices don't cover support. Funny, I recently explored support options at richest of the rich Microsoft, and guess waht, you get 3(three) installation-only questions within 90 days of purchase. THat's all folks. Everything else has to be paid for. Other companies should do the same. Costs should be covered, and a small profit would be nice, too. This is not charity, after all.
2. Myth that you can fix computers over the phone while trying to get a retard to click on the right thing has to go. Lusers should be told that computers are very complex things that they shouldn't be poking around. If it doesn't work, bring it to a specialist so he can see in what way you screwed your computer. He will contact vendor's professional support if really necessary.
Oh, and the last thing, idiots should be fined and banned from wasting support's time again, ever.
"we're proud of not installing any spyware on your system", or whatever bull$hit they said on their download page... Good thing I've never used any of this adware crap. Usenet forever:)
I agree with most of you thoughts, but from my limited life experience, a group of people CAN and often DOES make more stupid decisions than any of them would make on his/her own. I've seen this: a bunch of people sitting in a room discussing something, most of them know or feel or suspect that their proposed solution is bad, and even know a better solution, but this solution may be so against corporate traditions or "accepted" business practices that NO ONE has the guts to say it aloud. I think that what may be happening here too.
Especially considering dot.gone tendency and overall economic slowdown. Those who follow this advice will be the first to go, giving others more chances. Good Thing(tm)
First, this practice most closely resembles the now-illegal(I believe) but once-flourishing autodealer practice of charging highter prices depending on your financial and other history. IIRC, they took your credit card "to check credit history" and from there they got all about you including how many times your cat pees, and, depending on these circumstances, they set higher prices. Pretty much the same here.
Also, if your definition of sharpness includes stealing common practices and shamelessly claiming them as your "idea"... well, as a slashdotter signature reads, even if you win a rat race, you're still a rat.
Do you really want others to leave you alone, and don't enforce your right not to be killed/robbed? Fine. Next time a couple of big hairy doodz with shotguns come over to you to borrow some cash, follow you comment and don't ask others e.g. police to protect you. Grab a golf club and good luck excercising your freedom fully.
In my opinion, in this digital age my private information is valuable property. The data-mining companies seem to agree, judging from the vigorous speed of profiling everyone and their pet. I'm aware of some simple technics to fool the data collectors, but these technics're laughable if collectors get serious. To sum it up, I don't want to protect my privacy with a club when the big hairy corporations go around on tanks. I want the government to finally do the job it's paid for and enforce some order.
>> "they" will use technology that says "no cookie, no content
I've been running into this more and more lately. Can't recall all such sites, but the latest example was MS' maps.expedia.com . I visited it with netscape with cookies and Javascript off, and instead of maps got a message about turning on scripting. Having done that, I returned, only to get a message about enabling cookies. Why the hell do they need all this crap to just show me a picture?
I've read your comment and personally found it very interesting. Could you please post links to the essay or more info about this approach. Or, if you prefer, email it to me at the address in the header.
... that despite all the hype the Internet in general and web in particular are still based on cooperation between all users. These greedy bastards hear the ecommerce hype and run on the internet and use it as if that's their property. But last time I checked, overwhelming majority of users pay(sometimes a lot) its own money to access it. With all recent abuses of privacy, I'm getting a strong feeling that the abusers must get a hard slap to remind that the internet is about cooperation, not abuse.
Slashdot Mirror
>>So only dishonest and lazy people can become multimillionaires?
Of course, and that's no secret to anyone who knows real life. If you are saying otherwise you are either living in your dreams or are just trying to bullshit others.
dear IDIOT
If installation program crashes "on multiple systems" and "at various points", there is a 99.9% chance of bad CD. I bet if you just exchanged the CD it would work just fine. How morons like you are even let near computers, let alone "have a conversation with an IT manager at IBM" is beyond me. Mayber this is the real reason computers crash and IT sucks - CLUELESS IDIOTS LIKE YOU.
jeez
.. and CNN sucks too, btw...
... ridiculous" I believe and hope that this sort of crap will eventually go away. We need remove desktp access as in XP. That, or just bring your goddam peecee to local specialist. I mean I don't see Honda or Ford fixing cars over the phone ("ok, ms. jones, now remove transmission..."), so why is it considered that much more complex computers can be fixed while talking to retatded users over the phone?
There are several major problems in tech support:
1. It is experiencing essentially the same problems as popular web sites: many non-paying users, high costs of doing business. And before anyone mentions that users did pay for the product, yes, they in most cases did (some can pirate the program and then contact support with angry rants as of why it doesn't work for them), but that often doesn't cover tech support costs. If tech support costs to be covered, product prices would have to be increased, often dramatically. As it curently is, support lives on what remains from other departments, so the service is corresponding.
2. Often unreasonable expectations from users, which is the most common cause of disappointment. ("what you mean you can't tell me exactly and right now why my computer crashes (which was the first computer he built himself, from cheap crappy parts, and is running 40 various utilities on the background). Fixing such issues would require many housr, but lusers only have attention span of 30 seconds. Besides, they didn't pay for 10 hours for the technician, so why should he go out of his way to fix luser's faults?
3. Insufficient capabilities. I still consider phone and email support(most commonly used) to be ridiculous means of resolving technical issues. Anyone who ever tried doing that knows what I mean. ("so now you click Ok""there is no Ok""sir, Ok button is in the lower right corentr of the dialog box""which box??"
I believe that to improve things in support:
1. It will have to be paid for by users. As I said, currently retail prices don't cover support. Funny, I recently explored support options at richest of the rich Microsoft, and guess waht, you get 3(three) installation-only questions within 90 days of purchase. THat's all folks. Everything else has to be paid for. Other companies should do the same. Costs should be covered, and a small profit would be nice, too. This is not charity, after all.
2. Myth that you can fix computers over the phone while trying to get a retard to click on the right thing has to go. Lusers should be told that computers are very complex things that they shouldn't be poking around. If it doesn't work, bring it to a specialist so he can see in what way you screwed your computer. He will contact vendor's professional support if really necessary.
Oh, and the last thing, idiots should be fined and banned from wasting support's time again, ever.
"we're proud of not installing any spyware on your system", or whatever bull$hit they said on their download page... Good thing I've never used any of this adware crap. Usenet forever :)
I agree with most of you thoughts, but from my limited life experience, a group of people CAN and often DOES make more stupid decisions than any of them would make on his/her own. I've seen this: a bunch of people sitting in a room discussing something, most of them know or feel or suspect that their proposed solution is bad, and even know a better solution, but this solution may be so against corporate traditions or "accepted" business practices that NO ONE has the guts to say it aloud. I think that what may be happening here too.
Especially considering dot.gone tendency and overall economic slowdown. Those who follow this advice will be the first to go, giving others more chances. Good Thing(tm)
First, this practice most closely resembles the now-illegal(I believe) but once-flourishing autodealer practice of charging highter prices depending on your financial and other history. IIRC, they took your credit card "to check credit history" and from there they got all about you including how many times your cat pees, and, depending on these circumstances, they set higher prices. Pretty much the same here.
Also, if your definition of sharpness includes stealing common practices and shamelessly claiming them as your "idea"... well, as a slashdotter signature reads, even if you win a rat race, you're still a rat.
Do you really want others to leave you alone, and don't enforce your right not to be killed/robbed? Fine. Next time a couple of big hairy doodz with shotguns come over to you to borrow some cash, follow you comment and don't ask others e.g. police to protect you. Grab a golf club and good luck excercising your freedom fully.
In my opinion, in this digital age my private information is valuable property. The data-mining companies seem to agree, judging from the vigorous speed of profiling everyone and their pet. I'm aware of some simple technics to fool the data collectors, but these technics're laughable if collectors get serious. To sum it up, I don't want to protect my privacy with a club when the big hairy corporations go around on tanks. I want the government to finally do the job it's paid for and enforce some order.
>> "they" will use technology that says "no cookie, no content
I've been running into this more and more lately. Can't recall all such sites, but the latest example was MS' maps.expedia.com . I visited it with netscape with cookies and Javascript off, and instead of maps got a message about turning on scripting. Having done that, I returned, only to get a message about enabling cookies. Why the hell do they need all this crap to just show me a picture?
I've read your comment and personally found it very interesting. Could you please post links to the essay or more info about this approach. Or, if you prefer, email it to me at the address in the header.
Thanks so much for the info.
... that despite all the hype the Internet in general and web in particular are still based on cooperation between all users. These greedy bastards hear the ecommerce hype and run on the internet and use it as if that's their property. But last time I checked, overwhelming majority of users pay(sometimes a lot) its own money to access it. With all recent abuses of privacy, I'm getting a strong feeling that the abusers must get a hard slap to remind that the internet is about cooperation, not abuse.