[NA]Upgrades are like taxes?[NA]

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Dave Taylor
A permanent thing, an unavoidable part of computer ownership?

I found this in my temp folder, actually there were a dozen with different dates:

"osCheck Vista Migration 2007-07-23 22h28m09s"

Would it be naive to think MS is planning that we will all soon use Vista? (is that what these pings are all about?)

Where does it end?
Will there be a MS2008 OS? Every year or two they will foist a new OS on us whether we need it or not? Whether we want it or not?

Eventually, will a chasm develop in the computer world between users of the latest and greatest - the "Feed the Machine $." types; -vs 'the Luddites' who insist on some older, proven, stable, reliable OS. The luddites may not get full access to software or internet things because of 'compatibility' issues, so maybe a split in internet sites and software availability will develop?

Or will we all plod up to the trough, and reluctantly take our fill of whatever MS is serving up each year?


PS If I have my druthers, I'd prefer to leave the mac vs pc debate apart from this thread.
 
How about licensed applications you have to renew each year, just like you update your GPS database? I know Adobe would like it if I'd quit using my 10-year-old copy of Photoshop...
 
Ken Ibold said:
How about licensed applications you have to renew each year, just like you update your GPS database? I know Adobe would like it if I'd quit using my 10-year-old copy of Photoshop...
Click to expand...

Quicken is already doing that. They totally stop support after a version is a few years old. I'm thinking five years. All online services stop for it as well.

MS will continue to sell more OS's and we will continue to buy them because older computers break down and new software will not work with the old OS's.
 
Anymouse said:
Quicken is already doing that. They totally stop support after a version is a few years old.
Click to expand...

Didn't Intuit invent the term, "Sunsetting" ? Ie 'Quickbooks 2001 has been sunsetted'; no more support, no tax tables, won't even talk to you about it except to sell the latest & greatest. Gone are the days of buying a CD and the program will work indefinitely. (or can be reloaded if it goes T.U.)
 
Greed has led to the fall of many technologies.

Does anyone remember Microchannel Architecture? It was a good technology. Unfortunately, it was also proprietary; and when no one made any cards for it, it passed into the realm of I.T. history. The same could be said of RAMBUS. Good technology, but proprietary and overpriced.

The more MS and other software makers try to force perfectly serviceable software into early obsolescence to pad their profits, the more impetus they give to the open-source movement. Off the top of my head, the only proprietary Windows software that I haven't found a good open-source replacement for is Macromedia (now Adobe) Studio. That suite is also the only reason I continue to run Windows for any reason other than because I have to support it for my clients.
 
"XP will never takeoff. Windows 98 and Windows 2000 are just fine. Why does Microsoft feel it is necessary to force us to use an OS that is all sizzle and no meat?"

:rolleyes:

I mean no offense to y'all, but this is life. Computers become obsolete, and I like it that way, it lets the industry improve. Things change, and change is good, especially when it means new technology gets developed.

Oh yeah: "This isn't right! I have all my data on 5.25" floppy disks. My new computer only has a 3.5" drive. Freaking companies forcing new technology on me."
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
A permanent thing, an unavoidable part of computer ownership?

I found this in my temp folder, actually there were a dozen with different dates:

"osCheck Vista Migration 2007-07-23 22h28m09s"

Would it be naive to think MS is planning that we will all soon use Vista? (is that what these pings are all about?)

Where does it end?
Will there be a MS2008 OS? Every year or two they will foist a new OS on us whether we need it or not? Whether we want it or not?

Eventually, will a chasm develop in the computer world between users of the latest and greatest - the "Feed the Machine $." types; -vs 'the Luddites' who insist on some older, proven, stable, reliable OS. The luddites may not get full access to software or internet things because of 'compatibility' issues, so maybe a split in internet sites and software availability will develop?
Click to expand...

Well, XP has been around for several years, and all the SP's and updates I've received for it have been free. I can still get a new computer with XP, the issue with that is if I get a new computer using a Core Duo (or similar dual processor CPU) I can't take full advantage of that hardware. That's what Vista is about.
 
Anymouse said:
Quicken is already doing that. They totally stop support after a version is a few years old. I'm thinking five years. All online services stop for it as well.

MS will continue to sell more OS's and we will continue to buy them because older computers break down and new software will not work with the old OS's.
Click to expand...
I'm thinking beyond that, even. How about your computer not booting after 12 months unless you renew your software license?
 
I have no problem with sunsetting support - there comes a time when a software package HAS to be desupported. I live with that in the Oracle world daily. If I choose to run unsupported software, the risk is all mine.

What absolutely incenses me is Intuit's position with Quickbook. Not only is it desupported, many of the essential features are rendered INOPERATIVE by disabling interface to the tax tables as well as other payroll or tax related activities. Intuit says it's for my own good - so I don't calculate any taxes from obsolete tax tables.

It appears that I didn't "buy" the software, I "leased" it, and according to Intuit's marketing attitude, "your lease has expired. Upgrade".

That REALLY ties my tail in a knot.
 
gkainz said:
I have no problem with sunsetting support - there comes a time when a software package HAS to be desupported. I live with that in the Oracle world daily. If I choose to run unsupported software, the risk is all mine.

What absolutely incenses me is Intuit's position with Quickbook. Not only is it desupported, many of the essential features are rendered INOPERATIVE by disabling interface to the tax tables as well as other payroll or tax related activities. Intuit says it's for my own good - so I don't calculate any taxes from obsolete tax tables.

It appears that I didn't "buy" the software, I "leased" it, and according to Intuit's marketing attitude, "your lease has expired. Upgrade".

That REALLY ties my tail in a knot.
Click to expand...

"Churn and burn." Microsoft and Intuit profits come from the recurring revenue of selling the same product to the same customer over and over.

I haven't played in many years* but of course, my company does. I could live with that if Microsoft would finally get some quality control.

They just forced an "upgrade" to Outlook 2003. It has so many bugs that it hampers my productivity. Emails and meetings don't show up at all and then suddenly I have 100 going back 3 days. I just had a project lead tell me I accepted an invite to a meeting I never saw.

I thought when Microsoft used free-Coke-fueled recent CS grads working 90 hour weeks until they burned out it was bad enough. Now that can't do that well. I guess they can't recruit with the promise of riches from stock options anymore.

* Apple releases new versions of Mac OS for ~$120 every two years or so, but they don't force upgrades. They especially don't make you load a "Genuine Advantage" program to get updates. The new versions always have many new features that make it worth the price of the upgrade.
 
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mikea said:
* Apple releases new versions of Mac OS for ~$120 every two years or so, but they don't force upgrades. They especially don't make you load a "Genuine Advantage" program to get updates. The new versions always have many new features that make it worth the proce of the upgrade.
Click to expand...

Really? Apple will still support my Apple IIe that I have sitting in the garage, or my version of OS4?
 
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