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Dear Messrs Gates and Jobs (and I appreciated it may take a bit of time for you to respond Steve)
I bought my PC and my wife bought her iPad, bought as in owned, which we both use. When I say use I mean we would like to do things with them, copy things, change things, get them to talk to each other and other odds and ends. Note the word DO as in do something, not Administer or Manage or Use.
Now I completely accept the fact that you are geniuses and I am a bumbling fool who you feel cannot be trusted to use your inventions. Absolutely true and I promise not to come round and borrow any of your computers. But I have bought my own one, as I did with my house, and as much as I did not expect the builder to put a lock on the bathroom door and not allow me access to it because plumbing might be a mystery to me, I was hoping I could use MY computer how I wanted.
I would just like to be able to log onto my computer as an OWNER, not a User or an Administrator. OK I know there is lots of clever stuff you have done which I am not safe to get at so why not put all of that in a separate box, and maybe call it something like System or C: Drive. Then everything else, and I really do mean everything else, goes in another box called MINE or maybe Drive which I can do what I want with. And then any program which I might BUY has to put all the things which can be changed onto this MINE Drive.
I do not want to have things I download or parameters I change buried 8 levels deep in some obscure files which makes the Vogon Planning Application in Hitchhikers Guide a showpiece of transparency, just because you think that my PC might be used by all my extended family at home and on its travels. Bill do you really think I would inflict Windows 8 (or Vista, or ME) on a relative?
So can we please have OWNER Mode and USER Mode.
I bought my PC and my wife bought her iPad, bought as in owned, which we both use. When I say use I mean we would like to do things with them, copy things, change things, get them to talk to each other and other odds and ends. Note the word DO as in do something, not Administer or Manage or Use.
Now I completely accept the fact that you are geniuses and I am a bumbling fool who you feel cannot be trusted to use your inventions. Absolutely true and I promise not to come round and borrow any of your computers. But I have bought my own one, as I did with my house, and as much as I did not expect the builder to put a lock on the bathroom door and not allow me access to it because plumbing might be a mystery to me, I was hoping I could use MY computer how I wanted.
I would just like to be able to log onto my computer as an OWNER, not a User or an Administrator. OK I know there is lots of clever stuff you have done which I am not safe to get at so why not put all of that in a separate box, and maybe call it something like System or C: Drive. Then everything else, and I really do mean everything else, goes in another box called MINE or maybe Drive which I can do what I want with. And then any program which I might BUY has to put all the things which can be changed onto this MINE Drive.
I do not want to have things I download or parameters I change buried 8 levels deep in some obscure files which makes the Vogon Planning Application in Hitchhikers Guide a showpiece of transparency, just because you think that my PC might be used by all my extended family at home and on its travels. Bill do you really think I would inflict Windows 8 (or Vista, or ME) on a relative?
So can we please have OWNER Mode and USER Mode.
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In reply to alx:
What is wrong with Shift, doesn't everyone know that this means 'get out of my way'.
What is wrong with Shift, doesn't everyone know that this means 'get out of my way'.
In reply to Andy Hardy:
> Get Linux. - you're having a laugh - just because owner is called root doesn't make it any easier
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In reply to Andy Hardy:
Doesn't Linux rely on some sort of community agreement rather than ownership or a licence?
Doesn't Linux rely on some sort of community agreement rather than ownership or a licence?
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In reply to m0unt41n:
In my limited experience an ipad is a horror show with everything locked away. But on a PC I'm nor exactly sure what the problem is, other than my own ignorance. No that isn't quite true but I'd say that the problems I've had is non Microsoft programs making stupid changes. For example I downloaded a RAW developer that corrupted my internet connection. But in the respect the nannying methods of Apply would be better than Microsofts more liberal approach
These two devices don't play nicely together. But is that any different to me moaning that its really hard to fit a Honda engine into my Renault.
Or are you describing Windows 10, which I have never used?
In my limited experience an ipad is a horror show with everything locked away. But on a PC I'm nor exactly sure what the problem is, other than my own ignorance. No that isn't quite true but I'd say that the problems I've had is non Microsoft programs making stupid changes. For example I downloaded a RAW developer that corrupted my internet connection. But in the respect the nannying methods of Apply would be better than Microsofts more liberal approach
These two devices don't play nicely together. But is that any different to me moaning that its really hard to fit a Honda engine into my Renault.
Or are you describing Windows 10, which I have never used?
In reply to John Clinch (Ampthill):
I couldn't disagree more. This is exactly and precisely what makes the iPad so great for me. It's a tool. A surprisingly powerful and useful tool. Unlike all my other computers, I don't have to worry about viruses/exploits/malware/slowly degrading performance as crap builds up everywhere.
Sure, I can't to with it, but then I don't need or want to.
The last horror show I had was using Windows XP and trying to keep the machine clean...
> In my limited experience an ipad is a horror show with everything locked away.
I couldn't disagree more. This is exactly and precisely what makes the iPad so great for me. It's a tool. A surprisingly powerful and useful tool. Unlike all my other computers, I don't have to worry about viruses/exploits/malware/slowly degrading performance as crap builds up everywhere.
Sure, I can't to with it, but then I don't need or want to.
The last horror show I had was using Windows XP and trying to keep the machine clean...
Post edited at 13:54
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In reply to wintertree: that would be great if it were true, but it's not. I'm typing this from an iPad, and now this iPad has developed a habit of locking out the internet connection if I access some sites - ( respectable sites, not porn! Daily telegraph is an example) . After two or three accesses of these pages I need to reboot the machine to, I think, flush the cache. Also , after a iOS upgrade battery life is quite poor. My assumption is there's a background process killing it, but which one?
So I would like some kind of process logging and managing tool for my iPad similar to that of my win 10 box where I can deal with problems far more effectively
So I would like some kind of process logging and managing tool for my iPad similar to that of my win 10 box where I can deal with problems far more effectively
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In reply to L'Eeyore:
Called copyleft. When you install an open source product, you own it and can tinker with it if you want. If you install copyright software you use it under licence and the source code still belongs to the manufacturer.
Downside is that if you sell your modified software you have to allow the buyer to tinker with it.
Called copyleft. When you install an open source product, you own it and can tinker with it if you want. If you install copyright software you use it under licence and the source code still belongs to the manufacturer.
Downside is that if you sell your modified software you have to allow the buyer to tinker with it.
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In reply to Andy Hardy:
Yes I think you will find that Steve Jobs is rather busy at the moment having to explain in person to God why he didn't inherit his son's iTunes account and why claiming that he had made a second coming really doesn't hack it as far as Apple is concerned.
> But with windows and apple you buy a licence rather than own the products.
Yes I think you will find that Steve Jobs is rather busy at the moment having to explain in person to God why he didn't inherit his son's iTunes account and why claiming that he had made a second coming really doesn't hack it as far as Apple is concerned.
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In reply to wbo:
I Think your machine is trying to educate you.
> if I access some sites - ( respectable sites, not porn! Daily telegraph is an example) . After two or three accesses of these pages I need to reboot the machine.
I Think your machine is trying to educate you.
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In reply to john arran: In the interests of balance I would comment that the Guardians website is not too hideous but their app. version is absolutely awful. Webpage quality is universally poor over the entire political spectra for newspapers
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In reply to m0unt41n:
"I couldn't disagree more. This is exactly and precisely what makes the iPad so great for me. It's a tool. A surprisingly powerful and useful tool. Unlike all my other computers, I don't have to worry about viruses/exploits/malware/slowly degrading performance as crap builds up everywhere. "
You raise a different point here. I didn't say an ipad was poor to use. I said that you were held at arms length and had to do it Apples way
However my limited experience of Apple products suggests that one day you will wake up and your ipad will have crawled off and off an fouund a new version of its operating system that it is not quite capable of running
"I couldn't disagree more. This is exactly and precisely what makes the iPad so great for me. It's a tool. A surprisingly powerful and useful tool. Unlike all my other computers, I don't have to worry about viruses/exploits/malware/slowly degrading performance as crap builds up everywhere. "
You raise a different point here. I didn't say an ipad was poor to use. I said that you were held at arms length and had to do it Apples way
However my limited experience of Apple products suggests that one day you will wake up and your ipad will have crawled off and off an fouund a new version of its operating system that it is not quite capable of running
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In reply to m0unt41n:
You own the computer but you don't own the software therein. You simply have a licence to use the programs (or programmes if you prefer) in the fashion the true owner intended. If you really need more control, you could write your own program(me)s, or pay someone to do so, and own them, or, as others have suggested, go opensource.
You own the computer but you don't own the software therein. You simply have a licence to use the programs (or programmes if you prefer) in the fashion the true owner intended. If you really need more control, you could write your own program(me)s, or pay someone to do so, and own them, or, as others have suggested, go opensource.
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In reply to m0unt41n:
It's much easier to avoid windows these days if you want to. I appreciate having gone down the windows route it may be a little late but the whole essence of microsoft from day one has been that it's "locked down". If you want open source then go linux and spend an awful lot of time making it work the way you want it to, if you want plug and play or you use a lot of windows programmes then buy into a system someone else has made and accept it might not be as versatile as you'd like.
It's much easier to avoid windows these days if you want to. I appreciate having gone down the windows route it may be a little late but the whole essence of microsoft from day one has been that it's "locked down". If you want open source then go linux and spend an awful lot of time making it work the way you want it to, if you want plug and play or you use a lot of windows programmes then buy into a system someone else has made and accept it might not be as versatile as you'd like.
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In reply to m0unt41n:
You've got it wrong. You need to take control of your files and own them, if you don't someone else will and you will only have yourself to blame.
I have all my files on an NAS server and I choose whether to allow Windows or any other OS to access them.
You've got it wrong. You need to take control of your files and own them, if you don't someone else will and you will only have yourself to blame.
I have all my files on an NAS server and I choose whether to allow Windows or any other OS to access them.
In reply to Sharp:
Really not all that much time these days, it's much easier than it used to be.
(Though, frustratingly, I have to admit there are still a couple of things I find I need to boot Windows for - uploading data from a Garmin GPS watch for one. Also I have an ancient DOS program for programming walkie talkies that runs perfectly on DOS emulators on both OS's, but on Linux I just can't seem to get it to see the serial port.)
I recently installed both Kubuntu and Windows 7 from scratch on a new hard disk, and found Windows the more difficult of the two to get working the way I wanted. I suppose, to be fair, that may be because I'm more familiar with (K)ubuntu Linux than I am with Windows these days.
> If you want open source then go linux and spend an awful lot of time making it work the way you want it to
Really not all that much time these days, it's much easier than it used to be.
(Though, frustratingly, I have to admit there are still a couple of things I find I need to boot Windows for - uploading data from a Garmin GPS watch for one. Also I have an ancient DOS program for programming walkie talkies that runs perfectly on DOS emulators on both OS's, but on Linux I just can't seem to get it to see the serial port.)
I recently installed both Kubuntu and Windows 7 from scratch on a new hard disk, and found Windows the more difficult of the two to get working the way I wanted. I suppose, to be fair, that may be because I'm more familiar with (K)ubuntu Linux than I am with Windows these days.
In reply to Sharp:
Windows was never "locked down" - not until Windows 8 and the Windows Store which was a reactionary move against Apple's walled-garden strategy. Even today, you can still run native executables freely and even turn off Windows Defender and User Account Control on Windows 10. It's true that the experience is a little more annoying and that Microsoft try to protect people from themselves a little too much, now, but they're victims of market forces.
They aren't trying to protect you or me or the original poster - they're trying to protect the muppets who make up the majority. If they did offer an "OWNER" mode or even an "I know what I'm doing, you don't have to hold my hand" mode, those same muppets would opt for it out of arrogance or pride or misplaced confidence and they'd still whine to Microsoft when things went wrong.
Microsoft aren't alone in this plight. I recently read a discussion in the Mozilla forums about the browser developer tools and its JavaScript console. Do you realise that people get conned into pasting and executing malicious script into that thing and "self-CSS"'ing themselves? I know, it sounds like idiocy but it still happens. As a result, many proponents want Mozilla to remove developer tools entirely.
Linux isn't an option for a large number of people for two reasons: the hardware support lottery and the "chance of a bad day."
I have spent several years as a Linux professional and even I can't run Linux on the laptop on which I type this post. Something about the hardware just doesn't work out with Linux - not Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, Mint or Arch. I've tried, and, after about three days of fiddling, I had it working but still couldn't access my CUDA hardware (I was working on a CUDA project at the time so that was rather important) and ended up back in Windows despite my personal wishes.
There's also always the chance that you'll hit the power button one morning and, instead of getting your work done, you'll find yourself trying to resurrect a corrupt GrUB or X.org installation, scratching your head and wondering what on earth could have changed since yesterday. These are "bad days" and, when you use Linux, you have to be prepared to take them in your stride - they happen! (They happen with Windows, too, but less frequently.)
Windows was never "locked down" - not until Windows 8 and the Windows Store which was a reactionary move against Apple's walled-garden strategy. Even today, you can still run native executables freely and even turn off Windows Defender and User Account Control on Windows 10. It's true that the experience is a little more annoying and that Microsoft try to protect people from themselves a little too much, now, but they're victims of market forces.
They aren't trying to protect you or me or the original poster - they're trying to protect the muppets who make up the majority. If they did offer an "OWNER" mode or even an "I know what I'm doing, you don't have to hold my hand" mode, those same muppets would opt for it out of arrogance or pride or misplaced confidence and they'd still whine to Microsoft when things went wrong.
Microsoft aren't alone in this plight. I recently read a discussion in the Mozilla forums about the browser developer tools and its JavaScript console. Do you realise that people get conned into pasting and executing malicious script into that thing and "self-CSS"'ing themselves? I know, it sounds like idiocy but it still happens. As a result, many proponents want Mozilla to remove developer tools entirely.
Linux isn't an option for a large number of people for two reasons: the hardware support lottery and the "chance of a bad day."
I have spent several years as a Linux professional and even I can't run Linux on the laptop on which I type this post. Something about the hardware just doesn't work out with Linux - not Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, Mint or Arch. I've tried, and, after about three days of fiddling, I had it working but still couldn't access my CUDA hardware (I was working on a CUDA project at the time so that was rather important) and ended up back in Windows despite my personal wishes.
There's also always the chance that you'll hit the power button one morning and, instead of getting your work done, you'll find yourself trying to resurrect a corrupt GrUB or X.org installation, scratching your head and wondering what on earth could have changed since yesterday. These are "bad days" and, when you use Linux, you have to be prepared to take them in your stride - they happen! (They happen with Windows, too, but less frequently.)
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In reply to Xharlie:
Windows has been closed source from day one but I largely agree with the rest of what your saying, I haven't touched linux since I had a lot more time on my hands. I can't say I ever had a bad day and once it was up and running it generally worked glitch free in my experience. The difficulties were trying to get it to recognise your printer or modem or something, there'd always be one thing that hung you up. Having said that though it took me the best part of an afternoon to iron out driver issues on my laptop when I installed windows 7.
> Windows was never "locked down" - not until Windows 8...
Windows has been closed source from day one but I largely agree with the rest of what your saying, I haven't touched linux since I had a lot more time on my hands. I can't say I ever had a bad day and once it was up and running it generally worked glitch free in my experience. The difficulties were trying to get it to recognise your printer or modem or something, there'd always be one thing that hung you up. Having said that though it took me the best part of an afternoon to iron out driver issues on my laptop when I installed windows 7.
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In reply to Sharp:
You might find that Linux is better than windoze in device support these days. Case in point - I have a (perfectly serviceable) 10 year old scanner which originally intended to work on 95/XP/2000. When I 'upgraded' to a Windows 7 box the driver wasn't supported and only way to use it was to pay a third party supplier 40 quid for their implementation ( which I wasn't about to do) or write my own (which was an option, if time consuming). When I decided to ditch W7 in favour of Linux I found the scanner works fine 'out of the box'. I 've had similar success with an old printer.
> The difficulties were trying to get it to recognise your printer or modem or something, there'd always be one thing that hung you up. Having said that though it took me the best part of an afternoon to iron out driver issues on my laptop when I installed windows 7.
You might find that Linux is better than windoze in device support these days. Case in point - I have a (perfectly serviceable) 10 year old scanner which originally intended to work on 95/XP/2000. When I 'upgraded' to a Windows 7 box the driver wasn't supported and only way to use it was to pay a third party supplier 40 quid for their implementation ( which I wasn't about to do) or write my own (which was an option, if time consuming). When I decided to ditch W7 in favour of Linux I found the scanner works fine 'out of the box'. I 've had similar success with an old printer.
In reply to m0unt41n:
Oh I'm perfectly happy running Linux on my laptop and have had to, in the past, rescue a load of files from a laptop by booting off a USB stick install. I have a reasonable degree of competence administering it I think but I still wouldn't recommend my mum to use it as fixing it can be just too fiddly.
Also, to the original point, if you don't want to do any user admin, what do you do - run everything as root. I'm not teaching my mum 'chgrp -R g+s 666' on the phone.
##Who disliked my critique of the Guardians awful app. I don't care - it is rubbish on an ipad, and I've told them.##
Oh I'm perfectly happy running Linux on my laptop and have had to, in the past, rescue a load of files from a laptop by booting off a USB stick install. I have a reasonable degree of competence administering it I think but I still wouldn't recommend my mum to use it as fixing it can be just too fiddly.
Also, to the original point, if you don't want to do any user admin, what do you do - run everything as root. I'm not teaching my mum 'chgrp -R g+s 666' on the phone.
##Who disliked my critique of the Guardians awful app. I don't care - it is rubbish on an ipad, and I've told them.##
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