Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Computers

I've got about eight year of official experience as a computer technician. I love technology and just about everything to do with computers. It's something I am rather good at. I started out with a computer that my Dad gave me called a Sinclair ZX-80. Later I moved on to a Commodore64 and then when I was in high school, my parents got some Apple Macintosh computers. Later on after I left school I learned how to use DOS and Windows 3.11 and I still remember the excitement over Windows95. I can jump onto just about any computer and troubleshoot it. Linux and Unix have always kept me a little baffled. I don't know very much about them, although that doesn't keep me from dabbling every now and then. Currently I run WindowsXP Professional 64bit edition and my wife uses the new Windows Vista Ultimate Edition.

Vista is quite good but not supported enough by hardware vendors to be properly usable. I'd give it another few months (or another year) so that all the kinks can be ironed out properly and drivers can be written for it. Microsoft say that 90% of all modern hardware is now supported but all that means to me is that 10% of all hardware isn't. It's that 10% that will cause headaches for anyone trying to run it. And apart from looking pretty, Vista doesn't really do anything new.

Some people say that with all this computer experience behind me, I should start my own computer shop. I say to those people that they should go jump in an active volcano. The thing about doing computer tech work is that users will bring their broken computer to you and ask you to fix it. No problem provided you can fix it very quickly and have it back to them. The problems come when you are unable to fix it quickly. Suddenly it is the computer technicians fault that it's broken and you have the user screaming abuse at you. Screw that. I don't like jobs where customers aren't happy to see you.

People are idiots.

Present company excepted of course.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

ahem.. "People are idiots"?.tisk, tisk, such a sweeping statement.

JonDgar said...

I said "Present company excepted"!

Anonymous said...

I can sympathise with the other comment. People break things all the time; computers, cars, and in my area, guitars, but it's easier to blame the guy trying to help you than to take the responsibility. People are idiots? Well of course they are. People wouldn't need a computer tech if they weren't id10ts.

Unknown said...

Allo Luvvy, Rosie is doing fine thanks to you, You're dead right, I'm one of em! V frustrating for both the idiot and the helper for diff reasons, but you still plodded on with me. Remind me to put U in my will xxxx