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I’ll be honest, although Windows 8.x losing market share is a shocking state of affairs -- and a new low for an operating system which has struggled since
Anyone remember those "downgrade" options for Vista? You know, buy a new PC with Vista pre-installed ... first thing you do is download the downgrade version of XP and replace the Vista installation. It seems this MUST be happening to the new W8 machines as it's clearly loosing market share to W7 and XP.
Gold is the money of kings; silver is the money of gentlemen; barter is the money of peasants; but debt is the money of slaves. - Norm Franz And central banks are the slave clearing houses
I love it when "planned obsolescence" backfires. Hopefully Microsoft will learn that people are becoming wise to continual upgrades that have no benefit. It will be great if the same was to happen with other products too!
It will be great if the same was to happen with other products too!
+1 on that score.
I wish they'd simply start fixing the bugs instead of painting more bling onto the same turd! And MS is definitely not the only company who does these things ... one which I find does so even worse is AutoDesk. See for example this silly bug: http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?139634-XREFSTATE
It's when one file is linked into another (referred to as a XRef - External Reference). Then the linked in file is changed a pop-up notice informs you that it needs reloading. In order to do this it polls the file every now and again to check on the file date (in itself that's already bad - there's less CPU/IO intensive ways to waste time). But worse, while doing this it attempts to read some non-existent registry key (which causes slowdowns of its own). And this was noted at least 3 versions ago, yet no fix, not even just adding the non-existent registry key so that part goes a bit faster.
See what I mean? Even if there's a clear stop-gap fix which would only take a few seconds to employ - nope, they WONT DO IT!
Gold is the money of kings; silver is the money of gentlemen; barter is the money of peasants; but debt is the money of slaves. - Norm Franz And central banks are the slave clearing houses
Just over a month ago I got myself a MacBook Pro (mainly for my photography), but now I am using it exclusively for both work and photography, with Windows 7 running in Parallels so that I can run Pastel on the same machine.
I wish they'd simply start fixing the bugs instead of painting more bling onto the same turd! And MS is definitely not the only company who does these things ... one which I find does so even worse is AutoDesk. See for example this silly bug: http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?139634-XREFSTATE
It's when one file is linked into another (referred to as a XRef - External Reference). Then the linked in file is changed a pop-up notice informs you that it needs reloading. In order to do this it polls the file every now and again to check on the file date (in itself that's already bad - there's less CPU/IO intensive ways to waste time). But worse, while doing this it attempts to read some non-existent registry key (which causes slowdowns of its own). And this was noted at least 3 versions ago, yet no fix, not even just adding the non-existent registry key so that part goes a bit faster.
See what I mean? Even if there's a clear stop-gap fix which would only take a few seconds to employ - nope, they WONT DO IT!
I'm not just referring to software. The same goes for cars and all sorts of appliances. 90% of the stuff that you buy is crap and gets worse with each new version. Yes of course the new product is nice and shiny with a couple of bells and whistles that you probably don't need but the product life cycle is lowered with each update. Companies claim that their products are becoming more crap each year because of manufacturing costs and that may be so, but planned obsolescence is built right into the crap that we buy. Anyway, that is a discussion for another time.
The underlying message is simply that we should stop buying new crap and force the manufacturers to support their old crap.
Apple is no better - Every rendition of their phone OS is a total disaster. They force people to invest in new cables because the decide to use a new proprietary plug. They screwed millions of people over by sealing the iPod battery into the device.
I think that all monopolistic businesses suck and that they should all get flushed down the toilet including Apple and Microsoft - Viva Opensource
I think that all monopolistic businesses suck and that they should all get flushed down the toilet including Apple and Microsoft - Viva Opensource
Too true! Well if the figures can be believed, then at least for MS's case it seems the world is getting wise to their junk. One can but hope the same would happen to Apple / HP / Dell / Oracle / SAP (IMO they should just go into bankruptcy already) / Intel / Samsung / etc. And that just the IT industry's worst "designed to fail" practices.
I'd like to see the same go for consumer electronics, construction (and materials e.g. door locks), electrical, motoring, furniture, etc. It all seems that the warantee period is set to within a month of the designed fail date! If they want us to buy every 2 years, then by all means charge us a rental fee of a 1/10th what you're charging now - then simply replace it after the time's up. I'd be willing to pay that for knowing that I'd have something last 20 years for the same cost! But as is now, they charge you full cost as if the thing is now your property, but because it's designed to fail - you only get the use out of it for that restricted period!
Actually this needs to be the biggest gripe from the green-movement. It's many times worse to replace a car every couple of years than to drive a less fuel efficient one! And I wouldn't be surprised that stuff like consumer electronics are even more pollutant in their manufacturing process, never mind the landfill issues. Perhaps that's a way to start forcing the issue!
Gold is the money of kings; silver is the money of gentlemen; barter is the money of peasants; but debt is the money of slaves. - Norm Franz And central banks are the slave clearing houses
I've spent a lot of time in the past couple of months researching the notion of "planned obsolescence", consumption driven economies, alternative / complimentary currencies, banking and the idea of wealth. Products were designed to last up until the 50's when the idea of planned obsolescence was born in the US. The idea was to keep the economy churning by replacing goods every couple of years. This became common practice and is even taught as a subject in "design" under the guise of "product lifecycle".
There are so many issues to discuss under this general topic but I have come to a number of realizations and have made a number of decisions regarding the way I run my of own life:
1. I will not buy anything unless I absolutely have to and I will look for the longest lasting product. The best furniture is to be found in pawnshops, nice solid wood stuff.
2. Technology for the sake of itself has no value. I am happy to drive my silly little car that doesn't have a built in satnav, power steering, electric windows.....and and and....it is a car after all , not a roving lounge.
3. I will not simply discard old technology but rather hand it down to whoever wants to use it. I've given all the old cell phones away and I have a whole wendy house full of gear that is going to find good homes. There is no reason to put stuff in a landfill if somebody can still use it. Yes of course it would be nice to get money for the stuff but at the end of the day it is worth more in the bigger scheme of things if somebody can use the stuff productively than it just sitting in the wendy house.
4. I am all for barter and mutual credit systems. What is the point of me holding on to something that you need and you holding on to something that I need because neither of us have money to give one another.
5. I will stay as far away from banks as possible and avoid using their services. Banks are the parasites that suck the life out of each and every person. Yes the government does too but banks are by far the worst. I will deal in cash as far as I can and that cash will flow through my life as water does....
I refuse to live in a world of continual consumption where the banks siphon off money like big fat overgrown leeches.
The green movement is mostly rubbish too. The problem is that the movement mostly doesn't have the foggiest idea about the cradle to grave cycle of products. A good example if CFLs. Yes they use less energy when they are dangling from your ceiling but what about the energy required to make them and what about the energy required to destroy them.
Anyway, I probably sound like a lunatic shouting from a sandbox in a park and that is ok too. It has taken me a very long time to understand the cycle of money and consumption and I am quite happy to lessen my reliance on both. I will far rather sit on a 100 year old chair made by a craftsman than a brand new bright and shiny one spat out of a factory in China!
NEW stuff is CRAP
how about people rather focus on knowledge that is new to them (This doesn't happen because that would entail people having to think which is a lot more work than simply buying the next high)
Every rendition of their phone OS is a total disaster. They force people to invest in new cables because the decide to use a new proprietary plug. They screwed millions of people over by sealing the iPod battery into the device.
Im sorry but I don't agree with you Adrian on this one. I love apple as thousands do and look forward to getting a new device every 2 years. Sure the cables are different, but you get a new one with a new device.
Every time I get a new device I sell my "old" device. I make sure I keep up with technology and make sure that I sell the device before it gets too old that no one wants it. Therefore it does not really cost me that much more.
Yes I agree I never thow things away - Always someone that wants old clothes. I have always gone to the guys at the dump and given them our stuff which is old to us but no to them.
+1 ... though personally I like a Wine much more ... especially the liquid type after I've issued the verbal type (need some lubrication)!
Gold is the money of kings; silver is the money of gentlemen; barter is the money of peasants; but debt is the money of slaves. - Norm Franz And central banks are the slave clearing houses
Gold is the money of kings; silver is the money of gentlemen; barter is the money of peasants; but debt is the money of slaves. - Norm Franz And central banks are the slave clearing houses
"planned obsolescence" works, because people are like sheep (as discussed here in a previous thread)
We put so much stress in our lives with chasing after the latest gadgets. Consider the new tech watches that can take your heart rate and monitors your fitness etc etc.
I'll be a neurotic, nervous wreck if I ever have to wear one of those things. It will will be even worse if its connected to Facecrook where everyone can see when I'm having a crap or a legover!
I don't think that it is that people are sheep per se, I think it is because urban people are programmed to be like that from a very young age. The reason I believe this is because rural people don't have this programming. It is natural for people to want "more" and "better" but that need is used by advertisers to drive society to buy buy buy. What would happen if advertising was totally disabled? I think that people would actually be a lot happier because they would not continually feel compelled to buy the next incremental upgrade.
Like I said before, I love technology and I love human technological advancement, I am just against the terrible waste caused by planned obsolescence.
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............. we all entitled to that every now and again 
... especially the liquid type after I've issued the verbal type (need some lubrication)!
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