Like antivirus, most of the time it's a checkbox required for some kind of compliance. My last company has insurance like this because it was the only way we could get contracts with large companies. No insurance = no sale.
I like having a smart phone, but honestly this is getting silly. I can pick android and have google in everything I do. I can pick apple and have better privacy, but support a company that is price gouging and publicly telling me they want my phone to die more often. We need a 3rd option.
Resulting to insults shows you are emotionally involved in this discussion. I really hope you found some kind of temporary relief from that hole in your soul by calling me names.
I work 9 hours a day on a macbook pro. I have no dongles. Not one. I do miss the magentic power adaptor and I think the touchbar is 100% stupid. I don't mind the keyboard, I've gotten use to it and it's fine. Plus I only use the keyboard when I'm not at my desk and connected to my monitors and external keyboard/mouse.
Overall, I'd still take this macbook over a dell laptop, just for a proper os for the work I do. I'd hate to be writing python and managing systems in windows (if only my company would support linux workstations).
Honestly, I don't care that it's soldered on. I want a lighter thinner laptop, I don't work on them and I'm never going to upgrade them. I buy my computer sized for the life I expect to use it. I have never, ever, ever, upgraded a computer.
Even the computers I built myself never got upgrades, I built a new one and sold the old one. Just like I do on everything else. No one complains you can't replace the cpu or ram on a phone right?
The article makes a false reference to being pushed into apple products. As if you can't install other mail clients or browsers. I'm not a apple fan, but the article is complete bullshit. Beyond that it makes the assumption that all people want or need these great new features.
I don't want a google device because I don't want my information to be in the hands of google. I've spent the last year removing myself from social media and and the piiForce as much as possible. I don't use google products, facebook, etc.
I use a iPhone not because I want to, I use it because it's the only one that doesn't tie me straight into google's data collection services. I don't care about cloud services for personal users. I don't want them.
I want my phone to be secure (iOS 12 is reasonably secure), fast, good battery life, a web browser, and the ability to install the few apps I need (mail client, mfa apps, chat tools). I also want the company who provides the device to be transparent in what they collect from me, let me turn all that shit off, show me how I can view all of it and also how to delete all of it. I could give a shit if my phone has a camera, it's just something I have to put a tape over anyways. If I could get a phone without GPS I would totally be into that. I'm 3-4 apps away from a burner.
That is exactly why I moved to buying my phones directly from Apple, Samsung, and Google. I got bit by a similar thing at AT&T when we got our first 'smart' phones years ago. I now only buy phones directly from manufactures and only buy unlocked devices. But if they want to charge me for moving a sim card from one phone to another, well I'd rather not have a phone at all.
Exactly. I am the only person on the planet who doesn't read a tiny document in full while a sales rep stands over with other customers waiting. I also don't have a law background, so I really should bring a lawyer with me to sign up for new services. This explains why everyone is in pairs at the Verizon store I guess.
Instead of a list of buried fees that are predatory and have no value to me the customer (as if activating a phone is a big expense for Verizon), what if I was presented with a nice list of fees and what they are for? I bet that fits on 1 sheet of paper. Better yet, what about not charging for services that take no effort on your part. Did the apple store rep scanning a bar-code and handing me a iPad to fill out information cost Verizon $30? Did it cost them $5? Why do other carriers not charge this fee?
The real reason for leaving is not the fee (the fee is the start of the reason and is a stupid fee). The real reason is how I was treated. I was lied to and told all carriers charge this fee. My quick phone call to a t-mobile store discovered this is false. I was told it was my fault (that always makes the customer happy). I was not offered any help, but instead they attempted to up sell their shitty rewards program (probably so the customer..err sales rep could get a good job mark). I was they told I'm a valuable customer and they would do anything to keep me from leaving. Turns out like meatloaf, they would do anything for their customers, but they won't do that.
Top it of with Verizon being the reason the FCC sucks so bad. I'm glad to leave. I should have done it sooner.
In conclusion, Verizon has the highest hidden fees, the most expensive phone plans, shitty customer service, and really really really wants you to install an app on your phone.
I changed cell phone carriers recently because of bad customer service. I bought (paid cash) for a new phones for my family. They activated it at the apple store (unlocked phone). I get my cell phone bill from Verizon and I see activation fees. That is a fee for me buying a new working phones and Verizon doing nothing. I call support and I'm told this is a industry standard practice. I protest that in with past carriers I was only charged a fee for signing up. I was never charged for switching phones. Again the rep says I should have read the entire terms of service before I signed up. I asked him if he always reads every terms of service for every provider he uses. He informs me he always does (so he's a liar).
They offer to give me a one time credit of one activation fee because I was unaware, but insist this is a fair practice. They then ask if I'm happy. I tell them I'm not happy. He then offers to give me credits for my old phones to offset the cost. I don't have any old phones, I recycled them when I bought the new one! He then tells me about their rewards program and how I can use their rewards by installing an application on my phone to offset these costs. When I tell him I don't install apps on my phone without doing my homework he continues to press it. I again refuse and he gives me to a manager. She again tells me it's my fault and I should just use the rewards because I'll receive gift cards to offset these "one time costs". She again tells me all carriers charge these fees. I inform her these kind of fees are predatory and silly. I refuse to pay them. She again tells me there is nothing they can do and I should just use the rewards. She words it as "I have offered you a solution to your problem and you refuse to accept it. Is that correct?" I tell her I have my own solution. I will find a carrier who doesn't charge these fees. She tells me I am a valuable customer and they would hate to lose me. She wants to know how to make me happy. I say "drop this silly fee!"
This goes on for another 30 minutes. I hang up. Drive to T-Mobile. Within 45 minutes I've got our phones activated on t-mobile. The new account activation fee was $10 less than verizon's activation fee. The paperwork and the rep both confirmed they do not charge activation fees on phones, only for 'Sim card starter kits' and even then if you are a customer they never charge you in that store. On top of that, my bill dropped significantly without losing my 'unlimited' data plan. Coverage in this area is the same and I get free netflix. Later that night I got notice from Verizon of a credit to my account, and with the fast cancellation verizon now owes me a refund.
I would have respected the customer service if they didn't send their time trying to sell me on their silly rewards program. I might have even sucked up the extra fee. Their "its your fault" attitude and instance on their stupid rewards program was enough to make sure I will never go back.
My issue is automated voice systems. I spend 30 minutes just getting to a human. If they only support voice they are even worse. Currently I just press 0 over and over while saying 'fuck shit fuck' until something sends me to a agent.
It takes about 1 second to do. The few times I've been stopped by police I always do this before they reach my car. This ensures any strangeness that may happen has a layer of protection.
Easiest way is to simply disable face ID before you are arrested. It's a simple and a press and hold of the side and volume button. Once that is done the passphrase must be provided.
Right. In IT we also have associations that help us. Certification bodies, user groups, technical groups, etc. I'm a member of many so that I have a network. I know who's who and what's what. Most of the time I know about the open jobs in my area before they are posted. Real social networking is always going to be better than blind trust in some higher power.
The places will fix themselves if they have no workers. Just saying. In the field that i'm in, there is no excuse for working a shitty job. If you have the training, work ethic, and are even halfway pleasant to speak with you can get your pick of jobs.
I guess my disconnect is why would you settle for being low skill? I never rest when it comes to my education and career advancement. I didn't come from a wealthy family and I had to work my way through college stocking shelves and taking odd jobs to pay for it on my own. I once had a job carrying shingles up a ladder all day for minimum wage and a "you're fired before you hit the ground" mentality. I had to then pay my dues on shitty help desks and call centers. I kept pushing and learning. I'm in a very good position now and honestly could easily retire here without any hardships. It's not good enough and I will continue. I'm finishing my masters degree now and should have some more industry certifications by the EoY. I will continue to do this until I'm ready to retire or I'm dead. Even if I could be the next Jeff Bezos, it wouldn't be enough to rest on my laurels.
So I get being poor. I know what it's like to cry with your girlfriend about deciding between rent and food. I know what it's like to be a replaceable cog in a work for hire state. I know how hard it can be to break into a industry that wants entry level applicants to have 5 years experience. I prefer it this way. I have great pride in what I've done to get myself and my family to where we are. I honestly believe that if my industry was heavily unionized I'd be in a way worse position today. I would have lower wages, less vacation, and less opportunity for career advancement.
I've also had terrible IT jobs. I've had bosses that expected 80 hour weeks. I've had bosses that asked us to do unethical things. I found new jobs. I kept my head down, kept learning, and found the good companies. In a highly skilled field there will be good companies who want to pay our worth and treat us like people. You just have to be willing to put the work in. If I would have found no good companies, well then I'd start one.
How would the union benefit me? I'm already doing just fine. If a company doesn't treat me well, I find a new company. Always have and always will. If you are in a low skill job, then your concern should not be getting a union to protect you, but rather spending time on yourself developing your skills and improving your life. I will survive on my merits and everyone else should do the same.
Unions were important in the past, there is no denying that. They may even still be important in the low/no skill market, but that is more of a political/belief conversation. They have no business in highly skilled fields.
I assume Alan has friends. I think it's also safe to assume that Alan has friends who know his office phone number. I'm going to make a risky assumption here, but I'm going to assume some of those friends use facebook. Now some of those friends also probably use messenger and have upload their contact list....
Just stop using facebook. I know it seems like going vegan as a meat eater, but honestly after about 2 weeks you will love it. Social media software such as facebook and twitter serve no useful function. They bring noise, angry, hate, and fear and little else. They are helping us destroy our society. I guess if you want to see the fall of man, keep using social media.
Slashdot Mirror
Like antivirus, most of the time it's a checkbox required for some kind of compliance. My last company has insurance like this because it was the only way we could get contracts with large companies. No insurance = no sale.
Did they just come up with the idea of public schools?
I mean I got a free education and now I pay part of my paycheck for it. This is not revolutionary.
As if the walled garden doesn't have malware. ROFL.
I like having a smart phone, but honestly this is getting silly. I can pick android and have google in everything I do. I can pick apple and have better privacy, but support a company that is price gouging and publicly telling me they want my phone to die more often. We need a 3rd option.
Don't even get me started on 'man fsck'
Maybe we need to ban most of these dirty commands too!
Resulting to insults shows you are emotionally involved in this discussion. I really hope you found some kind of temporary relief from that hole in your soul by calling me names.
I use duckduckgo and startpage.com for my searches.
my company bans the use of icloud, it's not even an option to click on.
Different use cases. You don't have to use iCloud. You could use one drive, dropbox, etc.
Shit, I don't get how people use up all that space anyways. I'm using 53GiB of data on my macbook. What are we storing there?
I've got 3 or 4 dozen git repositories synced, all the apps I require, and still have 450 GiB of empty space!
I work 9 hours a day on a macbook pro. I have no dongles. Not one. I do miss the magentic power adaptor and I think the touchbar is 100% stupid. I don't mind the keyboard, I've gotten use to it and it's fine. Plus I only use the keyboard when I'm not at my desk and connected to my monitors and external keyboard/mouse.
Overall, I'd still take this macbook over a dell laptop, just for a proper os for the work I do. I'd hate to be writing python and managing systems in windows (if only my company would support linux workstations).
Honestly, I don't care that it's soldered on. I want a lighter thinner laptop, I don't work on them and I'm never going to upgrade them. I buy my computer sized for the life I expect to use it. I have never, ever, ever, upgraded a computer.
Even the computers I built myself never got upgrades, I built a new one and sold the old one. Just like I do on everything else. No one complains you can't replace the cpu or ram on a phone right?
The article makes a false reference to being pushed into apple products. As if you can't install other mail clients or browsers. I'm not a apple fan, but the article is complete bullshit. Beyond that it makes the assumption that all people want or need these great new features.
I don't want a google device because I don't want my information to be in the hands of google. I've spent the last year removing myself from social media and and the piiForce as much as possible. I don't use google products, facebook, etc.
I use a iPhone not because I want to, I use it because it's the only one that doesn't tie me straight into google's data collection services. I don't care about cloud services for personal users. I don't want them.
I want my phone to be secure (iOS 12 is reasonably secure), fast, good battery life, a web browser, and the ability to install the few apps I need (mail client, mfa apps, chat tools). I also want the company who provides the device to be transparent in what they collect from me, let me turn all that shit off, show me how I can view all of it and also how to delete all of it. I could give a shit if my phone has a camera, it's just something I have to put a tape over anyways. If I could get a phone without GPS I would totally be into that. I'm 3-4 apps away from a burner.
That is exactly why I moved to buying my phones directly from Apple, Samsung, and Google. I got bit by a similar thing at AT&T when we got our first 'smart' phones years ago. I now only buy phones directly from manufactures and only buy unlocked devices. But if they want to charge me for moving a sim card from one phone to another, well I'd rather not have a phone at all.
Exactly. I am the only person on the planet who doesn't read a tiny document in full while a sales rep stands over with other customers waiting. I also don't have a law background, so I really should bring a lawyer with me to sign up for new services. This explains why everyone is in pairs at the Verizon store I guess.
Instead of a list of buried fees that are predatory and have no value to me the customer (as if activating a phone is a big expense for Verizon), what if I was presented with a nice list of fees and what they are for? I bet that fits on 1 sheet of paper. Better yet, what about not charging for services that take no effort on your part. Did the apple store rep scanning a bar-code and handing me a iPad to fill out information cost Verizon $30? Did it cost them $5? Why do other carriers not charge this fee?
The real reason for leaving is not the fee (the fee is the start of the reason and is a stupid fee). The real reason is how I was treated. I was lied to and told all carriers charge this fee. My quick phone call to a t-mobile store discovered this is false. I was told it was my fault (that always makes the customer happy). I was not offered any help, but instead they attempted to up sell their shitty rewards program (probably so the customer..err sales rep could get a good job mark). I was they told I'm a valuable customer and they would do anything to keep me from leaving. Turns out like meatloaf, they would do anything for their customers, but they won't do that.
Top it of with Verizon being the reason the FCC sucks so bad. I'm glad to leave. I should have done it sooner.
In conclusion, Verizon has the highest hidden fees, the most expensive phone plans, shitty customer service, and really really really wants you to install an app on your phone.
I changed cell phone carriers recently because of bad customer service. I bought (paid cash) for a new phones for my family. They activated it at the apple store (unlocked phone). I get my cell phone bill from Verizon and I see activation fees. That is a fee for me buying a new working phones and Verizon doing nothing. I call support and I'm told this is a industry standard practice. I protest that in with past carriers I was only charged a fee for signing up. I was never charged for switching phones. Again the rep says I should have read the entire terms of service before I signed up. I asked him if he always reads every terms of service for every provider he uses. He informs me he always does (so he's a liar).
They offer to give me a one time credit of one activation fee because I was unaware, but insist this is a fair practice. They then ask if I'm happy. I tell them I'm not happy. He then offers to give me credits for my old phones to offset the cost. I don't have any old phones, I recycled them when I bought the new one! He then tells me about their rewards program and how I can use their rewards by installing an application on my phone to offset these costs. When I tell him I don't install apps on my phone without doing my homework he continues to press it. I again refuse and he gives me to a manager. She again tells me it's my fault and I should just use the rewards because I'll receive gift cards to offset these "one time costs". She again tells me all carriers charge these fees. I inform her these kind of fees are predatory and silly. I refuse to pay them. She again tells me there is nothing they can do and I should just use the rewards. She words it as "I have offered you a solution to your problem and you refuse to accept it. Is that correct?" I tell her I have my own solution. I will find a carrier who doesn't charge these fees. She tells me I am a valuable customer and they would hate to lose me. She wants to know how to make me happy. I say "drop this silly fee!"
This goes on for another 30 minutes. I hang up. Drive to T-Mobile. Within 45 minutes I've got our phones activated on t-mobile. The new account activation fee was $10 less than verizon's activation fee. The paperwork and the rep both confirmed they do not charge activation fees on phones, only for 'Sim card starter kits' and even then if you are a customer they never charge you in that store. On top of that, my bill dropped significantly without losing my 'unlimited' data plan. Coverage in this area is the same and I get free netflix. Later that night I got notice from Verizon of a credit to my account, and with the fast cancellation verizon now owes me a refund.
I would have respected the customer service if they didn't send their time trying to sell me on their silly rewards program. I might have even sucked up the extra fee. Their "its your fault" attitude and instance on their stupid rewards program was enough to make sure I will never go back.
My issue is automated voice systems. I spend 30 minutes just getting to a human. If they only support voice they are even worse. Currently I just press 0 over and over while saying 'fuck shit fuck' until something sends me to a agent.
It takes about 1 second to do. The few times I've been stopped by police I always do this before they reach my car. This ensures any strangeness that may happen has a layer of protection.
Easiest way is to simply disable face ID before you are arrested. It's a simple and a press and hold of the side and volume button. Once that is done the passphrase must be provided.
Right. In IT we also have associations that help us. Certification bodies, user groups, technical groups, etc. I'm a member of many so that I have a network. I know who's who and what's what. Most of the time I know about the open jobs in my area before they are posted. Real social networking is always going to be better than blind trust in some higher power.
The places will fix themselves if they have no workers. Just saying. In the field that i'm in, there is no excuse for working a shitty job. If you have the training, work ethic, and are even halfway pleasant to speak with you can get your pick of jobs.
I guess my disconnect is why would you settle for being low skill? I never rest when it comes to my education and career advancement. I didn't come from a wealthy family and I had to work my way through college stocking shelves and taking odd jobs to pay for it on my own. I once had a job carrying shingles up a ladder all day for minimum wage and a "you're fired before you hit the ground" mentality. I had to then pay my dues on shitty help desks and call centers. I kept pushing and learning. I'm in a very good position now and honestly could easily retire here without any hardships. It's not good enough and I will continue. I'm finishing my masters degree now and should have some more industry certifications by the EoY. I will continue to do this until I'm ready to retire or I'm dead. Even if I could be the next Jeff Bezos, it wouldn't be enough to rest on my laurels.
So I get being poor. I know what it's like to cry with your girlfriend about deciding between rent and food. I know what it's like to be a replaceable cog in a work for hire state. I know how hard it can be to break into a industry that wants entry level applicants to have 5 years experience. I prefer it this way. I have great pride in what I've done to get myself and my family to where we are. I honestly believe that if my industry was heavily unionized I'd be in a way worse position today. I would have lower wages, less vacation, and less opportunity for career advancement.
I've also had terrible IT jobs. I've had bosses that expected 80 hour weeks. I've had bosses that asked us to do unethical things. I found new jobs. I kept my head down, kept learning, and found the good companies. In a highly skilled field there will be good companies who want to pay our worth and treat us like people. You just have to be willing to put the work in. If I would have found no good companies, well then I'd start one.
How would the union benefit me? I'm already doing just fine. If a company doesn't treat me well, I find a new company. Always have and always will. If you are in a low skill job, then your concern should not be getting a union to protect you, but rather spending time on yourself developing your skills and improving your life. I will survive on my merits and everyone else should do the same.
Unions were important in the past, there is no denying that. They may even still be important in the low/no skill market, but that is more of a political/belief conversation. They have no business in highly skilled fields.
I assume Alan has friends. I think it's also safe to assume that Alan has friends who know his office phone number. I'm going to make a risky assumption here, but I'm going to assume some of those friends use facebook. Now some of those friends also probably use messenger and have upload their contact list....
Googling not required for facebook.
Just stop using facebook. I know it seems like going vegan as a meat eater, but honestly after about 2 weeks you will love it. Social media software such as facebook and twitter serve no useful function. They bring noise, angry, hate, and fear and little else. They are helping us destroy our society. I guess if you want to see the fall of man, keep using social media.