... I rather deal with some YAHOO in India who knows his stuff (and, given a bit of language patience, they do) than a usually totally ignorant fool from Washington, DC (hey, might as well use that place, it fits beautifully; I just don't want to call it American, figure it out yourself). So much for maligning fine people in some other country that you don't seem to understand.
"Gregory Forster" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] : I had to add my two cents. : : Being so huge and monopolistic isn't so bothersome. : What bothers me is that they charge an exhorbitant : price for products that JUST DON'T WORK!!!!!!! : : Example: Windows 95 had FOUR DIFFERENT RELEASES!! : Microsoft insists that their first release of programs : do not have bugs. Then, when they issue a newer : version, even though everyone knows it's just a bug : fix, Microsoft does not call them bug fixes, rather : "software enhancements." It's bad enough that they : charge you such outragious prices "for permission to : use their software." Then, after a rediculous : "warranty" they charge you again an outragious price : for "extended support." : : It always frosted me that if you wanted help with : Windows for your brand new computer you just bought at : K-Mart, you weren't allowed to contact Microsoft. You : had to contact "where you bought your computer." Well, : never mind K-Mart. So you call the computer : manufacturer and who do you get? SOME YAHOO in INDIA : that you can't understand and can't understand you! : You want to know how to connect to the Internet and : he's telling you how to hook up your printer. : : In May 1998, I purchased Word Perfect Suite 8 : Professional. Microsoft Office was just too : expensive. Later, I discovered that a lot of what you : could do with Word Perfect, you just couldn't do with : Microsoft! : : Greg : : --- Vincente Aggrippino <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: : : > I apologize now for the long email... but didn't you : > realize you were : > posting a pro- MS Office message to the OOo user's : > group? :) : > : > Let's forget the price for a moment. In real life, : > Microsoft Office is : > available to everyone for free. Those who choose not : > to use pirated software : > are noble, but that is a choice. It's not because : > it's not available. : > : > Availability under Linux is also not a problem. I : > can tell you from : > experience that Microsoft Office XP works perfectly : > under Linux with : > Crossover Office. : > : > So, why use OpenOffice.org? How do I love thee? Let : > me count the ways... : > : > 1. I don't like a monopoly. Even if it doesn't : > fit the legal : > definition of a monopoly, I don't like the : > feeling that Microsoft Office is : > the end-all and be-all of office productivity. In : > this sense, if Microsoft : > was the one with the smaller market share, I : > would probably support them. : > 2. I like the concept that I might have some : > input into the creation : > process. I have the source code and I can even : > make changes myself. Does : > anyone know a Microsoft programmer? Does anyone : > know someone who has worked : > on the code of Windows or Office, or even clippy? : > I think they are locked in : > a secret bunker 25 miles below the ground in Area : > 51. : > : > If Microsoft and OpenOffice.org (or any other : > alternative) ever have close : > to an equal market share, I may re-examine my : > decision. However, I will not : > use Microsoft products for the forseeable future. : > : > Often people come to me for advice in their : > computing purchases and : > decisions. I'll show them OpenOffice.org and : > Firefox. Having worked in the : > Information Technology field for over 15 years, I : > can say that the advice I : > give is at least valid. : > : > Microsoft has had the greatest measure of success in : > making computers easier : > to use for people who didn't know how to use : > computers. The newest : > generation of computer users know how to use a : > computer. Having never known : > life without a computer, they will blow us away... : > yes, even the best of us. : > They will make good, informed decisions based on : > their own experience. And I : > don't think they will overwhelmingly choose : > Microsoft or any other : > particular vendor. I mean to say that, someday, : > there will be a fair : > software market again. : > : > : > On 10/25/05, John P Wohlscheid : > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: : > > : > > To Whom It May Concern: : > > : > > First off I would like to clarify something. I'm : > biased towards Microsoft : > > products since they are the only things I have : > ever used. I looked at the : > > screenshots of your products out of curiosity and : > I was surprised how much : > > they look like Microsoft products. I understand : > that you want to make it : > > easy so that the few people the convert from : > Microsoft products will not : > > have : > > trouble using yours, but in my opinion you should : > try to give your : > > products a : > > different look. : > : > : > I'll choose one very basic item to explain this: Why : > is it that the File : > menu is on the top left and, from that menu, you can : > choose New, Open, and : > Close? Because people are used to it. : > : > In computing, we've progressed to a stage where we : > kind of do know how to : > use computers as long as they work a certain way. I : > have to honestly give : > credit to Microsoft for this. Why change what : > everyone is familiar with if : > there's no problem with it and there's no : > improvement to make. : > : > In fact, even if there is an improvement to make, it : > might not be worth it. : > For example, the "QWERTY" keyboard was designed to : > slow down people typing : > in English because old typewriters couldn't handle : > fast fingers. Is anyone : > using a Dvorak-style keyboard? : > : > Let me phrase it another way. Let's pretend that : > there are : > > two cars. They look a lot alike, except that one : > has been around for : > > years; : > > it is trusted, and owned by hundreds of thousands : > of people. : > : > : > Haven't you noticed... in come classes cars do all : > look and feel the same. : > Have you seen a recent model sportscar without an : > aerodynamic shape? How : > about the SUV phenomenon? I don't even know where : > that came from. It's all : > for the same reason. : > : > There are proven methods that work for everyone. : > Everyone is used to them : > and there are no significant problems. When an : > improvement is made, all of : > the auto manufacturers will eventually adopt the : > improvement. It might even : > be mandatory: air bags, seat belts, third brake : > light, anti-lock brakes, : > 4-wheel steering, etc... : > : > If a : > > middle-aged man was shown the two cars and it was : > proven that they looked : > > and : > > felt the same, he would probably buy the older one : > because of looks were : > > the : > > same, but the older one had more experience behind : > its manufacturing. : > : > : > This is just an unfortunate analogy... of course he : > would choose the free : > one. I get your point, but consider this: The : > younger car company came into : > existence because the users of the older car : > company's products were unhappy : > with the products and the way they did business. So, : > they did something : > about it and created an alternative. : > : > My : > > advice (one man's opinion) is come out with a new : > look and feel to your : > > products. If you have a better product and a : > different feel, I would saw : > > that people would switch to you. : > : > : > Now I'll be the target of some flames... We don't : > have a better product, : > just an alternative one, but a different look and : > feel might hurt OOo and : > might even make it difficult for the most faithful : > of us. : > : > By the way, New Look and Feel? ... : > : > - Mac OS / Xerox PARC Alto -> Microsoft Windows : > - Wordperfect -> Microsoft Word : > - Lotus Freelance / Harvard Graphics -> Microsoft : > Powerpoint : > - ??? -> Microsoft Access... ok this is original : > and terrible. Even MS : > knows it. Hence: MS SQL Server : > - Lotus 1-2-3 -> Microsoft Excel : > : > : > Again, this is just one man's opinion. : > : > : > You don't realize how fanatical us Open Source : > people are, do you?... you : > might want to move and change your name... Well, it : > doesn't really matter. : > We're all hackers... The Matrix has you and you're : > not Neo... Just : > kidding... you'll survive :) : > : === message truncated === --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
