Faced with a similar situation several years ago, I told the person who had asked for help to find someone more up on Windows than I was at the time. I explained that my expertise was not centered there, I'd feel bad if they were disappointed, and would not be their best choice for any follow-on help after the purchase.
Thank you, Mark Snyder -----Original Message----- The brother of a good friend of mine wants to purchase his very first computer. This fellow just had his 48th birthday. I was asked to look into the question of what he should get, primarily just for e-mail, but who knows what he will eventually want to use it for over time. Being a Mac user, I was thinking Macintosh for various reasons based upon my own personal experiences and knowledge. However, he is insisting on a Windows machine, and I have now backed out of trying to help him make a purchase because I have little knowledge of what would be best for him on that platform. His sole reason for "having" to have a Windows machine is because, as he says, "everyone else has one." What he really means is that he doesn't know anyone who uses anything else, except for me and my good friend, and he wants to be a part of the really big flock. His scope is limited. He does not need this computer for anything related to his work. I have said it before here, and once again it has happened. A computer purchase is being predicated upon the erroneous and paranoid concept that "everyone else has one." Queried about this, he says that he fears not being able to get any help when he needs it if he gets anything but a Windows computer. and from what he hears and understands from others, he says he'll probably be needing a lot of that. This is a typical rationale I hear all the time. Additionally, he only wants to spend about $400 or so for everything, including the printer. He knows nothing of computer pricing, so this is not an issue of wanting a Windows machine simply because they are known to be initially cheap. This is no attempt to fan any flames, but merely a little peek into what I have always perceived to be a major selling point for a particular computer platform. ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
