On 01/05/2011 10:28 AM, Rob Oakes wrote: > If that is not an option, and you require a longer support cycle, then don't > buy a Mac. It really is that simple. There is a community expectation among > Mac faithful that you pay Uncle Steve on a regular schedule. If that doesn't > sit well, then you can pay Uncle Bill. If you can't stand either option, > then use Linux. >
There are other (and to my mind, better) reasons to go with Linux, but this isn't the right place for that type of discussion. And, I might add, I personally use Fedora Linux which is on a 6 to 9 month release cycle, with only the two most recent versions supported. I doubt I'd be as willing to do that if the upgrades weren't free. > So, while it's not always helpful to request that people spend money to solve > a problem, often there is no alternative. Nor should it be taboo to suggest > it. There have been times when I've been told, "Just go out and get a new $FOO; it's only about $300." My response was,"$300 or $300,000,000, it doesn't make a difference; I don't have either." It's really, really easy to throw money at a problem when your not the one spending it. I learned that *real fast* when I did telephone tech support for an ISP. I never *told* people to buy new hardware, I suggested it as a possibility, "...if money isn't an issue." Some of my callers wondered why I phrased it that way, and I always explained that I have no way of knowing what they can or can't afford and don't like assuming that other people have lots of money to spend on their computers. Even the wealthy ones appreciated my consideration. (OK, I'll admit that there were two exceptions: there are two Big Name Pro writers that I know personally and had agreed to take care of instead of them having to deal with the "phone firewall." One of them's also a computer columnist, the other's rich, so money wasn't an issue with them.) This, of course, is getting way, way Off Topic, so let's not let it get out of hand. Just remember that sometimes people aren't using older hardware or software because they like it, but because they can't afford to upgrade. Telling them to throw money at a problem is just rubbing their nose in it and, I assure you, isn't appreciated.
