Home
Buy on eBid
Sell on eBid
eBid Stores
My eBid
Upgrade to Seller+ Lifetime
eBid Help
Close
Login to Your Account
eBid Community Forums - Chat & find help from others in the eBid Community
Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 21 to 30 of 39

Thread: Can anyone help - windows 8

  1. #21

    Default Re: Can anyone help - windows 8

    When a new Windows OS appears I wait a year or so before flying it; by then most of the major problems that people have are ironed out; I always regard the early days as a "Beta" so thsat MS may find the things they should have found before the launch!

    i currectly use Windows 7 on three machines, XP on two and Linux on the others, Ubuntu being my current favourite I must admit. I love OpenOffice...and its "Base" extension copes with Access admirably, so i see no problems there.

    As for Windows being "paid". i cannot count the times I've been called upon to solve a problem with a Windows installation and have had to refer the user to the seller on the grounds that the installation was a "pirate" version and that I would not touch it.

    My main complaint against the "Windows" scenario is that time and again people are suckered into buying new hardware because their own perfectly good peripherals will not work under the new system. MS itself recognised this at last with Windows 7 by allowing free access to XP under a "virtual machine" - but only if you had purchased the so called "Ultimate" edition.

  2. #22

    Default Re: Can anyone help - windows 8

    Quote Originally Posted by Juliebabe25 View Post
    @Johnwash

    Good skills!

    Is the fact that Ubuntu does not get viruses due to the Ubuntu system or the fact that like Apples no one bothers to write viruses for it as not so many people use it?
    I didn't say Ubuntu Linux is immune to malware, one needs to be cautious about such claims. Likewise don't believe Apple is totally immune, there was at least one outbreak last year.

    But in both cases they're far far safer than Windows. Partly it's simply because the bad guys will go for the big volume and Windows is on, what, I don't know, but perhaps 90% of desktops/laptops?

    Both Linux and Apple OS X are built on very similar foundations, systems related to Unix, with a long history of security by design. In contrast, Windows was built on MSDOS, which had no such concept, though MS have been trying in recent years to design in more security. That's a tough job, like playing whack-a-mole in a straw house, instead of using bricks to start with.

    Another feature that helps Linux is that everything is open, so the code is studied by people all around the world. In fact security flaws are found frequently (though it's rare for them to affect a large proportion of desktop users), but they're patched very fast.

    All that said, if you care about security (and why wouldn't you!) you still need to be careful on all 3 main platforms, Windows, Apple, Linux. Example, don't run Java, it has a horrific history. (That's Java, not JavaScript, which is a completely different animal, despite the name similarity). If you really need Java (and these days it's much less common on web sites) then have a second browser that you only use for those sites, and disable or uninstall Java in your #1 browser.

    Flash has a bad history on all 3 platforms too.
    Click for bargain auctions!

    Dropbox for 2GB of offsite storage to simplify your life. Click here, to get an extra 500MB of space!

  3. #23

    Default Re: Can anyone help - windows 8

    Quote Originally Posted by Maelbrigda View Post
    i would really like to switch - but i dont know how. After trying to install mint as a dual boot when my new laptop was only 1 day old and it failing to start up even in safe mode i gave up. I would also be worried about the drivers etc and that my most used programs would work.
    That's entirely understandable. Likewise, how many people feel comfortable installing Windows on a bare PC? And even fewer would be confident about installing Windows on a PC that already has another operating system installed (or installing Linux alongside OS X on an Apple Mac).

    It's possible, if you devote a lot of time and caution to it (e.g. the first thing to do is have an external hard drive onto which you can write a complete image of your internal drive) and read forums, docs, etc. But, like 'Millionaire', it's much easier to phone a friend!

    I guess Aberdeenshire is a big county, but you could try contacting your local Linux User Group, http://aberlug.org.uk/ -- others elsewhere would find their local LUG by going first to www.lug.org.uk. You'll often find such groups delighted to have the chance to help you.

    Drivers, it depends, very often these days it's easier to get peripherals working on Linux than on Windows. You don't even need to mess about with a CD or searching the web, devices just work. When they don't, often there are simple solutions that user groups can help with. Yes, you can also find such solutions by searching with Google in forums, but then you may have trouble understanding some of the new jargon. Though http://ubuntuforums.org/ there's lots of patient people you'll take the time to explain if you say you don't follow.

    And with some peripherals, they simply won't work. This is most commonly because manufacturers keep the workings of their devices secret and don't put in the extra effort to write drivers for any system but Windows. Indeed, you often find that an older device, with an XP driver, the manufacturer may not even be bothered to write for 7 or 8... why should they, they'd rather sell you their newer hardware! In some cases people have reverse engineered how devices work and written drivers for them. Or if the manufacturer can't be bothered, but has released sufficient info, other people will contribute drivers.

    Applications... long before you consider migrating to Linux, try to use open source applications on Windows. Even if you never migrate, that will still give you the advantage of being less likely to suffer from having your data locked up in proprietary formats. So use Firefox instead of IE. Use Libre Office instead of buying MS Office.

    Then it's likely you'll have just the same experience on your new operating system as on your old. Your Windows applications don't install and run on Linux, but there may be ways round this. For example my wife bought a garden design program years ago. She now runs it on Ubuntu, even though it's a Windows exe file, by using something called Wine (a free Windows emulator). You could also run Windows within a virtual machine on Linux.

    Is it worth the hassle? Depends. If all you do is write a few letters, emails, surf the web, and sell on ebid, probably not much hassle at all and a lot safer. If you're an architect using some specialist software you paid 5 grand for and the supplier doesn't have a Linux version, I'd suggest you stick with what you know.

    Get used to change. In a few years time many of us will be using iPads or Android tablets for most purposes. (Android uses the Linux kernel, by the way! Linux is everywhere, you just don't know it!)
    Click for bargain auctions!

    Dropbox for 2GB of offsite storage to simplify your life. Click here, to get an extra 500MB of space!

  4. #24

    Default Re: Can anyone help - windows 8

    Quote Originally Posted by cambrensis View Post
    When a new Windows OS appears I wait a year or so before flying it; by then most of the major problems that people have are ironed out; I always regard the early days as a "Beta" so thsat MS may find the things they should have found before the launch!

    i currectly use Windows 7 on three machines, XP on two and Linux on the others, Ubuntu being my current favourite I must admit. I love OpenOffice...and its "Base" extension copes with Access admirably, so i see no problems there.

    As for Windows being "paid". i cannot count the times I've been called upon to solve a problem with a Windows installation and have had to refer the user to the seller on the grounds that the installation was a "pirate" version and that I would not touch it.

    My main complaint against the "Windows" scenario is that time and again people are suckered into buying new hardware because their own perfectly good peripherals will not work under the new system. MS itself recognised this at last with Windows 7 by allowing free access to XP under a "virtual machine" - but only if you had purchased the so called "Ultimate" edition.
    Nice follow up!

    Are you using Libre Office now, rather than Open Office, which seems to be lagging behind since the fork?

    Thanks for the great news about Access compatibility, I don't use desktop databases so I was unaware of that. Shoots down Julie's #15 comment in flames! Sorry Julie!
    Click for bargain auctions!

    Dropbox for 2GB of offsite storage to simplify your life. Click here, to get an extra 500MB of space!

  5. #25

    Default Re: Can anyone help - windows 8

    Quote Originally Posted by johnwash1 View Post
    Nice follow up!

    Are you using Libre Office now, rather than Open Office, which seems to be lagging behind since the fork?
    Sorry for the delay in replying! Yes, I am using Libre Office now for precisely the reason you suggest. When I say using, perhaps I should say "trying to break". In other words, every time a new version of software comes out I attempt all the things I normally do with it ad nauseam and in various combinations to see what happens. So far it has withstood my onslaughts I'm glad to say.

    I find in general that the more bloated the code, and therefore the more memory hogging it is, the more likely it is to break.

    Incidentally, I'm following a course online at Harvard (nothing very special) but am using Libre to submit my MS files; no complaints so far!

    Cambrensis

  6. #26

    Default Re: Can anyone help - windows 8

    Going back to Maelbrigda's original request; I haven't tried Windows 8 yet, but the program I always use for viewing, converting formats, slideshows, etc in Windows is "Irfanview". (Just use the name plus dotcomm to get hold of latest edition of this freeware). I've used it for years and never ever use the Ms software. It has a low overhead and does very quickly everything that most users need, including cropping and colour shifting when necessary. I have more complex software for other purposes but this is a good, simple day to day program. Hope that helps; have checked and it will work with 8.

    Cambrensis

  7. #27

    Default Re: Can anyone help - windows 8

    I use ubuntu 12.10, better than windows 8, got tired of windows lol...linux so much better these days

  8. #28

    Default Re: Can anyone help - windows 8

    Quote Originally Posted by cambrensis View Post
    Going back to Maelbrigda's original request; I haven't tried Windows 8 yet, but the program I always use for viewing, converting formats, slideshows, etc in Windows is "Irfanview". (Just use the name plus dotcomm to get hold of latest edition of this freeware). I've used it for years and never ever use the Ms software. It has a low overhead and does very quickly everything that most users need, including cropping and colour shifting when necessary. I have more complex software for other purposes but this is a good, simple day to day program. Hope that helps; have checked and it will work with 8.

    Cambrensis
    Yes, back when I was still on Windows I liked Irfanview, good program. The one thing that's not good about it, unless it's changed, is that it's free, not open. You have no idea, and neither does anyone else except the author, whether there's something sneaky lurking within it. OK, I don't really think a mature well known program like Irfanview has this problem, but it's difficult to be 100% sure.

    And what if the author decides not to release updates so it runs on Windows 9, 10, or whatever? What if you want to learn a bit about how a program manipulates graphic formats, by reading a little of its source code? What if you'd like to add (or ask a friend to add for you) a small feature that the author can't be bothered to add?

    There's a big difference between free of cost and software freedom (aka libre, aka FOSS). It's a difference you may not notice for years, but when it bites you, you wish you'd paid more attention.
    Click for bargain auctions!

    Dropbox for 2GB of offsite storage to simplify your life. Click here, to get an extra 500MB of space!

  9. #29

    Default Re: Can anyone help - windows 8

    Quote Originally Posted by johnwash1 View Post
    And what if the author decides not to release updates so it runs on Windows 9, 10, or whatever? What if you want to learn a bit about how a program manipulates graphic formats, by reading a little of its source code? What if you'd like to add (or ask a friend to add for you) a small feature that the author can't be bothered to add?
    "Oh dear!" as the two old ladies said! One day he will not update it whether he wants to or not! Of course there is always reverse engineering! But I stray into the realms of fancy!


    To be more serious I would agree that in general I'd avoid anything "free" as there is usually a hidden cost, especially in software. Toolbars with free smileys spring to mind, funnily enough! But I'll bet that you when checking something new usually run something in the background to see what is going on; I usually do -



    Cambrensis

  10. #30

    Default Re: Can anyone help - windows 8

    Quote Originally Posted by cambrensis View Post
    ...But I'll bet that you when checking something new usually run something in the background to see what is going on; I usually do -

    Cambrensis
    No, actually I don't. But then I don't use Windows. So when I try new free software it comes from the Ubuntu repositories, verified genuine by digital signature, full source code also available and eye-balled by people all over the world.

    So I don't suffer from all that wretched hidden stuff, uncheck this box if you don't want to also install "search conduit" etc etc etc. It really is free as in free of cost AND free as in freedom.
    Click for bargain auctions!

    Dropbox for 2GB of offsite storage to simplify your life. Click here, to get an extra 500MB of space!

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Follow Us
New To eBid?
Register for Free