Linux Format forums

Re: I think that I am going off computers

Rhakios — Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:00 am

Author: Rhakios

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:00 am

spottedcat wrote:

The poster you are responding to swept in here today, posted in quick succession to no less than seven threads (some stale) in Off Topic, and advised you to use a Mac in this one. I've got better things to do than check to see if he's even mentioned Linux once in any of his other posts, but I would say this is curious posting behaviour. Needs watching IMO.

I've noticed his sig is a link, but I've not followed it. Link in sig with no overt selling isn't enough to get my anti-spam juices flowing. <insert shrugging-smiley here>

Re: I think that I am going off computers

spottedcat — Sun Jun 10, 2007 11:05 pm

Author: spottedcat

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 11:05 pm

wyliecoyoteuk wrote:

Get a Mac? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....I'd rather use Gnome for a week as an exercise in frustration.

Re: I think that I am going off computers

wyliecoyoteuk — Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:48 pm

Author: wyliecoyoteuk

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:48 pm

jezebelus wrote:

[

Sorry mate but I wouldn't agree. I mean these days computers are powerful machines which can do almost everything media related. The only problem is Microsoft and their crappy OS which isn't able to handle apps properly but if you wanna stable and solid system get yourself Mac and there is no problems.

Get a Mac? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....I'd rather use Gnome for a week as an exercise in frustration.

My favourite Mac OSX error message : "An error has occurred...Because: an error has occurred"

(FYI, I support Windows, Linux and Macs at work)

The reason I don't like OSX and its poorly cloned brother Vista, etc, is because when everything works OK, they're fine, but when something goes wrong......

My job is fixing things....give me Linux any day.

Re: I think that I am going off computers

jezebelus — Sun Jun 10, 2007 9:04 pm

Author: jezebelus

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 9:04 pm

wyliecoyoteuk wrote:

Yes, after all these years, I find my interest waning.
Back in the days of 8080,Z80, 6504 chips, 4 digit displays on HPs, and a 20 column green screen they were a real challenge to do anything with.
Amigas were nice, PCs were crap, Novell 3.1, windows 3.11, then w95,w98,200,xp, Caldera, Storm, Suse, Mandrake, it was all such fun, trying to defeat the user interface.

These days, it just seems boring and safe.

I increasingly use my PC for surfing, Ebay, email, photos. music and very little else.

Boring....................................

In fact, I just spent a week in Cornwall without booting my laptop once! no email, web surfing, no games.
The wife thinks I am ill.

Sorry mate but I wouldn't agree. I mean thesedays computers are powerful machines which can do almost everything media related. The only problem is Microsoft and their crappy OS which isn't able to handle apps properly but if you wanna stable and solid system get yourself Mac and there is no problems.

RE: Re: RE: I think that I am going off computers

ollie — Mon Jan 08, 2007 1:26 am

Author: ollie

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 1:26 am

Teaching teenagers - no way! Adult education - I enjoy teaching, although we do get a large number of older teenagers as well (they've finished school anyway). Teaching adults that have never turned a computer on, never typed a document and never thought they would touch a computer can be enjoyable - except for the M$ Windows compulsory subjects.

I taught Linux (Knoppix & Ubuntu) for the first time this year and insisted that all assessments be submitted electronically using OpenOffice.org in the Open Document Format and had the best attendance record of all classes. It just needed some lateral thinking and a supportive head teacher (and some jealousy from other teachers).

But I still hear from IT Teachers and IT support - "I hate computers" - just because of the constant crashes.

RE: Re: RE: I think that I am going off computers

jjmac — Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:42 pm

Author: jjmac

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:42 pm

wyliecoyoteuk wrote:
>>
I finally got the media selection to work, turns out there was a 2 page series of misprints and mistranslations on the only command in the PCL manual that I wanted to use
>>

Not uncommon either, manuals can be subject to the same error potential as any other printed document.

jm

RE: Re: RE: I think that I am going off computers

wyliecoyoteuk — Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:32 pm

Author: wyliecoyoteuk

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:32 pm

Well, no danger of me taking up teaching- I can't stand kids in the plural, I can usually manage one to one, so maybe tutorials? no.
Programming?-no thanks, I have a severe aversion to code.

I finally got the media selection to work, turns out there was a 2 page series of misprints and mistranslations on the only command in the PCL manual that I wanted to use (sigh) Ricoh tech support spent some time on the phone to Japan

I feel a strong need for fresh air and daylight.

Re: RE: I think that I am going off computers

Jules — Sat Dec 30, 2006 6:12 pm

Author: Jules

Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 6:12 pm

wyliecoyoteuk wrote:

Mind you, I've got an exciting day tomorrow, running comparative PCL tests on 2 Ricoh MFPs to see if I can get the "condensed" command to work, along with media selection by type, not tray.

I can't wait.

Computers will never be boring, as long as we have the user interface to deal with. Was the same when I got into computers 30 years ago, and it's the same now.

Jules

(Still adding to The Big Bodge Book after all these years)

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: I think that I am going off computers

jjmac — Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:11 am

Author: jjmac

Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:11 am

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=- Turn on, Tune in, Drop out -=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Kali lives ! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

As long as there are some solar panels around, one can always plug into them, if a keyboard fix is needed.

Stuff is never actually lost, regardless of how misplaced it may all be ...

jm

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: I think that I am going off computers

Nigel — Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:05 am

Author: Nigel

Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:05 am

wyliecoyoteuk - you have my sympathy. I've had days like that, too... usually when I've been doing too much tech support & not enough programming. A while back I was even toying with the idea of giving up computing & going into teaching... until some sessions in the classroom at the school where I was a governor gave me a timely reality check - there's no way I could cope with that every day !

As others have said, you probably just need a new challenge to restore the enthusiasm. And there's one on the way in the new year - just wait till your first client gets Vista and you have to make everything else work with it

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: I think that I am going off computers

Rhakios — Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:46 pm

Author: Rhakios

Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:46 pm

I do not own a fish slice (so 1sf's safe), I usually find it is the hammer that get stuck in the drawer, hence I now keep it on a shelf (perhaps 1sf isn't so safe after all).

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: I think that I am going off computers

wyliecoyoteuk — Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:20 pm

Author: wyliecoyoteuk

Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:20 pm

I quite like T.P.s "goddess of things that get stuck in drawers", as I actually believe that she exists.
And yes it usually IS a fish slice.
Already studied and discounted most of the more common deities, including Blind Io and Offler, the crocodile god..

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: I think that I am going off computers

Rhakios — Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:53 am

Author: Rhakios

Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:53 am

Well, that only leaves one choice: you'll have to find god. I leave the choice of god up to you. I believe it can be a comfort to some people when they reach a "what's it all for?" stage in life.
<insert mystical smiley here>

Re: RE: Re: RE: I think that I am going off computers

Ram — Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:05 am

Author: Ram

Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:05 am

wyliecoyoteuk wrote:

No danger of taking up golf, I agree with Oscar when he said "golf is a good walk spoilt" apart from the fact that I hate walking.

.

Golf is a good walk spoilt. Mark Twain

RE: Re: RE: I think that I am going off computers

wyliecoyoteuk — Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:44 pm

Author: wyliecoyoteuk

Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:44 pm

Actually, I used to be an artist, did A level art, pottery, foundation course in graphic design................then the frustration set in, and I burnt everytihng I couldn't sell. That was 35 years ago.
My youngest daughter has a degree in ceramics, makes a living selling oil paintings to tourists.....she is much better than I ever was, and she's been painting in oils for about 18 months (actually she was better than I ever was after about a week's practice).

Maybe this is a midlife crisis, except I had that about 8 years ago, when became a grandad.
You just get to the point where you think "is that it?"

Trouble is, I am good at what I do, just nobody seems to notice until I take a weeks holiday, and even then I prepare for it so nothing falls over.
But, although I have no recent IT qualifications, I have been known to run rings round "network consultants" and "programmers" (since when is being able to write a VBA macro "programming" anyway?).

No danger of taking up golf, I agree with Oscar when he said "golf is a good walk spoilt" apart from the fact that I hate walking.

I think that a lot of the people on these forums are the same as me, "enthusiasts" rather than "professionals" that is probably why I like Linux so much.