I do: ----- - Hand-deliver leaflets about my service to local houses - Put my land line phone number in my leaflet - Mainly work only within my local phone area code - Ask customers to sign my "Terms Of Service" and make them keep a copy - Give away OpenOffice on CD at every opportunity - Distribute the Opera web browser - Distribute the Eudora email manager - Use Knoppix for testing PCs - Tell customers to leave me alone while I'm working ("Leave it with me... I'll call you when it's ready") - Offer all money back if the customer is dissatisfied (very rarely happens) - Encourage people to consider alternatives to Windows in order to get safe email - Keep on good terms with my local computer shop as they are invaluable backup.
I don't ------- - Work for anyone who quibbles my Terms Of Service - Work for friends or family - Work too cheap - Have a web-site - Promise too much - Sell Windows XP - Support Outlook anything - Support Internet Explorer - Support Kazaa, Instant Messenger anything, Grokster or any of those other annoying things.
To make a success of this job I think you have to be a 'lifer'. That means, started with computers in childhood, always been willing to help people with their computer problems, always done computer jobs.
I think customers are not stupid. They can instantly tell the difference between a long time expert (a 'lifer') and a wannabe who doesn't really know what he is talking about.
In the first six months I was sometimes in tears because things had gone wrong and this is where a supportive girlfriend or wife or family is essential. After a year I have taken the worst the job can give me and I don't get upset when things go wrong any more.
I think the key qualifications are: - Started with computers in childhood - Always been willing to help people with computers - Always done computer jobs.
In my opinion it is not something you can go to school to learn. In my case I'm happy to say it's the best job I've ever done and also ironically the only secure job I've ever had.
To use an analogy, imagine Kentucky Fried Chicken "licenced" their secret recipe to Chicken Delight. Chicken Delight then gave the secret recipe to a cooking magazine!
Kentucky would argue in court, "we licenced our secret recipe and they misappropriated it, so we have lost money". This might succeed. Did the defendant accept the secret? Yes. Did they agree to keep it secret? Yes. Did it end up published? Yes. All this would be quite straighforward in court.
Next there would be the tricky bit. There would be the question of how much the loss was worth and how much should be the compensation. A good way to make the loss appear bigger would be to set about suing all people using the (formerly) secret recipe, if not actually doing that for practical reasons.
In the real case, this question will probably never be answered because IBM will simply ensure that SCO runs out of legal money first.
> We need to start new-to-computers people with non-MS operating systems
Yes, my friend, that is exactly what I am doing. My oldest customer is 83 and she uses Debian.
The revolution is here, TWX. But it's not announced. There is no press release. Big companies don't change the world. That is a job for an ant-hill of little people.
Mrs Betty Blow, to create a character, is Joe Blow's wife. She has quite different wishes to the tech writer in the article. She has (IMHO) been poorly served by Windows et al in the past.
What she wants:
- Email - Web browsing - Letter writing - Printing - Solitaire - That's it.
What she doesn't want to do:
- Change the mouse speed - Change the colour scheme - Change the monitor settings - Change the time zone - Muck about with screen savers - Add or remove programs - Select new hardware eg printers - Play games other than Solitaire - Use Internet chat - Use fancy web sites with streaming audio etc
Hackers, you know how to use a system like Debian to build a setup that does these simple tasks. Just be local and be around. Use SSH or TightVNC to help sort out problems if you want.
By contrast, Windows presents a bewildering world full of control panels and other scary things. Betty's never going to touch them, so why clutter up the interface by presenting them? I don't know how many people fall into the Betty category but I'm willing to bet it's a lot more than we might think...
You know, I would call foisting Windows on people rude, too, because there they get a system where simply reading an email in the usual way can trash the whole thing.
What I do: When people say they want a system to do simple things, and do not express a preference, and are not inclined to play with the system, and want to pay me to do any and every thing that might need doing, then I give them Linux.
The number of my customers who fit into that category is a minority but significant. They are there and I find they are worth serving!
For mail coming in, the user maintains a "whitelist" of accepted sender addresses. Unknown senders get a confirmation request that says, "Thanks for your mail, please reply or click here to verify you're a legitimate sender".
For mail sent out, the user's mail gets tagged automatically so the recipient can reply and the reply will be accepted automatically.
TMDA is GPL licenced, and it works with all the popular MTAs (Postfix, Exim, Sendmail, etc).
I'm self employed and I make my living by fixing computers. Most of my customers are home users.
In the last 10 months I have been called by 5 people with actual viruses on their PC. I have been called by 7 more people with problems directly related to anti-virus software (eg when installed it messes the system up, it has expired, etc).
The total I have charged for all this work is about GBP 1000, plus the cost of copies of Norton Antivirus.
I now have 4 people/families who use GNU/Linux + Kmail exclusively for email.
Looking around in my Red Hat 7.2 box I find four different file-open dialogs. See here:
http://www.pjls16812.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rh.gif
I guess if I looked harder I could find more... Now, I am a very small OEM and repair shop. I pre-install Red Hat 7.2 on my customers' PCs sometimes. It sure is hard trying to explain why the apps look and behave so differently! I'm happy that Red Hat is actually trying to do something positive about it...
Getting started with regular expressions
on
Next Generation Regexp
·
· Score: 5, Informative
I have the first edition of "Mastering Regular Expressions" and it is indeed a very fine useful book.
For a nice way to get started with regular expressions I recommend the wonderful "txt2regex" console program. It provides a simple text based wizard-like interface. You answer questions and the program builds your regular expression for you. See:
From what you say the good news is you have the power because it's you and you alone. I have some experience of working with people like this, and they just accept whatever default the computer gives them, usually. So it's not so much the people's behaviour as the computer's behaviour that decides where the data goes.
So simply set up a server and make sure each user's file locations are set correctly, and you should be OK.
Once you've done this, the best way to make sure the users save in the right place is to use Partition Magic to shrink the size of their local hard disk partition so it's big enough for the OS, apps and fixed size swap file, and nothing else. Then when they try to save locally, it says "Not enough disk space". Almost all users won't know they could use fdisk to create a new partition in the remaining unpartitioned space on their local disk.
Try Quiet PC (http://www.quietpc.com/). I bought two of their ATX power supply units, and one of their processor fans. The power supplies are truly astonishingly quiet. So is the processor fan. When I first turned them on, I couldn't believe how quiet they were.
Before, my girlfriend complained about the noise if I left my computers on during the night. Now, there's almost nothing to hear. All the parts were a bit pricey but they've been the best money I've spent in a long time. Highly recommended.
I am freelance. I go to people's houses and offices and fix their computer problems on site. For example, I get a lot of calls from people who are sick of trying to get their Internet connection working.
So I guess all this trouble is good for me in a way, because it means I get more calls. On the other hand, it makes it more stressful for me to solve certain problems, but then, if I can't help, I still ask for my minimum charge.
Slashdot Mirror
Indeed, I am a pedantic idiot. You win! :-)
> Even if you do learn to speak correct English, whom are you going to speak it to? -- Clarence Darrow
Friend, you mean, "Even if you do learn to speak correct English, to whom are you going to speak it? -- Clarence Darrow"
- Risk of the 'Software Police'
- Timewasting 'licence audits'
- Microsoft business practices
- Paying again every 5 years
- Viruses, worms
- Staff timewasting on Ebay etc
- Overworked, frustrated tech staff
All these are avoidable... as Sternie Ball of guitar string maker Ernie Ball explains here.I do:
-----
- Hand-deliver leaflets about my service to local houses
- Put my land line phone number in my leaflet
- Mainly work only within my local phone area code
- Ask customers to sign my "Terms Of Service" and make them keep a copy
- Give away OpenOffice on CD at every opportunity
- Distribute the Opera web browser
- Distribute the Eudora email manager
- Use Knoppix for testing PCs
- Tell customers to leave me alone while I'm working ("Leave it with me... I'll call you when it's ready")
- Offer all money back if the customer is dissatisfied (very rarely happens)
- Encourage people to consider alternatives to Windows in order to get safe email
- Keep on good terms with my local computer shop as they are invaluable backup.
I don't
-------
- Work for anyone who quibbles my Terms Of Service
- Work for friends or family
- Work too cheap
- Have a web-site
- Promise too much
- Sell Windows XP
- Support Outlook anything
- Support Internet Explorer
- Support Kazaa, Instant Messenger anything, Grokster or any of those other annoying things.
To make a success of this job I think you have to be a 'lifer'. That means, started with computers in childhood, always been willing to help people with their computer problems, always done computer jobs.
I think customers are not stupid. They can instantly tell the difference between a long time expert (a 'lifer') and a wannabe who doesn't really know what he is talking about.
In the first six months I was sometimes in tears because things had gone wrong and this is where a supportive girlfriend or wife or family is essential. After a year I have taken the worst the job can give me and I don't get upset when things go wrong any more.
I think the key qualifications are:
- Started with computers in childhood
- Always been willing to help people with computers
- Always done computer jobs.
In my opinion it is not something you can go to school to learn. In my case I'm happy to say it's the best job I've ever done and also ironically the only secure job I've ever had.
...to help their claim against IBM.
To use an analogy, imagine Kentucky Fried Chicken "licenced" their secret recipe to Chicken Delight. Chicken Delight then gave the secret recipe to a cooking magazine!
Kentucky would argue in court, "we licenced our secret recipe and they misappropriated it, so we have lost money". This might succeed. Did the defendant accept the secret? Yes. Did they agree to keep it secret? Yes. Did it end up published? Yes. All this would be quite straighforward in court.
Next there would be the tricky bit. There would be the question of how much the loss was worth and how much should be the compensation. A good way to make the loss appear bigger would be to set about suing all people using the (formerly) secret recipe, if not actually doing that for practical reasons.
In the real case, this question will probably never be answered because IBM will simply ensure that SCO runs out of legal money first.
Do it quick and dirty on the inside, make it look glossy on the outside. A short term fortune awaits...
> We need to start new-to-computers people with non-MS operating systems
Yes, my friend, that is exactly what I am doing. My oldest customer is 83 and she uses Debian.
The revolution is here, TWX. But it's not announced. There is no press release. Big companies don't change the world. That is a job for an ant-hill of little people.
Mrs Betty Blow, to create a character, is Joe Blow's wife. She has quite different wishes to the tech writer in the article. She has (IMHO) been poorly served by Windows et al in the past.
What she wants:
- Email
- Web browsing
- Letter writing
- Printing
- Solitaire
- That's it.
What she doesn't want to do:
- Change the mouse speed
- Change the colour scheme
- Change the monitor settings
- Change the time zone
- Muck about with screen savers
- Add or remove programs
- Select new hardware eg printers
- Play games other than Solitaire
- Use Internet chat
- Use fancy web sites with streaming audio etc
Hackers, you know how to use a system like Debian to build a setup that does these simple tasks. Just be local and be around. Use SSH or TightVNC to help sort out problems if you want.
By contrast, Windows presents a bewildering world full of control panels and other scary things. Betty's never going to touch them, so why clutter up the interface by presenting them? I don't know how many people fall into the Betty category but I'm willing to bet it's a lot more than we might think...
Interesting comments...
You know, I would call foisting Windows on people rude, too, because there they get a system where simply reading an email in the usual way can trash the whole thing.
What I do: When people say they want a system to do simple things, and do not express a preference, and are not inclined to play with the system, and want to pay me to do any and every thing that might need doing, then I give them Linux.
The number of my customers who fit into that category is a minority but significant. They are there and I find they are worth serving!
...proven tools already exist. (http://www.tmda.net/).
Linux really is rocket science.
I don't want Microsoft to go the way of the dodo. But what I would like to see is the end of monopoly practices.
Tagged Message Delivery Agent (http://www.tmda.net/).
For mail coming in, the user maintains a "whitelist" of accepted sender addresses. Unknown senders get a confirmation request that says, "Thanks for your mail, please reply or click here to verify you're a legitimate sender".
For mail sent out, the user's mail gets tagged automatically so the recipient can reply and the reply will be accepted automatically.
TMDA is GPL licenced, and it works with all the popular MTAs (Postfix, Exim, Sendmail, etc).
It's successful if...
- It scratches the itch
- It's fun to do
- Other people like it
- Other people send in contributions!
- It makes you famous!!!
Let them yell at Red Hat.
Your company sounds horrible. It doesn't sound like working there is making you happy. I think you should leave!
Akhaksho, thanks for the correction. Yes I did know what LED stands for but I forgot that point!
Then our screens could be used in direct sunlight, like a newspaper. And we could open all the blinds again, at last.
I'm self employed and I make my living by fixing computers. Most of my customers are home users.
In the last 10 months I have been called by 5 people with actual viruses on their PC. I have been called by 7 more people with problems directly related to anti-virus software (eg when installed it messes the system up, it has expired, etc).
The total I have charged for all this work is about GBP 1000, plus the cost of copies of Norton Antivirus.
I now have 4 people/families who use GNU/Linux + Kmail exclusively for email.
... on the example page:
... is here:
? id =demo_gat&l=http://www.anti-leech.com/ah_test2.htm &html=test
http://www.anti-leech.com/ah_test2.html
http://www.anti-leech.com/html/load_crypted.php
Looking around in my Red Hat 7.2 box I find four different file-open dialogs. See here:
f
http://www.pjls16812.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rh.gi
I guess if I looked harder I could find more... Now, I am a very small OEM and repair shop. I pre-install Red Hat 7.2 on my customers' PCs sometimes. It sure is hard trying to explain why the apps look and behave so differently! I'm happy that Red Hat is actually trying to do something positive about it...
I have the first edition of "Mastering Regular Expressions" and it is indeed a very fine useful book.
For a nice way to get started with regular expressions I recommend the wonderful "txt2regex" console program. It provides a simple text based wizard-like interface. You answer questions and the program builds your regular expression for you. See:
http://txt2regex.sourceforge.net/
From what you say the good news is you have the power because it's you and
you alone. I have some experience of working with people like this, and they
just accept whatever default the computer gives them, usually. So it's not so
much the people's behaviour as the computer's behaviour that decides where
the data goes.
So simply set up a server and make sure each user's file locations are set
correctly, and you should be OK.
Once you've done this, the best way to make sure the users save in the right
place is to use Partition Magic to shrink the size of their local hard disk
partition so it's big enough for the OS, apps and fixed size swap file, and
nothing else. Then when they try to save locally, it says "Not enough disk
space". Almost all users won't know they could use fdisk to create a new
partition in the remaining unpartitioned space on their local disk.
Try Quiet PC (http://www.quietpc.com/). I bought two of their ATX power supply units, and one of their processor fans. The power supplies are truly astonishingly quiet. So is the processor fan. When I first turned them on, I couldn't believe how quiet they were.
Before, my girlfriend complained about the noise if I left my computers on during the night. Now, there's almost nothing to hear. All the parts were a bit pricey but they've been the best money I've spent in a long time. Highly recommended.
I am freelance. I go to people's houses and offices and fix their computer problems on site. For example, I get a lot of calls from people who are sick of trying to get their Internet connection working.
So I guess all this trouble is good for me in a way, because it means I get more calls. On the other hand, it makes it more stressful for me to solve certain problems, but then, if I can't help, I still ask for my minimum charge.