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Author Topic: It's 20 years on, and Windows still doesn't have...  (Read 13248 times)

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Offline LoadWB

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Re: It's 20 years on, and Windows still doesn't have...
« on: July 26, 2012, 04:36:13 PM »
Quote from: danwood;701250
Totally agree, even "Mr Windows" Paul Thurrott (a former Amiga head) agrees that Windows 3.1 was "a joke" (in his words) compared to the Amiga.


You have a link to that quote?  Might make for an interesting read.

Quote from: persia;701260
I'm just glad they got rid of the flop up windows ball menu thing that listed the apps folder, the one that was formerly known as start.  It was just an annoyance.


With the metric shyt-tonne of programs I have installed on my system the Start menu is a welcome beast for organization.  Now I have to have every single program plastered across the task bar or thrown around "Metro."  Or I can just clutter up my desktop with a shyt-tonne of icons, which is actually currently set to not show icons.

Ah, well.  I guess this technological troglodyte will have to get dragged kicking and screaming into the "future."  Or use something else.  Ideally, by the time I have to support Windows 8 in the business environment I will be out of this profession.
 

Offline LoadWB

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Re: It's 20 years on, and Windows still doesn't have...
« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2012, 09:45:51 PM »
Quote from: chris;701291
I said that when XP came out... and guess what?


Things are a bit different for me.  I was using XP starting with the betas and was extremely impressed, so XP wasn't a game-stopper for me.  I was appalled at Vista and happy to learn it wouldn't last long.  And as much as I despise the Vista user interface was has perpetuated into 7, I would be happy to stick with 7 for a while and relegate the advanced functionality I need to use -- which the GUI makes more distant -- to command line rather than this abomination which is Windows 8.

As well, I have more long-term business options available to me within the next 18 months, so I don't have to stay in this field for much longer.  And there's always the chance of falling back on my Solaris/Linux experience.  Right now, though, I'm leveraging my virtualization knowledge more and more.
 

Offline LoadWB

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Re: It's 20 years on, and Windows still doesn't have...
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2012, 08:43:11 PM »
Quote from: commodorejohn;701401
Well, I've yet to see any of the "average users" I know make that decision for themselves.


Yup. What I've seen generally happen is they'll buy a tablet then a keyboard and a stand, thus turning it into a sort-of laptop.  They'll use it as a tablet for casual browsing, games, or watching shows, but using it for emails or any "real" purposes doesn't happen in its tablet form.

I don't see the tablet making it as a general purpose device any time soon.
 

Offline LoadWB

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Re: It's 20 years on, and Windows still doesn't have...
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2012, 03:16:23 PM »
Quote from: acmn;701576
By "monolithic" I mean that I can't see any organisation in C:\WINDOWS folder. It's a
total mess and I can't find any documentation to explain the meaning of folders
and files in it. Situation is totally different with amigaos...MK


You just have to be careful with using terms like "monolithic" related to operating systems as it has a very specific meaning.

Other than that, there is an organization to the WINDOWS directory.  That it's all in one directory may be a little disconcerting and it does tend to get cluttered with old stuff.  None the less there is a structure to it.
 

Offline LoadWB

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Re: It's 20 years on, and Windows still doesn't have...
« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2012, 04:25:44 PM »
Quote from: acmn;701584
I think the documentation is available for developers but what about
the "common man" who wants to be more familiar with the system?
When installling programs in Amiga I know exactly where the files go
(thanks for the well organised os and it's documentation) but in
PC I don't...


There's literally a shyt-ton of information out there.  Windows internals books, the unwritten Windows manuals, Windows Bibles, etc.  All have been available in bargain bins and regular computer shelves at the book stores for years.  (Though these days the book "store" ain't quite what it used to be.)  Commercial operating systems generally don't come with the printed manual we got with GEOS (though I recall a good bit of griping that GEOS was too closed at the time) and printer manuals don't come with a chapter dedicated to how to create graphics with ASCII codes.  Though hobbyist computing exists, general computing is not hobby- and tinkerer-centric but geared for people who don't care what's under the hood.

I suppose to put it another way, the majority of technically-savvy and technically-minded computer users/owners has declined past the point of being worth it to manufacturers to include extremely technical information with the products.  That's where hobbyist communities such as our own come into play, and it's no use bemoaning how Xyz Commercial Vendor, Inc. doesn't give all its buyers in-depth technical details.