Re: X Box 360? errrrrr no thanks

"Paul Russell" <prussell@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Simon Finnigan wrote:
"Paul Russell" <prussell@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Simon Finnigan wrote:

Or we could use the Wintel PC to word process, do spreadsheets etc? At
uni Excel was regularly used as a nic little tool to allow you to model
physical processes as an example. Why do you think that anyone not
using a computer at the very limit of its capabilities, in one of the
very few situations where a non-standard OS is required, can have their
needs ignored simply because you feel that everyone should be using a
*nix style system? Why can`t you just accept that for the vast
majority of people in the real world, usinf computers for real work,
Windows is quite simply the best tool for the job.
What does Excel have to do with Windows ? You don't even need to run
Windows to use Excel.

It`s a Microsoft tool, something you`ve been having great fun trying to
insult.


Well so far we've been talking about MS's crappy hardware (Xbox, Xbox 360
etc) and their crappy Windows excuse for an OS. But we can talk about
their applications too if you like. I have to confess that I do actually
use the Mac OS X version of Excel. It's not too bad, but in the usual
half-assed MS fashion it breaks various UI guidelines and is broken in
various other ways too. I expect I'll eventually switch to one of the open
source offerings (e.g. NeoOffice) but for now I put up with Excel.

Sigh......

Also, you're still missing the point - I _do_ accept that the vast
majority of people put up with the lowest common denominator, shoddiest
OS in the world because it just about meets their limited needs, for
much of the time. Windows is far from being the "best" tool for the job,
but it is the /de facto/ tool for the job, unfortunately.

Why is it shoddy? Is it shoddy simply because it doesn`t meet the needs
of an absolutely tiny subset of the population that have very specific
requirements? In that case then surely a Ferrarri is shoddy, as it
doesn`t meet my neighbours need to transport his large family round in
comfort.


No - it's shoddy because it's badly designed and has some serious
shortcomings. Like the worst security of any OS (hence all the malware,
zombie PCs, etc). And single points of failure, like the registry. And a
very poor UI - how many years have they been trying to copy Mac OS and
it's still just a half-assed piss-poor imitation.

The reason for the malware isn`t down to the security of the OS, it`s down
to the popularity as I`ve said before. If you had the same number of Linux
or OSX boxes on the net as Windows boxes then they`d get hacked just as
often. The simple fact is that it doesn`t make economic sense to develop
tools for a platform other than Windows - with Windows you have more PC`s to
attack, and thus more money to be made.

You`re still coming across as more and more of an elitist poser you
know - I`m guessing that this is a concious decision, correct?

To you it's elitism, to me it's just about having higher standards than
the masses and caring about quality, good design, and a few other issues.
No doubt an East German driving a Trabant thinks that a West German
driving a Mercedes is an "elitist poseur" too.

Hardly a fair comparison, and I notice you`ve avoided answering my question.
i`ll ask it again, see if you can give a good answer the second time round
without insulting anyone.

Why is it shoddy? Is it shoddy simply because it doesn`t meet the needs
of an absolutely tiny subset of the population that have very specific
requirements? In that case then surely a Ferrarri is shoddy, as it
doesn`t meet my neighbours need to transport his large family round in
comfort.


.