4 ms·

It's only anecdotal, ofcourse, but I used to own Windows machines and as a result so did all my relatives with me being the "tech guy" in the family. Not a week

by rvanmil 10y ago

It's only anecdotal, ofcourse, but I used to own Windows machines and as a result so did all my relatives with me being the "tech guy" in the family. Not a week would pass without me fixing a relative's PC. Now, about 7 years later, everyone in my family including myself has switched to Macs and I can't even remember the last time I was called to fix a machine.

rayiner 10y ago
This. The only person I still do tech support for is my dad, who is on Surface/Windows 10. My mom got an iMac about 10 years ago and now uses an iPad and iPhone. She set up Facebook, gmail, etc. by herself and never calls me for help.
agumonkey 10y ago
And you know, fixing, helping, is fine to me, even regularly, but Windows problems are such fake ones. I stopped using Windows for a while, was cringing on linux papercuts and lack of skilled GUI, but the minute I had to use windows, bloatware jumps at your throat and you regret it right away.
knz 10y ago
Chromebooks have a similar experience is you want an even cheaper alternative. Applications beyond the browser are more limited (photo management is awful on Chromebooks) but it's hard to beat the price and functionality for most users.
- digi_owl 10y ago
  Was trying to sell my dad on getting a Chromebook, but he insisted on getting something with a numpad...
  - sqeaky 10y ago
    Tape on of these to it: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=usb+numpad https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Da...
    - digi_owl 10y ago
      He already had one of those on an earlier laptop. He didn't want to have to fiddle with such a thing again.
wineisfine 10y ago
In Windows 95 days, it was pretty normal i'd format and reinstall my parents pc Every 3-4 months. Thanks Bill.
wineisfine 10y ago
In Windows 95 days, it was pretty normal i'd format and reinstall my parents pc Every 3-4 months. Thanks Bill.
wott 10y ago
You wouldn't have to fix Windows machines either nowadays. 7 is way more stable than 95-98-2000-XP. I am rarely called about it, and when I use it, I don't have any problem. It's not unix-like stable, it starts to decay after 2 or 3 weeks of uptime, but it is a huge improvement over previous versions.
Eric_WVGG 10y ago
I'm in the same boat, and a couple weeks ago an acquaintance who runs an art gallery asked me to come out and help her reconnect her computers after a relocation. I didn't think to ask if they used Macs, and am now neck-deep in Windows hell for the first time in, yeah, about seven years. Nothing has changed. Disregard everything you've heard about Windows 7 and Windows 10. It's just XP and a half inch deep slap of new paint.

by rvanmil 10y ago

rayiner 10y ago

This. The only person I still do tech support for is my dad, who is on Surface/Windows 10. My mom got an iMac about 10 years ago and now uses an iPad and iPhone. She set up Facebook, gmail, etc. by herself and never calls me for help.

agumonkey 10y ago

And you know, fixing, helping, is fine to me, even regularly, but Windows problems are such fake ones. I stopped using Windows for a while, was cringing on linux papercuts and lack of skilled GUI, but the minute I had to use windows, bloatware jumps at your throat and you regret it right away.

knz 10y ago

Chromebooks have a similar experience is you want an even cheaper alternative. Applications beyond the browser are more limited (photo management is awful on Chromebooks) but it's hard to beat the price and functionality for most users.

digi_owl 10y ago
Was trying to sell my dad on getting a Chromebook, but he insisted on getting something with a numpad...
- sqeaky 10y ago
  Tape on of these to it: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=usb+numpad https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Da...
  - digi_owl 10y ago
    He already had one of those on an earlier laptop. He didn't want to have to fiddle with such a thing again.

wineisfine 10y ago

In Windows 95 days, it was pretty normal i'd format and reinstall my parents pc Every 3-4 months. Thanks Bill.

wineisfine 10y ago

In Windows 95 days, it was pretty normal i'd format and reinstall my parents pc Every 3-4 months. Thanks Bill.

wott 10y ago

You wouldn't have to fix Windows machines either nowadays. 7 is way more stable than 95-98-2000-XP. I am rarely called about it, and when I use it, I don't have any problem. It's not unix-like stable, it starts to decay after 2 or 3 weeks of uptime, but it is a huge improvement over previous versions.

Eric_WVGG 10y ago

I'm in the same boat, and a couple weeks ago an acquaintance who runs an art gallery asked me to come out and help her reconnect her computers after a relocation. I didn't think to ask if they used Macs, and am now neck-deep in Windows hell for the first time in, yeah, about seven years. Nothing has changed. Disregard everything you've heard about Windows 7 and Windows 10. It's just XP and a half inch deep slap of new paint.