Computer Customer Service

[Alan Edward Klein]

I really like the Windows start-up tone jingles. They were hypnotic. Especially Windows 95.

 

[Bill Burk]

Hmm...in 41 years of computer ownership I've never once needed to call technical support.

Currently my Windows 10 desktop machine is coming up to 10 years old, running fine, no issues. I'm using a 7 year old Win 10 laptop at work and the only issue there is the internal keyboard is knackered so I use an external one - which is fine for work. My Win 11 laptop at home...yeah...I think Win 10 is a bit better to be honest....but then 98SE has probably never been beaten for stability and ease of use unless you count MS-DOS 6.2

the only Apple product I have ever owned is a 1990 Mac Color Classic. Piece of junk it is now. Kept for people to gawk at.

PS...I cannot imagine not having a large internal drive. I regularly back up all my data and indeed have just about everything from 1981 onwards stored on multiple physical drives. I trust "the cloud" about as far as I could throw a PC-junior.

I do technical support for a living... and still need help from other technical support people on occasion. This update (KB5012170) has me baffled. I can Google my way through a lot but sometimes even the experts are stumped... Microsoft is "presently investigating and will provide an update in an upcoming release."

 

[Bill Burk]

I really like the Windows start-up tone jingles. They were hypnotic. Especially Windows 95.

I used a snippet of Brian Eno's Zawinul for startup sound for a while... I mean if it's got to be Brian Eno at least let it be a song I know.

 

[Sirius Glass]

 

[Agulliver]

Oddly enough I still have my first computer....it's over 41 years old and still going strong.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Oddly enough I still have my first computer....it's over 41 years old and still going strong.

[Drum roll] Which is? ... Please be fast because I am turning blue from holding my breath!

 

[jtk]

Windows 95 had a feature that would keep your saved files from getting to deep. It would regularly crash and wipe out all your files on the disk.

Sirius, you're a lot older than I'd imagined! Me too. Win 95 was simply not fast enough to handle then-modern applications which explained Win 98 which again wasn't enough for then-modern applications...7 was great, everybody thought it was the ultimate...but then came cloud storage and even more modern applications, explaining current 11/12.

Me, I love MS. I started with a fabulous Tandy laptop (6 AA batteries and an almost word-processing app), but that had to go because it took up desk space when I got my first fuzzy-wuzzy-cute TV set Apple, which had to go because it was a slug with internal and external files. I currently manage about 6 Terrabytes of my own photos and their processing, which seems like as much as I'll ever need

 

[jtk]

Sirius, you're a lot older than I'd imagined! Me too. Win 95 was simply not fast enough to handle then-modern applications which explained Win 98 which again wasn't enough for then-modern applications...7 was great, everybody thought it was the ultimate...but then came cloud storage and even more modern applications, explaining current 11/12.

Me, I love MS. I started with a fabulous Tandy laptop (6 AA batteries and an almost word-processing app), but that had to go because it took up desk space when I got my first fuzzy-wuzzy-cute TV set Apple, which had to go because it was a slug with internal and external files. I currently manage about 6 Terrabytes of my own photos and their processing, which seems like as much as I'll ever need

The best space-saver is always the "delete" button or the waste basket.

 

[albada]

[...] the "delete" button or the waste basket.

If you can't force yourself to use either, your wife will gladly help you.

 

[Agulliver]

[Drum roll] Which is? ... Please be fast because I am turning blue from holding my breath!

I'm being about as fast as the computer in question....Sinclair ZX81....came off the production line about two weeks after they started making them in Scotland.

All original hardware including the original bugged ROM, with a modern peripheral....a combined 32K RAM and SD card reader....so it has 4Gb storage these days and near instant loading of programs and data. Though I can also still use it with a cassette recorder if I choose

Regularly used for the fun of it. What's more amazing is that there is a thriving community with new software and hardware available. Even an ethernet adaptor.

 

[mtnbkr]

Sirius, you're a lot older than I'd imagined! Me too. Win 95 was simply not fast enough to handle then-modern applications which explained Win 98 which again wasn't enough for then-modern applications...7 was great, everybody thought it was the ultimate...but then came cloud storage and even more modern applications, explaining current 11/12.

It hurts my feelz that you think he's old just because he remembers Win95. I was in college when Win95 came out and was working in IT professionally supporting Win95 and NT systems in a development LAN. Developers, especially DB devs, are the worst to support. They know enough to be dangerous, but their Dunning-Kruger makes them more confident than they should be.. Win95 was bad enough, but Win98 was even worse. I spent a lot of time converting people's Win95 laptops to WinNT4.0. It took more RAM, but was so much more stable. I was dabbling in Linux at the time, but it wasn't really ready for the desktop (great for servers though).

I got out of local area networking and user support before Win2k came out.

Chris

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Old? I maintained for Univac Division of Sperry Rand corporation in the late 1960s their Univac 494 third generation computers, octal machines with 30 bit words. Discrete components pre-dating integrated circuits, bistable core memory, etc. Drum storage, tape drives, etc. Now that's old.

https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/Remington_Rand/UNIVAC.494.19xx.102646132.pdf

univac 494 - Yahoo Image Search Results

 

[gordrob]

Drum storage, tape drives, etc. Now that's old.

You forgot punch cards and the hassle of dragging boxes of those to the computer lab at the university late at night to get access to a punch card machine to complete an assignment

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

You forgot punch cards and the hassle of dragging boxes of those to the computer lab at the university late at night to get access to a punch card machine to complete an assignment

Ah yes. Punch cards. Something about chads comes to mind.

Hanging Chad

Incomplete ballot papers resulting from incorrectly punched voting cards. Hanging Chads gained infamy in the wake of the Bush-Gore Elections in 2000.

www.polyas.com

 

[Sirius Glass]

Sirius, you're a lot older than I'd imagined! Me too. Win 95 was simply not fast enough to handle then-modern applications which explained Win 98 which again wasn't enough for then-modern applications...7 was great, everybody thought it was the ultimate...but then came cloud storage and even more modern applications, explaining current 11/12.

Me, I love MS. I started with a fabulous Tandy laptop (6 AA batteries and an almost word-processing app), but that had to go because it took up desk space when I got my first fuzzy-wuzzy-cute TV set Apple, which had to go because it was a slug with internal and external files. I currently manage about 6 Terrabytes of my own photos and their processing, which seems like as much as I'll ever need

Windoz 95 and Windoz 98 were based on a cobbled together single machine operating system which was full of flaws, defects and vulnerabilities. It has since evolved to Windoz 11 but since is was thrown together from the start System Engineering can not fix the problem of a very weak foundation. Steve Jobs had the understanding to start from a strong foundation and purchased Unix rights to build on a fully developed operating system Unix. Mac is still a Unix System.

 

[cmacd123]

Win 95 is about the point where I lost all faith in Microsoft, and started using Linux 100%

 

[jtk]

Win 95 is about the point where I lost all faith in Microsoft, and started using Linux 100%

How is that relevant? Linux isn't used by many photographers OR businesses. It's seeems to be a hobby all to itself, or a religion.

 

[Bill Burk]

Old? I maintained for Univac Division of Sperry Rand corporation in the late 1960s their Univac 494 third generation computers, octal machines with 30 bit words. Discrete components pre-dating integrated circuits, bistable core memory, etc. Drum storage, tape drives, etc. Now that's old.

https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/Remington_Rand/UNIVAC.494.19xx.102646132.pdf

univac 494 - Yahoo Image Search Results

Let me know if you need parts

 

[MattKing]

How is that relevant? Linux isn't used by many photographers OR businesses. It's seeems to be a hobby all to itself, or a religion.

Linux is at the core of a huge percentage of the servers out there - including the ones that are using proprietary (not Open Source) software. A lot of businesses are relying upon it, in one version or another.
And as for Mac, it is very prominent in the educational world. It still has its devotees in the graphics world as well.
And of course, it is extremely well connected to the cel phones in a huge percentage of photographers' pockets.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Let me know if you need parts

Bill, The Univacs I worked on had no tubes only discrete components. There was another machine predating the ones I worked on that had ten-level neon or other some such light bulbs. It worked on the decimal system and you could watch hundreds of bulbs with ten levels of lights in each switching on and off, like an LSD show.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I started with the IBM 7094, pre-IBM 360/

 

[albada]

Bill, The Univacs I worked on had no tubes only discrete components.

You're making me feel young at 65. Thanks.
I started with machines based on ICs, not even discrete transistors. Paper-tape and punch-cards.
I suppose the younger folks in Photrio have never seen a punch-card. Be glad. You guys did not miss out on anything.

 

[halfaman]

I have used Windows on desktop computers since 1995 and the first OS that looks really Ok for me is Windows 10, even XP was a big step foward but still buggy and including severe vulnerabilities.

 

[tomatojoe]

Which is the best machine? If you have read this far you know it is Mac whether or not you like that answer is up to you.

the best machine is like the best camera. the one you have with you. if you do not use computer for photo edits and just to play solitaire or pay bills get a chrome book or similar. you do not want to use old computer with old browser with no current internet securities. related to camera, you could have best camera in world but if you need a photo and you have your iPhone 5 or Brownie Bullseye that is best camera.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I have used Windows on desktop computers since 1995 and the first OS that looks really Ok for me is Windows 10, even XP was a big step foward but still buggy and including severe vulnerabilities.

Like you, I found Windows 10 pretty solid, the first. I have 11 now for about 8 months and it seems even better. Some nice features. It boots in about two seconds. LR and Premiere Elements also load in about 5 seconds. Of course, I have a 1tb SSD and a faster CPU. But I believe the newer operating system helps.