Re: Dell rant

"dave_bonnell@xxxxxxxxxxx" wrote:

1. I agree with both of you. I picked the system, and I got what I
paid for. Software aside, I knew what I was paying (or not paying)
for....although it would be nice to see some more detailed specs of
certain components (monitor, hard drive, etc.) before purchase.

Notan, with respect to dedicated graphics, it may be my fault for
choosing, but it is Dell who decides which systems to market. My
comment/question was regarding how much it *should* cost to have a
PCI-E slot available for graphics. Given the cost of basic retail
motherboards today, I can't imagine it would be much, particularly when
spread across the thousands of PC's they sell. Given the demands of
today's (and tomorrow's) applications, I think it is shameful that a
vendor doesn't spend the extra $10 to provide the option of dedicated
graphics. The 3100 would be a *very* capable machine with this
functionality. I suppose that's why Dell hasn't added PCI-E....as a
method to spur sales of the 5100 series. It's probably a smart
business decision on Dell's part in terms of the bottom line...but that
doesn't mean I have to like it.

2. Yes, add/remove programs does work...to an extent. You are still
left with hundreds of artifacts (whether it be registry entries,
shortcuts, so-called 'shared' dll's, program settings, etc.). While
these remnants *shouldn't* affect operation of the computer, it can and
does happen.

In addition, some of the installed programs appear on the start menu,
but cannot be uninstalled via add/remove. The reverse is also
true...there are some add/remove items that don't appear to have any
executables/shortcuts associated with them. It is unclear to me which
items are ok to remove and which might be essential to other software.

The option to purchase from the 'Home' or 'Business' is nice in
hind-sight. The software bloat that Dell installs is not exactly
well-published on their purchasing website, and the business PC website
doesn't clearly indicate "no shareware installed"...in fact, it lists
several pieces of software that automatically come with the system.
Why would I choose a 'Business' PC?....I'm not a business! Dell
doesn't make much effort to distinguish the two, anyway.

Regards,
Dave

On PCIe slots:

How much would it cost for an automobile manufacturer to add one small
option (e.g., a heated outside mirror) to a purchase? Not much. But,
if you've ever shopped for a new car, you won't find it. What you will
find is the heated outside mirror in an options *package*, which means
you'll have to purchase other things (often that you don't need/want)
in order to get the mirror.

It's the same with computer manufacturers.

On add/remove programs and Home vs. Business purchases:

As others have pointed out, in this and other threads, the only way
to truly clean your system is to wipe the hard drive, install a fresh
OS, and only install the programs that *you* choose.

Pain in the ***, but, from someone who's often done it, well worth it.

I don't think *any* manufacturer is completely candid as to what will be
installed on your system. That's why Usenet newsgroups are so valuable.

Searching for info, and asking questions, is *your* responsibility!

Notan
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