Snark/rant

[Griffin NoName]

Why use Live messenger when other clients are less intrusive and memory hungry? I use Pidgin (what used to be Gaim) as multiprotocol IM and I'm very happy with it. For voice I use Skype (MSN/Y! aren't that good for voice anyway).

Because there are people who insist on using MSN? Or will Pidgin connect to the MSN network? (actually I have just blocked the majority of my over-bloated contacts so that I can finish my essay writing in peace! - Toadfish excluded naturally - I don't think there can be such a thing as an overbloated Toadfish).

Dell used to supply without Op Sys installed if asked. Won't they do that anymore?

I believe they have been considering supplying Linux, but I haven't seen it nor without OS (at least for regular consumers). You can order them with XP though.

I've always had them built to my spec. But then I was buying as a business customer.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Of course it logs into the MSN network! and Yahoo!, AIM, Jabber [GoogleTalk], ICQ, and like 10 more protocols. It is great because you have only one client for all networks.

[Griffin NoName]

Ah Ok. Thanks. I have Trillion which logs onto various networks, but is for ever hanging up so I gave up on it. Line of least resistance MSN. Once I've finished my college course.... many things may happen to my computers. Should I warn them? 

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Perhaps.
Skype logs in to all that? I have Gtalk, and I use it all the time with very little problem. Perhaps I ought to get a skype. :hmmmm:

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

The thing with multiprotocol is that everytime the owner of the protocol makes a change (in this case MS, or Y! or AOL) you should get a newer version no matter. When Gaim started to crash or I had problems logging into MSN I  downloaded the latest version and the problem was gone.

Trillian was nice for a while but I stopped using it because Gaim/Pidgin allowed me to login to GTalk (Jabber) for free.

The trick with GTalk vs Skype is regarding voice: I don't use GTalk for voice, only for IM (hence through Pidgin), OTOH Skype is a closed protocol (no way to do IM from Pidgin) but I do use it for voice, because up to now, is the only soft-VOIP that works most of the time.

[Griffin NoName]

I have no problems with Skype. Skype has no problems with me.

I shall just have a small rant about the pain in my side instead.

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

So duo/dual core is not enough for MS. What a surprise. Funny, I seem to remember many handles, many processes on other Op Sys back in the dark ages running fine. A bug that seems endemic to MS Op Syses is failing to drop handles and release memory............. Presume it is a plot to sell more expensive hardware.

Just before Windows 95 came out (they may have still been calling it "Chicago" at that point), I went to my Dad's computer club meeting with him, where they had some folks from Microsoft in to do a presentation on their new OS.  They told the crowd that it would perform "just as well as Windows 3.1 on any computer"... at which point the audience broke into howls of laughter.

Apologies to all blonds, sopranos and blond sopranos out there.

   (married to a blond soprano)

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

I had to deal with 95 even after 98 was out (at that point I worked for BP and they had a unified platform, therefore upgrade for all or for none). One of the supposed advantages of 95 was it was capable of real multitasking, (aka having more than 1 app open). What a big lie! Parallel was NT 4/workstation which (mostly) worked provided you had drivers for it, even 2K had driver issues for a while.

In any case, nor 95 nor even ME became paralyzed with fear just by moving files like Vista does! I tell you, there is something fundamentally wrong with that thing.

   (married to a blond soprano)

Erm, send my warmest regards... 

[beagle]

Haven't used Vista at home yet but seems ok at work.  Got caught out by the file virtualization though. People saying the product worked without a licence because a file had got virtualized into a dark corner where they couldn't see it.
Old lag Microserfs such as yours truly (Back to Dos3.3) have lots of utilities from sysinternals.com to hunt these opportunities down. 

[Bruder Cuzzen]

Dear Siblings,

I've just come back from treasure hunting at another place , I discovered a few things there.

I was originally going to send pms to DaveL and Qwerty, but realized this applies to all the sibs!
Please forgive for bringing up a contentious issue , but the emotions evoked from reading certain threads have been slowly undermining my reservations and resolve.

Some people showed poor form , I thought they were brethren and sisters ,I was wrong, that said, I cannot express my admiration  for EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU!

Sibling Chatty, forgive me for  being a prodigal I was not around to defend Our  Auntie.

[Griffin NoName]

The past be a place of murky waters. Salt water is cleansing.

No idea why I am speaking in riddles; I think I've been reading too many psychotherapy books

[Griffin NoName]

  Norton Norton

Now it's b*****g**d on two different machines with two different versions of NIS and two different operating systems.

This is a product which PREVENTS use of the Internet (well I can use it but not safely). It is so buggy it is beyond a joke.

AND it just expired a subscription which has 7 months to run.

The solution to that one is simple: log off user, logon Admin, logoff Admin, logon user, logoff user, logon Admin; magic the subscription resets itself without any apparent communication with Symantec.

Don't ask how I found out that was the solution. Even thinking about it is driving me to despair.

My sanity is at serious risk.

The very first thing I shall do when all my Diploma work is submitted is have a nice evening relaxing ditch Norton.

SCREAM

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Norton became cr@p a while ago and every new release is worse than the previous one. McAfee is no better.

Have you tried AVG? The first thing I do when someone asks me to set up a new computer is remove Norton/McAfee and install AVG free edition. They now have an Anti-spyware product and anti-rootkit free too.

[Griffin NoName]

Have you tried AVG?

I am past wanting to try anything   Just gimme something that does what it says on the box without imposing on my consciousness.

[beagle]

I've heard good things about AVG from several people, but the one major review I read said that it was far too easy for a trojan to de-activate the firewall.
Must admit, up to that point I'd rather assumed any trojan wouldn't find it hard to disable any firewall once it was on the machine.