Sam’s Rant – Buying Computer’s

18 09 2010

Before I start this Rant I would like to point out that I do in fact like computers and like:

  • Playing Games
  • Writing in Word
  • Make Presentations (professional standard) in PowerPoint
  • Surf the Web
  • And many more exciting things (potentially)

I Remember during the 1990’s (back when there was more to life than Women and Beer) Buying a computer was fun, it was exciting. Nowadays is Extremely Annoying.

Back in the 1990’s you could go to a PC shop and buy a PC take it home plug everything, Turn it on and just do stuff. Now it’s a lot more annoying.

Now you go and buy a Computer (Stupid Computer if you buy a MAC) take it home and you have so much to do, it’s like setting a whole day to the side just to set it up. You first have to set up your personal settings, wait five hours for the thing to initialise for its first use then restart to finish setting up and then turn it on again then make a connection to the Internet then set up the Anti-Virus software (Don’t buy MacAfee) probably on free trial and then have to restart the computer again to finish set up and then subscribe on the internet and then setting up your personal setting’s on Google and then have things popping up every five minutes then install office then restart to finish set up and then initialise and then have to choose your web browser. Is there any point to this?

It’s called a PC, A Personal Computer, Not an Everyone Computer, Why can’t I just buy the thing and use it straight away.

The most annoying part is choosing your browser. The problem is that Internet Explorer is the Default setting but there is so much Nowadays (I am saying that a lot now) like Mozilla and Firefox that in Order for them to compete you have to choose which one of them to use, with Internet Explorer being the Default Setting for Microsoft and Safari being the Default setting for (stupid) MAC’s. Look it’s MY PC IF I WANT TO BUY A PERSONAL COMPUTER I WANT MY SETTINGS, MY SETTINGS, IF I WANT TO USE THE DEFAULT SETTINGS I WILL USE THE DEFAULT SETTINGS, I DON’T CARE ABOUT MOBZILAAAR AND FIBRELOX (Firefox would be an interesting sketch in Mongrels on BBC3), I PREFER INTERNET EXPLORER NOT ANY OTHER, IF I WANT TO USE INTERNET EXPLORER THAT’S MY CHOICE NO ONE ELSES BECAUSE ITS MY COMPUTER THAT I BOUGHT WITH MY OWN MONEY NO ONE ELSES MONEY, THEY DIDN’T SPEND THEIR MONEY ON MY COMPUTER I PAID THE MONEY SO I GET TO CHOOSE WHAT BROWSER I WANT TO USE NOT THEM. If capitals make it look I’m shouting it’s because I AM.

It’s so stupid that I have to go through all these settings when buying a computer; I have actually bought a new computer. If I want to buy a computer I want to take it home and just use it, what’s wrong with that?

I bought a computer this week (From BLACK BOX COMPUTERS in Lancaster). Unfortunately you can’t buy Windows Vista anymore which is better than all other Operating Systems.

Also you have things popping up every ten seconds, OK you can tick the box telling them to not do it again but they will always find a way around that, Every time I turn on the computer there is a coffee update (Java), every 3 days there is a computer update which is the most annoying update. You are working on the computer happily and enjoying yourself and then all of a sudden the computer turns itself off to receive and install an update which is incredibly annoying and it never tells you what the update was for. WHATS THE POINT?

In the future I want to just buy a computer take it home and start it up and just get down to work, I don’t want to faff around with nonsense and have to restart the computer every 5 seconds for pointless updates.

Why can’t I just buy a computer (NOT A MAC) and use it normally like it was back in the 1990’s. Everything was a lot more simple back then.

Off-Topic: This past weekend I completed ModNation Racers on the PS3, It’s like Mario Kart but a lot more Creative and Destructive.

GENEPOOL


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3 responses

18 09 2010
Matty Longden

I agree, buying pre-built computers is a nightmare nowadays. I remember when our family got our first one around 1995 (give or take a few years). We were all really excited and thats when I started on my journey to became a PC man. I remember we pretty much just had to plug it in and in no time I was putting the floppy disk in to play Civ 1 (legendary game). Prebuilt system today however are a different story, you don’t know the detailed specs of the system, there will be a lot of software from the manufacturer that you don’t need or want. The configuration systems are in place so that people who have no clue (I’m not suggesting you don’t; but there are people who will struggle to turn the things on!) can get the up and running… eventually.

Over the last 10 years I have been building PC’s myself and, in my experience, as long as you get the right parts you can have it built and be installing your anti-virus within a couple of hours (depending mostly on how fast you can stick it together and how quick installation of the OS is). Things such as web browsers will take 5 minutes to install and network is generally just a case of plugging it in (unless you are on the hellborn wireless system wehere you will need to dig out your security codes). Despite requiring the knowledge and plenty of experience and learning from mistakes (like buying the wrong power supply… £70 wasted 😦 or getting 3 IDE devices when theres only 1 port but 6 SATA) building your own can be rewarding and, is often, for the same specs not much more expensive. You will have direct control of what hardware and software you have (no crappy norton software or useless gadgets) and you can optimise them for your needs. Another bonus is that you can easily change your own system (no warranty to void), if you need more RAM you will generally have room for expansion (it’s always good to plan for some upgrades to get another 2-3 years out of it) or if you are running out of disk space installing a new hard drive is as easy as plugging in then formatting it (thoroughly).

So to summurise; Yes I agree that buying a PC is a nightmare in todays world. BUILDING one is the way forward (and has been for years!)

24 09 2010
Kevin

I do the following when buying a computer:

Spend long and hard thinking about what I can get for my money, bigger, faster, more reliable etc

Then buy it, and…format then do a fresh install of os

2 01 2011
2010 in review « Numb3r5s's Blog

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