Pet Peeve

[samwize.livejournal.com]

Last weekend I took some sidework for some cash. Had to go into a friends parents' house and 1)decheesify their old Windows 98 P.O.S. that's been through three owners, none of which had done even the most basic maintainance and 2) install a wireless ethernet card on the WinXP laptop.

The pet peeve? When I called ahead the day before to get basic information, I had to spend 15 minutes arguing with the wife about what OS she was running.

"What operating system are you running?"

"Oh...I don't know. Windows something."

"Ok, Windows 95? Windows 98? Windows 2000? Windows XP?"

*thinks* "Windows 97."

"There's no such thing."

"Yes there is. It's what I run."

"No, it isn't. Do me a favor and click on the "Start" button."

"What's that?"

*ponders*

"How often does it crash?"

"All the time. Maybe every hour and a half."

"Ok, you're running Windows 98."

"No, it's 97."

"No. It isn't. You're running windows 98 with Office 97 installed. Every time you load up outlook or word it flashes that 97 up there. That's why you're confused."

"No, I'm telling you it's Windows 97."

"...Of course it is. I'll be over around three o'clock."


(Sidenote: I got a $50 bonus from the husband for convincing her to get a new computer. "Well, you've got four choices at this point: you can wipe the hard drive and reinstall the operating system, and then learn how to maintain it properly, you can wipe the hard drive and reinstall windows and then do it again about once every year, you can resign yourself to using a fundamentally unstable and frustrating computing environment, or you can get a new computer."

"Well, I don't want a new computer, so I guess we'll reinstall windows."

"Ok, that's going to cost you a substantial portion of the money to buy a new cheap computer from Dell." (I charge $50 an hour. It's the only thing that keeps away the annoyance.)

"Hmm...Well, ok. Just make sure to put lots of photo editing software on there, as I'm going to start doing lots of photo-stuff for my newsletter."

"...Ma'am, you need a new computer. Period."

"...Oh."

"Yeah.")

Comments

[kostika.livejournal.com]

Sounds like the husband is the smart one. heh.

[anivair.livejournal.com]

No! I totally run windows 97! I've been running it ever since 1995!

[--murderer--.livejournal.com]

"What operating system are you running?"

"Oh...I don't know. Windows something."



How many trillion times I've heard that from support cases! Look at me, I thought I was the only one that's ever heard that statement ;-P

[--murderer--.livejournal.com]

"Hmm...Well, ok. Just make sure to put lots of photo editing software on there, as I'm going to start doing lots of photo-stuff for my newsletter."

Oh yeah, and I absolutely love the way support cases just automatically assume you have all this extra software at your disposal. Yeah, I'm the friggin' software wizard, all you have to do is ask and I'll install Photoshop! For free too! morons

[infy.livejournal.com]

Well, of course. You can install it for free. But you'll charge her the cost of the application; plus a fee for acquiring the software, a fee for opening the package containing the software (even if it's just a CD sleeve), a small charge for verifying proper insertion of the CD into the drive; but the actual click upon the "setup.exe" file? Oh, that's free.

[--murderer--.livejournal.com]

"but the actual click upon the "setup.exe" file? Oh, that's free."

Amen to that

[darkblade1.livejournal.com]

I've had that Windows 97 response before so many times. Why does the number 97 stick out in the customers heads?

[infy.livejournal.com]

You know... you could install Photoshop for free. Keep a couple of copies of the 30-day professional-version trial apps and toss them on. Make them get totally hooked on the features, and then cackle merrily when they eventually realize that the trial expired and all they can do is save a picture file with "please register application!!" watermarked across the face. Chortle incessantly in their ear while you inform them just how much it'll cost them for the licensed copy that they now absolutely must have.

[--murderer--.livejournal.com]

very evil indeed, good one

the old boxen

[irishmasms.livejournal.com]

sounds like a good candidate for a Slackware install; and GIMP for that photo editing requirement...

Re: the old boxen

[samwize.livejournal.com]

That might be true if it weren't utterly and completely wrong. Sorry, but linux is nowhere NEAR being simple and easy enough for these users. Period.

Remember, the kneejerk answer of "Switch to linux!" is almost ALWAYS wrong because it rarely takes into account...y'know...the user's _needs_.

Re: the old boxen

[irishmasms.livejournal.com]

That was not a 'kneejerk answer'; it was a valid suggestion. How do you know what their 'needs' are, when normally the user does not even know?

They have a new PC running XP correct? So what would the harm be in taking the old system & having them play around with a Linux install?

Re: the old boxen

[samwize.livejournal.com]

How do you know what their 'needs' are, when normally the user does not even know?

Because it's my job to know. I talk to them. I listen to what they do and what they want to do. I find out what they know and what they want to learn and what they are capable of learning. Of _course_ they don't know their needs; that's why they hire me.

They have a new PC running XP correct? So what would the harm be in taking the old system & having them play around with a Linux install?

They aren't interested in "playing around" with a linux install. They want a machine that they can plug in, turn on, and do their word processing/email/websurfing/etc without having to spend time and mental effort learning a new system. They want to be able to hook up a new peripheral without having to even know what a 'driver' _is_. They don't want to ever edit a configuration file. They don't want to or need to learn linux. What they want is a stable, modern, easy to use desktop that works the way they expect. Hence, windows XP.

Linux is almost _always_ the wrong answer for people like this.

Re: the old boxen

[irishmasms.livejournal.com]

with the FUD and bias you have I can see what you solution will always be with all your customers. Sorry to hear you are selling them & yourself short.

PS: I have never ever edited a configuration file on a desktop install. YMMV.

[valiskeogh.livejournal.com]

HEY THERE!
i'm looking through old posts in tech_support, looking for stories
that i'd like included on http://www.helpdeskhell.com . i've found your's terribly
amusing, can i include it on the "clueless luser pages" of the site?

please respond if yes, no response necessary if no.

thanks for your help!

valis

[samwize.livejournal.com]

Yeah, sure, go ahead.