Re: Windows Vista at One Year (Dark Side Report)

On Wed, 6 Feb 2008 08:49:52 -1000, "Alvin E. Toda" <aet@xxxxxxxx>
wrote:

On Tue, 5 Feb 2008, El Castor wrote:

On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:20:18 -0800, Rita
<Rita@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:57:53 -0800, El Castor
<No_One@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:35:14 GMT, jimstevens
<jimstevens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

[Default] On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 07:00:30 -1000,
"Alvin E. Toda" <aet@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Fri, 1 Feb 2008, Rumpelstiltskin wrote:

On Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:06:09 -0500, Gary
<none@xxxxxxx> wrote:

On Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:25:55 -0500, Jim Higgins
<gordian238@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

A computer shop's sales pitch: 'We remove
Vista'
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/130626.asp?source=mypi

fter reading today's story about Windows
Vista's first year, reader Bruce Finlayson of
Seattle sent along this photo that he snapped
in October outside a computer store in
Milford, N.H. ...

I made some calls to computer stores in
Milford (pop. 15,000) and confirmed that the
sign appeared in the window of A&D Computer,
across the street from the town square. Shop
manager Aaron Kaplan said they were prompted
to put it up because so many people were
having problems with Windows Vista, including
compatibility issues with older software and
trouble adjusting to the interface.

I'm beginning to think that Vista was designed
in cahoots with various hardware and software
manufacturers to force us to buy new version of
stuff we already have.

I've got a good flatbed scanner that will not
work with Vista, plus several older software
programs.

I suppose Bill Gates need some extra money for
his charities.


I still run some DOS programs. My computer
bridge game (Micro Bridge Companion) is one
example. Windows developers seem to concentrate
on a glitzy interface in preference to making a
strategically powerful game. I've never bought
and rarely played any of the wow-graphics
shoot-em-up games that are all the rage with the
young whippersnappers, because I'm such an old
fart, so I couldn't comment on those. The
computer games I play are pretty much limited to
GO, "Litlite" (Scrabble), Bridge, Spades,
"Wintris" (Tetris), Crazy Eights, Gin, "Rattler"
(an ancient eat-the-dots-while-being-chased-
through-a-maze game), and Yachtzee. Of those,
the Bridge, Crazy Eights, Gin and Rattler games
are DOS.

Noticeably missing is Chess, which I used to
play a lot in my 20's but which I've rarely
played in recent years. I still like to watch
people play chess, but it's too much pressure
for me to want to play it myself these days.

I have a computer Q-Bert game that I really
like. I was addicted to that game at amusement
parks. It's now unplayable though, because the
graphics go blank in an early screen if I try to
play it via Windows.

I used to "play" SimCity too, but I've gotten
tired of it. It's become Barbie-Doll-ish in
that there are an expanding number of
accoutrements associated with it these days,
which puts me off.

I still use my windows 95 machine when the
windows 98 goes down. Worried about upward
compatibility? I worry more about downward
compatibility. Those operating systems are no
longer supported. I haven't bought new s/w in
years because so much is available for free
nowadays-- not that I use that stuff. Am thinking
of updating an older machine to linux and
hopefully will find much open source s/w to
use... Tactics of the retired to save costs.

There is nothing better then taking a nice box
home, opening it and putting the hardware
together, pulling hard drive out of old PC and
trashing the rest of the old machine as crap that
will take time to keep going. I love it.

In a day when you can buy a Dell dual core machine
for $500, it is also a great way to spend more
money. Considering the life span of hard disks,
using an old relic for more than data transfer is a
terrific way to lose data. As for Win 95 and Win
98, not only are they vulnerable to every hack that
the mind of an Albanian teenager can devise, with
an old processor and modern software they must take
a half hour to boot up. Other than that, sounds
great! (-8

I wonder if there are any firewalls or anti-virus
checkers or spyware detectors available today -- and
that are kept updated -- that support Win 95 and Win
98? If not, you might as well say computer security
doesn't matter.

Might as well.

Thanx to Rita, I have switched to FireFox which has
been easily updated and keeps on working. The same can
be said about an AVG virus checker, and SpyBot and
Adaware spywhere checkers. My firewall is by Sygate.
These are all free versions. My machine takes a
reasonable time to boot up-- more like 5 instead of 30
minutes. It's only shutdown that's a little dicey.
Sometimes I will just used the switch to powerdown in a
hurry. Othertimes, I will just use an extra 5 minutes
to stop all processes except the OS to shutdown with no
problems.

I've generally used shell access because I can access
my ISP from a variety of machines. I mainly do some
email, but also need to do some documentation and
analysis with a spread ***. Nothing that needs any
new software.

Well, I can't argue with success, or semi-success, as the case may be.
Do I understand that you have a shell account? I didn't think they did
that anymore? My first account was a shell. Made me learn a little
Unix. After a month or two I got a copy of TIA (The Internet Adapter),
a Unix program that allowed me to use a graphical interface. TIA was
sort of an illicit thing. Some ISPs didn't permit it, but mine didn't
seem to mind -- or didn't know. I always felt like I was getting away
with something. (-8
.