endperform.org

I started taking a look at the Ubuntu Forums again lately, trying to resolve an issue with networking on my Karmic box at work, and I got a reminder of why I don’t go there much anymore. Linux zealots, but not just any type, the “hey, I ditched Windows for Ubuntu and now everything but Linux sucks lol” type. Now, I’m not saying every Ubuntu user, or every new convert is like this, but it would seem that the number of these types of people are growing. I used to subscribe to this sort of mentality, but over the past two years I’ve broadened my horizons, so to speak, and have come to realize it’s not about what OS is best in general, it’s all about what OS is best for YOU. Use what works. I use Windows, Linux and OSX to varying degrees and they all provide different things for my computing experience.

The other issue I see a lot is the hatred of something someone doesn’t really understand or even know that much about. I give you this particular post in a thread asking about running Mac OS X virtualized. The comment:

Who cares if its illegal, now folowing a guide it might work, but i have never had it work for me though i did run my PC as a hackinto** oops hackincrap for 2 days. Mac os X is way too simplified and basically only for idiots, i mean who would pay $2000 for $500 hardware just because it runs mac os?

So apparently all OSX users are idiots. I responded, and outlined things I could do with OSX that Linux could also do, and never got a response. Two days is not nearly enough time to get to know OSX, and I didn’t buy Apple just for OSX. I ran OSX on the Dell laptop my Macbook replaced, and I have to say my Macbook feels more solid and well-built. Everyone likes to target Apple products since they seem to be overpriced, but they do not take into account the total cost of ownership, the durability or usability. I have a generation 1 iPod, that if I found a Firewire cable I bet would start right back up.

It’s okay to be passionate about something, but have all of the facts before calling someone an idiot, saying something doesn’t work, or trashing something. Just use what works for you.

After tonight (hopefully), Comcast will be out of my life. The latest bill came, and for some reason they seem to be charging me for basic cable when I specifically told them to take a hike, so I will, with great pleasure, call them and tell them where to go, assuming I get the phone jack finished tonight. I have the new jack in place, I just need to finish running the line out to the NID and I should be set to go. I’ve never had this much trouble with Comcast before, but once I moved it seems like everything went to hell. ATT doesn’t have the best track record either, but for the price and reliability (not to mention lack of a contract), I think we can live with 6 megabit DSL.

Now I remember why I hate calling into tech support, and why I built my own computers back in the day. Today I spent a total of three hours going back and forth with Dell support. Why? I wanted to get the 64-bit Vista Home Premium disk sent to me. Microsoft has a program in place where you can request the 64-bit edition of Home Premium and only have to pay for the shipping, so I figured I would go ahead and take advantage of that so I could get the most out of the machine I have. I did some research in the Dell forums prior to calling in, so I knew that they were in fact doing this for customers. So, I placed a call. I had a case number since I had called in on Friday and the customer care center was closed, so I figured there wasn’t much to do other than to give them some information and get the disks out to me. Boy, was I wrong.

The first person I get in the customer care center totally misunderstood my request. They thought I was trying to locate the product key for my machine. I had to tell her three times that I knew where the key was, I had it written down, and that all I’m looking to do is to get the 64-bit edition sent to me. She tells me to contact Microsoft. The product key doesn’t work in their little web app because the Vista I have was an OEM edition, which I told her. She again tried to tell me where the key was, and I was getting upset at this point. I told her fine, I’d try Microsoft but guaranteed that in an hour I’d be calling back. I hang up, and an hour later, I call back in.

The second person I get, once again in the customer care center, was still misunderstanding my request and didn’t have a clue as to what I was asking. He told me that I could call back in an hour, or he could transfer me to technical support. I took the tech support option, because I knew I’d have to go through all of these hoops yet again. I hit tech support, and finally… finally… someone understands what I’m doing. The tech checked with his ‘manager’ and said that since I was a first time caller (I never had to call tech support, ever), that he would send the CD out, but that they typically aren’t doing this for customers (bzzt, wrong, I have documented proof that you are), and I got a dispatch number and a few confirmation emails.

The end result is that the 64-bit media is on the way to the house, but I had to fight tooth-and-nail to get it. According to the site, they’re overnighting it, which is a nice touch. I had mentioned to the tech that I had gone through hell, so I guess that’s how they’re making it up to me. At any rate, I really hope nothing else happens to this box before it goes out of warranty, I dread having to call Dell Hell again.

What am I talking about? See this post on the official Google blog.

I had a long diatribe here, but I broke a promise to myself that I wouldn’t get too darn political on this blog, so therefore, I edited it.

As some of you might have noticed from my recent tweets, there’s a gentleman in the office who is whining about the burn ban in the area. Apparently he’s attempting to get a burn permit to burn some things on his land, but is being denied due to the ongoing drought conditions. There’s a part of me from my volunteer firefighting days that wants to go over and tell him the reasoning behind things, but based on what I can’t help but overhear, he’s not going to take no for an answer. As of right now, he’s called three different agencies at last count and isn’t giving up. I wish he’d at least have the courtesy to step outside and talk, but instead we’re treated to hearing him get upset at things. What he needs to realize is that one little spark, one little ember that gets away from his burn could cause a lot of damage due to the dry conditions. It’s not just the immediate area that is the concern here.

It’s amazing the things you overhear in the office. I leave you with this gem:

“Well, they took the thermometer and stuck it up my butt”