Well, Microsoft buys Skype, just great...
http://blogs.skype.com/en/2011/05/microsoft_will_acquire_skype.html?cm_mmc=PXFB%7C0700_B6-_-acquisition-20110510 (http://blogs.skype.com/en/2011/05/microsoft_will_acquire_skype.html?cm_mmc=PXFB%7C0700_B6-_-acquisition-20110510)
I am not looking forward to this, but at this point, Skype was already on a downward turn in terms of Quality so maybe Microsoft can save it. But they have just as much power to really make it bad.
King
P.S.
I've already had people leave Skype. Thanks a lot Microsoft, just when I had everyone on Skype, you just had to buy them because your unwilling to do the job yourself.
Long as it still works and works on my Mac I'm don't really care. I'm just not gonna worry about it unless they start screwing something up or forcing us to pay. I don't think now is time to jump ship.
Tim, I'm not sure where or how you use Skype, but I've used it a long time and the quality has improved for me and most people I talk to (actually the quality has a TON to do with your internet connection). I also think you are jumping to conclusions about what MS might do or not do with them.
Most likely they will replace Windows Live Messenger with Skype. It does everything messenger does but better. Also there will be integration with XBox Live, Windows Phone 7, Outlook and their Office Live products.
Personally I think this is a good thing for Skype. eBay hasn't done a damn thing with Skype since they purchased it a few years back. Microsoft has been on the ball of late, I'm interested to see where they go. I'd be very amazed if they converted it to pay only. That's not something Microsoft has historically done.
Quote from: Rico on May 10, 2011, 08:32:48 AM
Tim, I'm not sure where or how you use Skype, but I've used it a long time and the quality has improved for me and most people I talk to (actually the quality has a TON to do with your internet connection). I also think you are jumping to conclusions about what MS might do or not do with them.
I've been hearing reports that the current version of Skype is quite buggy, though I imagine a maintenance release would fix most of those issues. I haven't had any issues recently myself.
Tim, I've never really had issues with quality either. In fact, the only two times I've experienced any issue at all, the other party had a bad internet connection and it dropped the call. We use Skype all the time to do interviews and stuff for our podcasts, and to date, it's been highly reliable. The only thing I'm concerned about with MS purchasing them is the possibility that it won't be free any more, but like Rico said, no sense in jumping to conclusions just yet. Who knows? Maybe MS will make it even better? No more goofy audio drops when people talk over one another! :)
Quote from: Rico on May 10, 2011, 08:32:48 AM
Tim, I'm not sure where or how you use Skype, but I've used it a long time and the quality has improved for me and most people I talk to (actually the quality has a TON to do with your internet connection). I also think you are jumping to conclusions about what MS might do or not do with them.
It's hard not to. Every time these big companies come into a product, it more often than not gets worse and/or more expensive. Name one product that has been the exception to the rule.
I am not jumping ship yet, but friends of mine hate Microsoft with a passion and it's hard to blame them. I don't need to relist their history here...but it hasn't been pretty.
For me though, the UI has been going downhill, and i have to restart Skype fairly often in order to get all my friends online as sometimes they won't show up, even if they've been online for a while. And they do too. And calls will often deteriorate to pretty bad quality too. This has been on going for a while now.
King
I agree with Billybob. Anyone jumping ship because MS bought is pretty much being over dramatic. They have successfully own the Sidekick and the company that makes it for a while.
I think it's yet another time where people are trying to paint MS as so sort of bad thing when they aren't. Microsoft has done right by me for a while and they are trying their best to protect their products.
Skype can only win from this.
Not a huge Skype user but never had any major issues with it. It is an essential tool for a lot of people worldwide (especially podcasters!) so I'm hoping they have big plans for it.
The interesting thing is that Skype has still failed to make a profit so it will be interesting to see what Microsoft's intentions are in purchasing.
Microsoft does have a history of buying things to shut them down to give their native products dominance so I wouldn't rule that out.
Skype on X-Box Live. I didn't even think of that. Now I'm actually thinking this could be a good thing all the stuff they can do with that. And I'm thinking I'm gonna have an X-Box to play when I move.
Quote from: Kingisaaclinksr on May 10, 2011, 08:41:11 AM
Quote from: Rico on May 10, 2011, 08:32:48 AM
Tim, I'm not sure where or how you use Skype, but I've used it a long time and the quality has improved for me and most people I talk to (actually the quality has a TON to do with your internet connection). I also think you are jumping to conclusions about what MS might do or not do with them.
It's hard not to. Every time these big companies come into a product, it more often than not gets worse and/or more expensive. Name one product that has been the exception to the rule.
I am not jumping ship yet, but friends of mine hate Microsoft with a passion and it's hard to blame them. I don't need to relist their history here...but it hasn't been pretty.
For me though, the UI has been going downhill, and i have to restart Skype fairly often in order to get all my friends online as sometimes they won't show up, even if they've been online for a while. And they do too. And calls will often deteriorate to pretty bad quality too. This has been on going for a while now.
King
But Tim, you've mentioned a lot on the forums here about your horrible internet service. Are you certain it isn't that that's causing issues with Skype?
Quote from: QuadShot on May 10, 2011, 08:46:38 AM
But Tim, you've mentioned a lot on the forums here about your horrible internet service. Are you certain it isn't that that's causing issues with Skype?
That's a good point. It's pretty easy to blame the software company for your issues when it could be your system and/or connection.
It is possible. (which is why I haven't jumped ship). But the friends who have left have also had the same problem getting people they know online in their friends list and they have way better Internet connections.
The two points that are relevant: buggy interface and bugs period. These haven't improved as of late.
King
Quote from: Sheppard on May 10, 2011, 08:46:23 AM
Skype on X-Box Live. I didn't even think of that. Now I'm actually thinking this could be a good thing all the stuff they can do with that. And I'm thinking I'm gonna have an X-Box to play when I move.
Good call. They may have purchased it for the infrastructure. as long a free calls don't go then all is good.
Tim - I use Skype quite a bit. Hardly ever have an issue with it and if I ever do, it's the rare person that gets dropped during a chat call. And they typically are having a "bad connection" day. I'm really sorry you and your friends have such problems with MS. My experiences over the years with them have not been like that. Are they perfect - certainly not. But I like many of the products they produce. The simple answer if you don't like them is to not use them. Pretty easy.
King, I do have one question for you about how horrible MS is and your list.
What has Microsoft done that has been bad? By Microsoft, I mean Microsoft. Not hacker creating viruses and messing up your windows. That's sort of like blaming a building designer for someone breaking into a building the owner didn't have the right security for.
I also don't mean blaming them for hardware issues because that's on the shoulders of the people that actually designed your systems in the first place.
I've only had good experiences with them and their customer service has been fantastic the few times that I have called with XBOX issues.
What has Microsoft done to you that is bad?
Quote from: Dangelus on May 10, 2011, 08:51:36 AM
Quote from: Sheppard on May 10, 2011, 08:46:23 AM
Skype on X-Box Live. I didn't even think of that. Now I'm actually thinking this could be a good thing all the stuff they can do with that. And I'm thinking I'm gonna have an X-Box to play when I move.
Good call. They may have purchased it for the infrastructure. as long a free calls don't go then all is good.
I'm quite sure that it wouldn't go anywhere. MS has been pushing free video chat and voice connections for a while now through their XBOX and Live messenger services. It wouldn't make any sense for them to suddenly change directions.
I was thinking they could keep the free services for their products, utilising the infrastructure and split regular Skype to a pay only service.
Well X, let's begin:
First off: overly expensive and buggy office software. 2007 was an unmitigated disaster of UIs, bugs and performance problems. The unintuitive UI seems like a waste of potential and 2010 by all sounds of it has not improved anything, plus I can't afford that price anymore as it has gone up. What is worse is that as a college student, we have to have this overpriced software. Thunderbird is way better than outlook as well...
Second: Windows Vista was a disaster. 7 should have been a free upgrade to anyone who bought Vista, but since they didn't do that because it would be too nice, I still have to help people who have that OS and that causes no end of grief for those who have the operating system.
Third: Internet Explorer 8. Wow.
Fourth: terrible help support, I have never had a good experience when I call them up or go to their website and rarely does the problem ever get solved.
Fifth: buggy OS that no can seem to solve. Remember the recent troubles I've had with Windows 7? It's now a daily problem and I'm just barely keeping ahead of the problems.
Sixth: anti-pirate software that more often than not punishes legitimate customers. I am glad they removed it from Office, but I still get the warning with my Legit-copy of windows 7.
Microsoft is overly proud of software that is bloated, buggy and requires you to purge the system every six months which by the looks of it I have to do it right in the middle of my school term, or wake up to a non-functioning computer.
It is why I switched to the iPad, so I don't have to worry that my "laptop" will quit working one day due to faulty OS problems.
I have not experienced XBox Live or Windows Live as I don't have the $$ for either service. But then again, I don't have a Wii or PS3 either.
King
I've personally only encountered two issues with Skype:
1. Online status on the contact list sometimes isn't reliable. Basically when people are online it shows they are not, I know we've run into this setting up Skype calls for TrekSF.
2. I have 2 or 3 computers, a skype handset and my iPhone all logged into the same Skype account. In theory if I get a call it is supposed to ring all of them, it does eventually but it almost always rings my handset first, then the computers and iPhone come in on their own time. Sometimes the device that I WANT to answer on isn't realizing there's a call coming in at all.
But really these are minor issues with what is overall still a pretty revolutionary service. Heck I pay 3 bucks a month and have free long distance in the US and Canada. My parents have a handset like mine and use it for the bulk of their long distance calling. So do Fran's parents.
More money and more resources will only make things better.
Quote from: Kingisaaclinksr on May 10, 2011, 09:10:19 AM
Well X, let's begin:
First off: overly expensive and buggy office software. 2007 was an unmitigated disaster of UIs, bugs and performance problems. The unintuitive UI seems like a waste of potential and 2010 by all sounds of it has not improved anything, plus I can't afford that price anymore as it has gone up. What is worse is that as a college student, we have to have this overpriced software. Thunderbird is way better than outlook as well...
Second: Windows Vista was a disaster. 7 should have been a free upgrade to anyone who bought Vista, but since they didn't do that because it would be too nice, I still have to help people who have that OS and that causes no end of grief for those who have the operating system.
Third: Internet Explorer 8. Wow.
Fourth: terrible help support, I have never had a good experience when I call them up or go to their website and rarely does the problem ever get solved.
Fifth: buggy OS that no can seem to solve. Remember the recent troubles I've had with Windows 7? It's now a daily problem and I'm just barely keeping ahead of the problems.
Sixth: Zealous anti-pirate software that more often than not punishes legitimate customers. I am glad they removed it from Office, but I still get the warning with my Legit-copy of windows 7.
Microsoft is overly proud of software that is bloated, buggy and requires you to purge the system every six months which by the looks of it I have to do it right in the middle of my school term, or wake up to a non-functioning computer.
It is why I switched to the iPad, so I don't have to worry that my "laptop" will quit working one day due to faulty OS problems.
I have not experienced XBox Live or Windows Live as I don't have the $$ for either service. But then again, I don't have a Wii or PS3 either.
King
No, tell us what you really think Tim! ;)
Seriously, Microsoft have made plenty of mistakes in the past. A lot of it came from a complacency of the dominance of the PC Market. The game has changed now, devices like the iPad have side stepped this by creating a totally new classification of device so Microsoft have had a wake up call.
It can only be good for the consumer all in all.
I don't see it King, that may be your experience but it certainly isn't mine.
1. The ribbon UI took adjustment, however once you sit and work with it, it does make things easier to find. Don't confuse a bad UI with a different UI. With regard to price, student editions of Office are quite affordable and offer multiple licenses.
2. Windows Vista was a marketing and PR disaster. The compatibility issues tended to be isolated to the 64 bit version becuase of fundamental kernel access restrictions that were created to increase system security. It definitely took too long to come out but unfortunately that is the way of many large scale development projects.
3. Wow what? IE was a great evolution over IE7 with increased security, increased performance, increased developer tools and increased standards compliance. IE9 is again and the roadmap for IE10 is indicating even more.
4. I can't speak to this as I've never had to open a support ticket with MS directly. Their developer forums and resources are incredible. MSDN is amazing.
5. Again, while I've had occasional issues I've never had an unsolvable problem, the only time I'll dispute this is Windows ME. I switch from that to Windows 2000 and all is well. Most of my problems have been from hardware issues or buggy software trying to make changes to the registry, kernel space or running executable code form the data stack which MS used to support but is phasing out.
6. There have definitely been issues with WGA but my understanding (and experience) has been that a quick phone call to MS support (my only experience with them) clears that warning.
It's easy to rip on the big guy, just asit's easy to rip on Apple and their products. MS is not the company they used to be.
Quote from: Kingisaaclinksr on May 10, 2011, 09:10:19 AM
Well X, let's begin:
First off: overly expensive and buggy office software. 2007 was an unmitigated disaster of UIs, bugs and performance problems. The unintuitive UI seems like a waste of potential and 2010 by all sounds of it has not improved anything, plus I can't afford that price anymore as it has gone up. What is worse is that as a college student, we have to have this overpriced software. Thunderbird is way better than outlook as well...
Second: Windows Vista was a disaster. 7 should have been a free upgrade to anyone who bought Vista, but since they didn't do that because it would be too nice, I still have to help people who have that OS and that causes no end of grief for those who have the operating system.
Third: Internet Explorer 8. Wow.
Fourth: terrible help support, I have never had a good experience when I call them up or go to their website and rarely does the problem ever get solved.
Fifth: buggy OS that no can seem to solve. Remember the recent troubles I've had with Windows 7? It's now a daily problem and I'm just barely keeping ahead of the problems.
Sixth: anti-pirate software that more often than not punishes legitimate customers. I am glad they removed it from Office, but I still get the warning with my Legit-copy of windows 7.
Microsoft is overly proud of software that is bloated, buggy and requires you to purge the system every six months which by the looks of it I have to do it right in the middle of my school term, or wake up to a non-functioning computer.
It is why I switched to the iPad, so I don't have to worry that my "laptop" will quit working one day due to faulty OS problems.
I have not experienced XBox Live or Windows Live as I don't have the $$ for either service. But then again, I don't have a Wii or PS3 either.
King
1) How do you define over priced? My wife is a student and got office and windows 7 for less than 150 combined. Microsoft has ALWAY given their software away to student at SERIOUS discounts. They even have websites specifically devoted to helping students get their software cheap. If you want to pay retail for something they are trying to give you cheap, that's on you, not them.
2) I didn't have any major problem with Vista and according to most reports, not many people actually bought Vista other than those people that had it come free with their systems. Regardless of that, they did extend the support for XP for a long time because of Vista. They provided solutions.
3) IE 8 wasn't as horrible as you want to suggest. It didn't have a lot of the cool stuff that other LATER browsers had, but has since been replaced by a MUCH better IE9 for those that bother to download the update.
4) Again are you calling the right people? Is it the OS or is it the hardware? When you make something that can be used by MANY types of hardware configurations, some things will inevitably work better than other. It's the job of the manufacturer to make sure their their tech integrates into the OS, not the other way around. Microsoft only provides the engine to the car, if you aren't changing the oil or if the people that built the car did a crappy job of putting it together, you look at the people that built the car.
5)No bugs here and I've been running it before it released. Again, sounds like you're blaming Windows for what you should be blaming your laptop maker for.
6) Haven't had a single issue what so ever with the piracy protection of 7, vista, office, or XP on any of my computers. Doesn't seem to zealous from where I sit. Never got a single piracy warning. Ever.
I haven't done a new install of my windows since well ... I can't even remember the last time. I've been planning on it, but since I'm very cautious on what I put on my system and I use the Windows Essentials (which is FREE virus protection and other protections) I haven't had the need to.
You say you can't afford the XBOX Live service, but bought a iPAD. You could afford their best system, a few games, aKinect, and a year of live for the cost of that iPAD. You went another route.
If you can't afford the FREE Windows Live service ... well ... I don't know what to tell you about that.
As for the problem you are having with your system, if you're the only person having those problem then it might be your system and not Windows. I've had 7 since before it was released and haven't had a single problem. The problem isn't a fault OS, you have faulty hardware. That's not something Microsoft can fix for you.
This is a great deal...for e-bay! They paid 3x less for Skype just a few years ago, they made a huge profit on selling to Microsoft. This deal is getting ripped apart this morning on the business news. Steve Balmer severly overpaid for Skype and it's very unclear how much revenue benfit they will be able to squeeze out of Skype. I also don't think it will have any impact on Skype's services.
I'm sorry. They are GIVING it away even cheaper now.
http://www.microsoft.com/student/en/us/office/default.aspx (http://www.microsoft.com/student/en/us/office/default.aspx)
Microsoft Professional Academic: 79.99 for the FULL version that includes
Word 2010 OneNote 2010
Excel 2010 Publisher 2010
PowerPoint 2010 Access 2010
Outlook 2010
Oh and the upgrade to Win 7 Pro is 30.00 ...
Yeah they are really trying to empty the pocket of the students.
I'd be shocked and amazed if MS made Skype any more profitable (are they currently profitable?). My uninformed understanding is eBay hasn't been doing all that well of late so a large cash infusion can only be a good thing for them.
Quote from: billybob476 on May 10, 2011, 09:42:51 AM
I'd be shocked and amazed if MS made Skype any more profitable (are they currently profitable?). My uninformed understanding is eBay hasn't been doing all that well of late so a large cash infusion can only be a good thing for them.
Afaik Skype aren't turning a profit.
Quote from: billybob476 on May 10, 2011, 09:42:51 AM
I'd be shocked and amazed if MS made Skype any more profitable (are they currently profitable?).
Nope. Last year the company posted revenue of $860 million and $264 million in operating profits, but still lost $7 million.
A lot of big MSFT shareholder are face palming right now over this. Steve Balmer is the WORST CEO in tech.
I wonder if it will reflect in the shares?
Quote from: X on May 10, 2011, 09:41:26 AM
I'm sorry. They are GIVING it away even cheaper now.
http://www.microsoft.com/student/en/us/office/default.aspx (http://www.microsoft.com/student/en/us/office/default.aspx)
Microsoft Professional Academic: 79.99 for the FULL version that includes
Word 2010 OneNote 2010
Excel 2010 Publisher 2010
PowerPoint 2010 Access 2010
Outlook 2010
Oh and the upgrade to Win 7 Pro is 30.00 ...
Yeah they are really trying to empty the pocket of the students.
Not to ignore your other post, but I have never seen Microsft Office that cheap for students. Years ago I had to go through a third party and verify I was going to high-school before they'd even bring it to $85 with 03. So that must have been a recent change...
King
It's been that way since Office '07 at least.
Quote from: Dangelus on May 10, 2011, 09:59:36 AM
I wonder if it will reflect in the shares?
Immediatley, the shares of MSFT are down 1.43% today. the dollar cost isn't that big a deal, MSFT has a TON of cash, so this purchase will only slightly lower the shares. Meanwhile e-bay is up 2.45%, thanks to MSFT.
Quote from: Kingisaaclinksr on May 10, 2011, 10:01:03 AM
Quote from: X on May 10, 2011, 09:41:26 AM
I'm sorry. They are GIVING it away even cheaper now.
http://www.microsoft.com/student/en/us/office/default.aspx (http://www.microsoft.com/student/en/us/office/default.aspx)
Microsoft Professional Academic: 79.99 for the FULL version that includes
Word 2010 OneNote 2010
Excel 2010 Publisher 2010
PowerPoint 2010 Access 2010
Outlook 2010
Oh and the upgrade to Win 7 Pro is 30.00 ...
Yeah they are really trying to empty the pocket of the students.
Not to ignore your other post, but I have never seen Microsft Office that cheap for students. Years ago I had to go through a third party and verify I was going to high-school before they'd even bring it to $85 with 03. So that must have been a recent change...
King
Tim, as you know, Joyce and I work for a University here, and for as long as I can remember, MS has offered software for dirt cheap. In fact (no lie) we can get Office 2011 for Mac for $9.99. The deals are there, you just need to know where/how to find them.
No way am I going to quote both you and Billybob but:
Billybob:
1) I still think the Ribbon design requires a lot of work. Maybe its fixed in 2010, idk, but I still hunt around for the right settings and buttons after years of use. That should be way more intuitive than it is right now.
3) IE8 was terrible. Even Safari screamed past it in terms of performance and speediness. Heck, it still lags my Desktop when I start it up. IE9 granted was a jump of an evolution...but....IE8 has always lagged the crap out of any desktop or laptop I've ever used with it and that is quite a number. Firefox and Chrome took over the browsing market because of Microsoft's complacency...
X:
1) Microsoft must have changed because I've always had to go through third parties in order to get discounts. Also, those discounts do not help out High School students. (Not to get too confused, but that's when I bought Office 03.) And when it came to 07, I needed Outlook, and none of the Student-editions offered Outlook at the time. I have since moved on from Outlook so you are right, they offer them at discounted prices, but not back then.
2) Vista should never have been released and people that bought new laptops/desktops at the time of Vista had to get Vista because the stores quit selling XP (no doubt to force Vista upgrade down their throats). Don't release public betas.
3) I've already covered that above.
4) idk, considering that its the software that's giving me the problems, I'd say its Microsoft's problem.
5) You must be the luckiest person on Earth then. No bugs whatsoever with Windows? I have never found one computer ever with Windows Software that is never bugged corrupted or otherwise. No, not including viruses here.
6) It was a constant problem till a couple months ago.
Xbox doesn't equal an iPad. iPad has actual educational properties I can use towards it, XBox is a gaming system. So yeah, I have no budget for an XBox, nor a Wii nor a PS3. Simply because I just don't have a gaming budget, it is no reflection on the Xbox.
I thought Windows Live was a paid for service or am I thinking of something else? Must be thinking of something else....
So if Windows OS isn't buggy and crashy, how come so many people I talk to constantly have issues with their laptops and desktops with Windows software?
Btw, I am using a custom-built Desktop. I only mentioned the laptop because I used to own one. But the experience is just the same as it was with XP, as it was with Vista, and with 7. A fragile OS that crashes on a whim with bugs that plague it all the time. And no, its not viruses, Its been checked and rechecked for viruses. Sorry, this paragraph is going off on a ranting tangent....
@Al: Never seen it for $9.99, and I've spent years hunting through my local college, the bigger colleges and websites for that cheap. You must have a better system than Oregon.
King
Heck, yesterday I had to go into the registry system of my desktop to fix a broken registry file with my user account information on it. I hadn't done ANY hardware or software changes when I went to sleep the night before I woke up to the problem. It was lucky I could even fix it, because for most people who have the login-to-temporary-account problem, its unfix-able for them according to the forums I had to visit.
So what's that, a bad hardware problem? Right...
My apologies, I'm starting to get into belligerent/angry mode, I'm going to get some water to cool down before I post again...
King
Quote from: Kingisaaclinksr on May 10, 2011, 10:52:20 AM
Heck, yesterday I had to go into the registry system of my desktop to fix a broken registry file with my user account information on it. I hadn't done ANY hardware or software changes when I went to sleep the night before I woke up to the problem.
So what's that, a bad hardware problem?
King
Bad drive, bad ram, bad video card, bad NIC, bad power supply, a combination thereof. On my old Dell machine the on board network card was going bad and kept blue screening me. After some research I figured out what was going on, got a PCI network card and the blue screens stopped.
I'm not saying Windows is perfect, it isn't. Nor is OSX, any flavour of Linux, OS/2 or any other OS in history. Heck the integrated OS on my Sony Blu Ray player can crap out (and has).
King, after reading what you wrote, I think, and I say this with the best intent, that you seem a bit clueless when it comes to Microsoft and how Windows works. When I was in high school, Microsoft was offering breaks for students. If you built your system, then you're probably the one at fault and not Windows. Putting the components together is only the first step in making a viable Windows system.
Okay, here is the problem with your statement about Windows being buggy. You're wrong. It probably has some bugs, but not more than other software out there. Vista was not a "public Beta", but it's those sound bites that people like to repeat. Vista was different from XP and the 64 bit had problems, but the 32 bit worked fine. They also worked quickly to patch the problems and did so. By the time it happened, the brand was damaged and there was a fear from many consumers about buying it.
You probably have a lot of family, friends, and relatives that don't keep up with their updates or other things necessary to keep their OS running at it's optimized levels. That's the only explanation that I can come up with. Better still, how about a quick non-scientific survey?
How many people here running Vista or 7 have had serious problem with their OS?
I'm willing to bet that the numbers are pretty low, but most of the people here don't treat their PCs like magic boxes and have an idea on how they work and how to keep them working.
I think there are a lot of people out there that think knowing how to type is all they need to know about keeping a computer up to date. That's the ones that usually have the problems.
As for your custom build ... if you are getting the same problems over different OS ... logically, it would seem pretty clear that the hardware is the only variable that hasn't changed and must have some hand in your problems.
I don't know what to tell you, it just seems like you're blaming Windows and Microsoft for your problem when they aren't to blame. You want reduced prices, they've offered them since I could remember for students. If you can't find those deals, considering that many are on their official website, I don't think that you can blame MS for that. Maybe your school for not telling you, but not MS because they offered the discounts.
And yeah, no problems what so ever on my system, my wife's system, and those of the in-laws that I maintain. I don't know if it's luck or just following the directions of MS and updating when they say to update.
I'll freely admit that when I was younger I had this venom for MS, but as I grew up, I realized that the source of my venom was listening to friends who got their venom from other friends. It was just safer to blame MS for our problems than our own lack of understanding with some things. Then I grew up and learned to take responsibility for my own system. I also learned that MS is designed to work with far more hardware profiles than Apple ever has to. Apple might work better on paper because they don't have to deal with IDIC, but MS does a damned fine job of creating an OS that can run in those conditions.
Its actually not the same problem over and over, I didn't make that clear my apologies, but its always something going wrong. Yesterday was the registry, the other week it was hardrive not being accessed properly (or a virus, but as none was never found...well). A while back, my programs would crash for no apparent reason. Then it went away. I never figured out what happened.
Its true, I'm not exactly an expert for this stuff. But I'm not completely clueless. The computer goes through its regular updates, just like the rest of the lineup in the house and as far as my immediate family is concerned, the Operating System is setup to update itself and I make sure of it from time to time. Your probably right in the one respect for the laptops as they were made by Gateway. A mistake I don't plan on repeating, but even my brother's new HP laptop still has various problems from time to time. And its...what, 1.2 years old now? So if you say HP is a bad hardware maker, then why are they allowed to sell their product at all...
Idk what to say about the deals. Maybe its just simply not offered in our state, idk. I just know that back then, it wasn't cheap and no deals were ever given to me back then. So if Microsoft is not to blame, then someone is. And that still makes me mad that our system works like that.
Is it possible some of my venom comes from friends? Chance of that there is. But after years of frustration with Windows both on laptops and desktops, I am reaching a breaking point. Its entirely possible I have the worst luck in the world and maybe that's what it is. The worst salesmen, the worst hardware makers or just bad luck bugs. idk...
King
Put me in the group that I don't see it as a big deal that Microsoft bought Skype. I guess I don't hold to the 90's notion that they are all evil. They are a big company that can probably do something with it more then it is today. I have worked with a lot of Microsoft products over the years, some are good, others not so much, but that is the way for about any company.
Microsoft has come into the gaming industry, and in my opinion they have added to it on a whole, so no reason they can't add to things with Skype as well.
King have you ever tried flashing your BIOS? In the past that has resolved some low level problems for me. It's a very fundamental update that people rarely remember and something to try when all else fails.
Quote from: billybob476 on May 10, 2011, 11:35:52 AM
King have you ever tried flashing your BIOS? In the past that has resolved some low level problems for me. It's a very fundamental update that people rarely remember and something to try when all else fails.
Hmm....no....hadn't thought of that, that might actually fix one of the laptop's inability to keep time problem too...
King
I remember on an older machine I had BIOS version 6 and the current version was 24! They come out more often then you think.
Quote from: Kingisaaclinksr on May 10, 2011, 11:43:59 AM
Quote from: billybob476 on May 10, 2011, 11:35:52 AM
King have you ever tried flashing your BIOS? In the past that has resolved some low level problems for me. It's a very fundamental update that people rarely remember and something to try when all else fails.
Hmm....no....hadn't thought of that, that might actually fix one of the laptop's inability to keep time problem too...
King
You should check for that update and any firmware updates that might be out. I know I had to do one for my DVD drives at times
Not a lot for me to say really. I'll be interested to see why they do with Skype - I'm not sure it's a totally natural fit. However, given the general move to service provision from supply I guess it could be part of a wider plan.
As to the wider discussion, I've never had a problem with MS here. Running Vista quite happily since we've had it with no issues at all and using IE8 since I haven't seen the need to upgrade to anything else. Basically, I just don't get the points being made. Sorry!
Quote from: billybob476 on May 10, 2011, 11:35:52 AM
King have you ever tried flashing your BIOS? In the past that has resolved some low level problems for me. It's a very fundamental update that people rarely remember and something to try when all else fails.
Ok...can't hold back...too much potential for joke....
Well, Tim DID flash his BIOS, but he got caught and is now serving 1-2 years for indecent exposure!! :) LOL
Quote from: QuadShot on May 10, 2011, 11:53:18 AM
Quote from: billybob476 on May 10, 2011, 11:35:52 AM
King have you ever tried flashing your BIOS? In the past that has resolved some low level problems for me. It's a very fundamental update that people rarely remember and something to try when all else fails.
Ok...can't hold back...too much potential for joke....
Well, Tim DID flash his BIOS, but he got caught and is now serving 1-2 years for indecent exposure!! :) LOL
LOL!!!!! Oh wow, I just burst out laughing while eating my chips. That may not be too far from the truth!
King
I downloaded Skype last month as I was a guest on a podcast. I never had any problems with it, in fact I added a few people to it overseas and over here. As long as it stays free I think it will be fine. If anything the software should get better. I know a lot of people use heytell, but Skype has s lot of uses. Where else can you make a transatlantic phonecall for free and easily. But I agree a few podcasters will be keeping an eye on it.
I think Skype's current "Freemium" model will not change. Skype to Skype for free and extended functionality (SkypeIn, SkypeOut, voicemail, etc) come at a fee.
The wife has been using Skype for years for inexpensive international calls (Skype to landline) and video conferencing. I'll be interested to see what this means for Windows 7 Mobile.
i just got skype a few days ago after gmail video chat failed to let me hear the other side. but then skype didn't let me see the other side, so then we used both programs at once and it worked fine. maybe microsoft will improve the visual feature. ???
Uh oh.....
(http://img.imgur.com/yvtdc.png)
Haha!! :)
oh dear! :D
Say it's not an omen lok