If you can learn and retain that information that you get over the phone, great. Please, call me as many times as you need to for each new problem that pops up.
If you need to keep calling regarding the same issue again and again, please read the manual. If the manual is crappy, please ask someone to send you instructions with screen shots and refer to that when the problem comes up. Or, even better, start using a Wiki to document common IT problems.
Open a PDF in your reader of choice, press ctrl+f, type in your search and press enter. If you honestly think that you can search through the document faster than a computer, stick with your method. If not (I am not), then use the pdf.
Although I agree that many people still use and enjoy books, they are still obsolete. They have no way to quickly search them, annotating them sucks (what do I do with my notes after I've written them, retype them?) and they are usually out of date by the time I get my hands on them.
I read most of my books on an n800 internet tablet. I hate carrying around (and storing) big heavy dead trees.
When I get a chance to read at home, I enjoy reading on my 24" monitor. Also, I enjoy the cold glow of my monitor and don't need tactile feedback to make out words and phrases;) YMMV.
I'm not a professional programmer, but I've been known to help out OSS in other ways. Here's my schedule:
- Wake up at 6am, eat, get dressed, drive to work.
- Work from 7:30am to 4:00pm supporting software, then go home.
- 5:00pm - 6:00pm, eat food, read some RSS feeds.
At this point all I really have to do until 11:00pm is study, code, or help out people in forums and IRC. And this doesn't even include the fun I get to have on the weekends, but YMMV.
When I first started at college I felt intimidated by all the really "talented" people around me. To compensate I buckled down and studied a ton. I also got into the habit of reading a chapter ahead and soon I found that I was getting straight A's.
My life wasn't nearly as interesting as my peers (I also had to work on the weekends), but I did really well academically.
We don't have personal computers at work, we have workstations and test machines. If you are using a personal computer at work, then you are doing it wrong.
Unfortunately, hardware doesn't always magically work as much as we'd like it to (this applies to Windows and well as Linux, OSx gets a bye because it runs on essentially 1 or 2 platforms). Due to this, there will be times when you need to manually install drivers when driver support is not available. Although this isn't convenient, this is no more incorrect than taking your car to an auto mechanic to install break pads, change the oil, etc.
Just because you don't know enough about how to do something, doesn't mean that it isn't possible or that it doesn't work. My first suggestion would be to look at the system requirements for software prior to installing it. You can find the system requirements for Ubuntu desktop at http://www.ubuntu.com/products/WhatIsUbuntu/desktopedition
Please mod the parent up. I've seen several specialists who all say that I have very little chance of developing CTS, I just have tendinitis and I need to use an ergonomic keyboard, use good posture and take micro-breaks. It's helped tremendously, but please note that I have a family history of bad joints (and I'm only 25).
I just want some wanton violence, blood, gore, robots, lasers, possibly sharks and the ability to prove to other people online that I have spent more time than them playing a video game.
Not necessarily proud, but fixing the bloat may not help out as much as you'd like. Outside of gaming I don't see a speed decrease on my C2D based computer with 2GB of ram in Vista when compared to XP. If you've got an older computer, the bloat is something you may notice. If you've got a newer computer, this is less of an issue.
In a year or two the high end box I have will be very inexpensive to purchase, so focusing on performance to the exclusion of other factors (security, stability, etc.) won't help you out in the long run.
Honestly, I think that we need to give up running major applications on our desktops (other than a web browser, that is). This is already happening to some extent, just look at all of the utilities that Google now offers.
Other than myself and my friends in IT, everyone I know has a computer that is a mess (from my perspective. from their perspective computers are just ornery in general). They do not back up their data, and they really do not take advantage of their computer.
I think that In order to do this, we need much faster network connections then what we currently have. Run everything remotely, store everything remotely, backup everything remotely. Let the folks at the datacenter run everything, so that you only need to worry about the latest Internet meme on youtube.
If you are worried about going bankrupt, don't buy a new car, period. Although we as Americans have decided that losing ~50% on the first day of an investment that costs 10s of thousands of dollars is a status symbol, no one is forced to buy into that.
In TFA, they mention their target demographic: "The customers are the trendsetters, the early adopters, the people who had to have a Prius,". These are people who are more interested in protecting the environment, than in getting a second 60" HDTV.
You have been awakened, per your post. You can help save the environment without going bankrupt by moving closer to your workplace and walking, biking or taking the bus. You can also carpool, and that doesn't even take moving or getting a new car.
After high school, I got a 2 year IT degree, and my first job outside college was selling PC and Mac based recording equipment. After that, I had a few more technically oriented sales jobs, finally landing an entry level support job 3 years after I graduated college.
Honestly, I beat out several people who had more IT experience than me, just because of the sales experience.
If you really want to work on computers for a living, you may need to work your way up.
What kind of a geek only has one computer? Sorry to be a troll, but doesn't everyone have several computers just lying around collecting dust as they process data for SETI?
BTW, I do have printed material too for when the Internet goes out or everything is destroyed by viruses or power surges.
Slashdot Mirror
Honestly, it's a free country. No one tells you where to work, where to go to school, where to live, what trade to learn.
You might try taking some responsibility for the outcome of your life and see where it takes you.
If you can learn and retain that information that you get over the phone, great. Please, call me as many times as you need to for each new problem that pops up.
If you need to keep calling regarding the same issue again and again, please read the manual. If the manual is crappy, please ask someone to send you instructions with screen shots and refer to that when the problem comes up. Or, even better, start using a Wiki to document common IT problems.
My 2c.
Open a PDF in your reader of choice, press ctrl+f, type in your search and press enter. If you honestly think that you can search through the document faster than a computer, stick with your method. If not (I am not), then use the pdf.
Although I agree that many people still use and enjoy books, they are still obsolete. They have no way to quickly search them, annotating them sucks (what do I do with my notes after I've written them, retype them?) and they are usually out of date by the time I get my hands on them.
;) YMMV.
I read most of my books on an n800 internet tablet. I hate carrying around (and storing) big heavy dead trees.
When I get a chance to read at home, I enjoy reading on my 24" monitor. Also, I enjoy the cold glow of my monitor and don't need tactile feedback to make out words and phrases
I'm not a professional programmer, but I've been known to help out OSS in other ways. Here's my schedule:
- Wake up at 6am, eat, get dressed, drive to work.
- Work from 7:30am to 4:00pm supporting software, then go home.
- 5:00pm - 6:00pm, eat food, read some RSS feeds.
At this point all I really have to do until 11:00pm is study, code, or help out people in forums and IRC. And this doesn't even include the fun I get to have on the weekends, but YMMV.
When I first started at college I felt intimidated by all the really "talented" people around me. To compensate I buckled down and studied a ton. I also got into the habit of reading a chapter ahead and soon I found that I was getting straight A's.
My life wasn't nearly as interesting as my peers (I also had to work on the weekends), but I did really well academically.
I do not think that word means what you think it means, my friend.
Is there a way to mod +1, Troll?
Water? Like, outta the toilet?
Shopping at Wal-Mart is great because it's got what plants crave, electrolytes.
Dont forget moist delicious cake.
I think we've found one of Dvorak's ancestors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRBIVRwvUeE
You don't need to ignore him, just duck whenever he gets near a chair.
We don't have personal computers at work, we have workstations and test machines. If you are using a personal computer at work, then you are doing it wrong.
no, I just want higher taxes on people who shop at walmart while I get most everything I need online ;)
Unfortunately, hardware doesn't always magically work as much as we'd like it to (this applies to Windows and well as Linux, OSx gets a bye because it runs on essentially 1 or 2 platforms). Due to this, there will be times when you need to manually install drivers when driver support is not available. Although this isn't convenient, this is no more incorrect than taking your car to an auto mechanic to install break pads, change the oil, etc.
Just because you don't know enough about how to do something, doesn't mean that it isn't possible or that it doesn't work. My first suggestion would be to look at the system requirements for software prior to installing it. You can find the system requirements for Ubuntu desktop at http://www.ubuntu.com/products/WhatIsUbuntu/desktopedition
Please mod the parent up. I've seen several specialists who all say that I have very little chance of developing CTS, I just have tendinitis and I need to use an ergonomic keyboard, use good posture and take micro-breaks. It's helped tremendously, but please note that I have a family history of bad joints (and I'm only 25).
http://www.amazon.com/Carpal-Syndrome-Therapy-Computer-Professionals/dp/0965510999
Sam L.
Customer Service
Solid Documents, LLC
saml@soliddocuments.com
http://www.soliddocuments.com/
I just want some wanton violence, blood, gore, robots, lasers, possibly sharks and the ability to prove to other people online that I have spent more time than them playing a video game.
Is that too much to ask?
Not necessarily proud, but fixing the bloat may not help out as much as you'd like. Outside of gaming I don't see a speed decrease on my C2D based computer with 2GB of ram in Vista when compared to XP. If you've got an older computer, the bloat is something you may notice. If you've got a newer computer, this is less of an issue.
In a year or two the high end box I have will be very inexpensive to purchase, so focusing on performance to the exclusion of other factors (security, stability, etc.) won't help you out in the long run.
Sam L.
Customer Service
Solid Documents, LLC
saml@soliddocuments.com
http://www.soliddocuments.com/
Honestly, I think that we need to give up running major applications on our desktops (other than a web browser, that is). This is already happening to some extent, just look at all of the utilities that Google now offers. Other than myself and my friends in IT, everyone I know has a computer that is a mess (from my perspective. from their perspective computers are just ornery in general). They do not back up their data, and they really do not take advantage of their computer. I think that In order to do this, we need much faster network connections then what we currently have. Run everything remotely, store everything remotely, backup everything remotely. Let the folks at the datacenter run everything, so that you only need to worry about the latest Internet meme on youtube.
If you are worried about going bankrupt, don't buy a new car, period. Although we as Americans have decided that losing ~50% on the first day of an investment that costs 10s of thousands of dollars is a status symbol, no one is forced to buy into that.
In TFA, they mention their target demographic: "The customers are the trendsetters, the early adopters, the people who had to have a Prius,". These are people who are more interested in protecting the environment, than in getting a second 60" HDTV.
You have been awakened, per your post. You can help save the environment without going bankrupt by moving closer to your workplace and walking, biking or taking the bus. You can also carpool, and that doesn't even take moving or getting a new car.
Technically, China is a Second World country, as is the Ukraine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World
After high school, I got a 2 year IT degree, and my first job outside college was selling PC and Mac based recording equipment. After that, I had a few more technically oriented sales jobs, finally landing an entry level support job 3 years after I graduated college.
Honestly, I beat out several people who had more IT experience than me, just because of the sales experience. If you really want to work on computers for a living, you may need to work your way up.
It was worth it for me, as I love my current job.
I for one welcome our plastic multifaceted toy overlords.
What kind of a geek only has one computer? Sorry to be a troll, but doesn't everyone have several computers just lying around collecting dust as they process data for SETI? BTW, I do have printed material too for when the Internet goes out or everything is destroyed by viruses or power surges.