Here We Go Again...

"You live and learn. At any rate, you live."

~Douglas Adams

Okay, well, it was inevitable. Today I am officially posting from the new computer. It is an HP Envy. It's too soon to tell you that you should be... envious that is... but I will get back to you on it! LOL. It's going to take me a few days to get everything back where it belongs, you know, websites and such, but I do have a few things in place. Blogger and Twitter, and, of course, I have my celebrity crush, Dylan McDermott, all nice and tucked into my favorites tab! I have my priorities after all! :) The one downside to getting this new computer is having to deal with Windows 8.1!

 I will not mince words, I was happy... HELL... thrilled after the disaster that was Windows Vista. What a walk through hell that was! 7 was everything Vista promised to be. Well, you know, you were there! Anyway, I liked Windows 7 very much, and I feel like they could have just continued with that program, but no, they created Windows 8, and then later, 8.1, so get over it and get with the program, right? Learn it and stop bitching, right? It's not like I hadn't used it before, I have it installed on my laptop, and it was fine there. So really, get over it!

Okay. I will. 

Sigh.

I don't like change, unless it's summer changing into autumn. I am completely on-board with that!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Have A NIce Day!

"A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any other invention with the possible exceptions of handguns and Tequila."

~Mitch Ratcliffe

 

Have you ever noticed that good news doesn't usually come on Fridays? As a matter of fact, bad news doesn't tend to come on Fridays either, well unless it's political. You see Friday has long been deemed the "news dump"day and politicians love it because they can come out and tell the truth, which is quite often ridiculous or infuriating, and they have two full days, AKA the weekend, to gather their collective wits about them, for the ensuing question barrage questions they know will be coming.

That's the world of Politics.

But yesterday, there was a pretty interesting bit of news that came from the Technology world. Well, it's kinda new, actually the article I read was dated June 5th, which was a Wednesday. I am not sure if Wednesdays hold any special good or bad connotations as far as news goes, but this was good news, and I read about it yesterday, which of course was Friday! LOL. Anyway, it seems there will be a major new update coming for Windows 8, on June 26th, a Wednesday, which when downloaded will make it's current operating system be called Windows 8.1.

Yeah, yeah... we know that. Right? Well yes, Microsoft did say a while back that they had heard our screams of WHY,WHY,WHY,WHY, WHY,WHY? Why oh WHY, did you change the Windows operating system so drastically? Why have you made it impossible and confusing to use? Thank you for making it pretty with the awesome little tiles, and the beautiful colors, but WHY did you take away the Start Screen Button? WHYYYYYYYYY? Just Why!

Okay, if you haven't read the article that came out Wednesday, hold on to your hats, and buttons, because as of June 26th Windows 8.1 will be available for download, with some cool new features that promise to make it much more user friendly, and without mentioning it, there is a strong indication that the beloved Start Button will be back! I know. If they haven't mentioned it, maybe I am in for a let down, but most articles I have perused seem to all agree it will be there... in the lower left corner... right where it belongs.

Frankly, I have come to terms with the Windows 8 system, and made my piece with it. After thinking long and hard about whether I should give up and have Best Buy downgrade my Toshiba laptop back to Windows 7, I chose to soldier on. After all, whether we like it or not, Microsoft has moved on from Windows 7, therefore all future computers, desktop or otherwise, will be sold with Windows 8 already loaded. Besides, while I was super annoyed in the beginning, I have acclimated to the Windows 8 system now, and I am okay with it.

But I have to say, I really love sitting her at my desktop PC, which runs Windows 7, and not have to put as much thought into the tasks I need to perform. My lovely Start Button is right there, in the lower left hand corner, like an old cherished friend. Smiling at me, and telling me in a soft voice... "It's okay... I am here. I understand. I am your friend and I will never leave you." LOL. Well, okay, it doesn't really say that, the most my computer ever says to me is... "You've Got Mail, And We Have Forwarded It On To The NSA."

Have A Nice Day!

Mood: Hopeful

~Me :)

My Journey With Windows 8 Revisited

"Man is a slow, sloppy, and brilliant thinker; computers are fast, accurate, and stupid."

~John Pfeiffer

Lock Screen
 

It's been a two months to the day that I gave my first review of the new Windows 8 operating system. To say that Windows 8 and I got off to a rough start would be an understatement. But now, like I said, it's been a couple months and I have had a chance to work through learning the new program and there are some conclusions I have come to. For one thing, it's never a bad thing to learn something new... even if it challenges you in ways you couldn't imagine. Alan bought me the new Toshiba laptop to make my life a little easier, but from the outset I wondered if maybe I should have gone a different way entirely. After not giving up... and working through the rough patches... and doing a little troubleshooting online... I am glad I stuck with it. Am I a big fan of Windows 8 now? Um... no. But I don't absolutely hate it either.

It's complicated.

Here is the thing. Once I learned how to maneuver through the new Start Screen and folders formats I am cool with the rest of the program... well for the most part. It took me the better part of a couple weeks of trial and error, plus hunting around because of how bad those two parts of Windows 8 that confused me. I HATE the fact that there is no longer a simple Start button, which made life, and Windows much easier to use, and the for the LOVE OF GOD what were they thinking with that silly, area on the right that takes you to that stupid ghostly "WhatchaWannaDo" sidebar that appears with only the slightest of brushing against the right side pane of the display screen? Microsoft... just put the Start button back and banish the idiotic ghostly sidebar menu! Just let users boot straight to the desktop!

Ghostly Sidebar...


Start Screen


Desktop
 

Log Out Screen (Original)
 

Visually speaking, it's a gorgeous program. As a photographer, I enjoy being able to customize my screens to suit me. What I don't appreciate is the fact that when you first start working with Windows 8 you are beat over the head to use a Microsoft account. Take it from me... it's not necessary. My Toshiba laptop came loaded with a lot of apps that I simply didn't need. After I took the time to remove the apps, most of which you had to pay to operate, I customized my Start Screen with the programs and apps I actually use. That rubbed me the wrong way from the start, but in fact computers tend to come full of useless crap, so that's really not a new thing. It's up to each individual to figure out.

I have read there is a possibility that there will be a Windows 8.1 coming in the future, possibly later this summer, that addresses some of the issues I have bitched... ummm... complained about in this post and my previous review. You read about it here. Whether or not there will be a charge for the update is any one's guess. Hopefully Microsoft will realize their folly and be decent about the situation and just fix the stupidity. Either way, I have learned my way through the darkness that is Windows 8 and I am satisfied for the moment. I have learned about sites where you can download a program that puts a Windows Start button into the program for you, but it's just not the same. A nice try though. Somehow it would always bother me that it wasn't a real Start button. LOL. Yes, I obsess over stupid stuff like that.

Ugggg! And Mumpfh!

Simply said... Microsoft Windows 8 isn't as bad as all that once you get used to it, but it does take a little feeling around in the dark though. Of course there are books you can by through Amazon.com to help you figure it out, but personally, they aren't for me. I prefer to figure it out for myself, and once learned, never forgotten. But that's just me. Hey if nothing else, at least it's not Vista. Right?

As for my new Toshiba Laptop C855D-S5106... I couldn't be happier with it! As laptops go it's pretty darn nifty. It's fast. Quiet. Has a great display. It's perfect for all the basics. Browsing. Photo Editing. It has a decent sound quality and the battery life is great! It's lightweight and easy to carry.  The DVD drive seems a bit flimsy, so I am extra careful with it, but that's the only negative that I have come across. I paid $279.00 on sale at Best Buy. For the price I am impressed! It's perfect for someone who needs a computer on the go, or to simply play a movie on (with headphones) when the neighbor's damn dog won't stop barking! LOL. I give it 4 out of 5 stars!

Mood: Tired

~Me :)

Why?

"I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose, I would always greet it in a garden."

~Ruth Stout

 

Ellipsis is going to be a bit flower and garden heavy for the next few days, except for an update I have planned about my adventures with Windows 8. It's been a little over a month, and I have figured some things out so I want to revisit some previous gripes I had. Good, bad or otherwise, I am immensely happy that I have been able to learn something new. Over all I am a happy girl, but there are still a ton of questions I would love to ask Microsoft! LOL.

Like maybe... WHY? LOL. That's all, just... WHY?

Stay Tuned!

 "Spring won't let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again."

 ~Gustav Mahler


Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Road To Hell Is Lousy With Vistas

"Artificial intellegence is no match for natural stupidity."

~Albert Einstein

Okay, speaking frankly, I have an asshole neighbor. Every time a meteor hits earth, I have to wonder to myself... Why couldn't it have just hit my asshole neighbor. LOL. Nah... not really... but you know... I kinda do. LOL. You see, he has the best doggie in the world, and I am not being sarcastic here, the dog really is wonderful. He's silly, and energetic, and he loves to play, and he loves his daddy so much, that when his daddy leaves the house, the dog barks and barks and barks, and barks, and barks. The barking is bad enough, but what hurts is to have to hear that poor dog throw himself at the fence in an attempt to get out and go find the human he loves most in the world. My neighbor is being abusive, not just to me, but to a dog that loves him more than anything.

The dog barking stresses me out. The dog whelping in pain hurts my feelings.

Alan loves me, and so while there is nothing we can do to change the situation, he is being supportive in other ways. Last week he went out and bought me a brand new laptop computer. It's not some big deal uber-laptop, its pretty basic, but it is exactly what I wanted. My new computer is a Toshiba Satellite C855D-S5106. It isn't too heavy, so it doesn't hurt my shoulder to take it on the go, and it really suits me nicely. Alan got if for me so I could take all my cameras and the new laptop to... oh say... Starbucks... and do something a little creative to ease my nerves. I am a lucky girl, my husband spoils me rotten! So, you can imagine Alan's disappointment when I decided I might need to send it back! Why would I want to send back such an awesome gift?

Simply put.. Windows 8 is... TERRIBLE!

 

Why does Microsoft do it? Why do they release such dumb products sometimes? Why do they tend to release products that don't quite have all the bugs worked out? Why do they tell us their latest and greatest OS is the best thing since VISTA when clearly any Microsoft OS since VISTA pretty much has to be! VISTA was a huge mistake on their part. And absolutely worthless OS! It is the butt end of almost any joke related to Microsoft! A few years back we purchased an awesome desktop which came with the VISTA operating system, and it was rumored to be the answer to all my computing needs and then some!! I am pretty sure you can figure out how well that turned out! Exactly one year to the date of purchase, it stopped working. But not before damaging the inner workings of my computer effectively ending it's life way before it's time.

Along came Windows 7 and we purchased a brand new desktop, and it did wonderfully. Windows 7 was the the OS that should have been released previously... NOT VISTA! But I don't dwell on it, Windows 7 was the perfect OS and all was forgiven. Windows 8 isn't quite as incompetent and Windows VISTA but it's not the answer to any computing needs I have, and it is mostly a lie that it is touted as easier to use! It's straight up a LIE! My advice is.... if you are going to need a new computer in the next year or so, go get it now if you can! The store Alan got mine at, Best Buy, had no more computers on the shelf with Windows7, and even if they did, it's not always possible to downgrade to the lower OS even if you could!

I have decided to keep the laptop. And the Windows 8. I am slowly making my way around and it's getting easier to navigate, and once I removed all the programs Microsoft wants me to sign up for, the speed was a lot better also. Keep in mind, before you can do much of anything, Microsoft insists that you open and maintain a new Microsoft account. And there is some difficulty in setting up email accounts, but I downloaded AOL and now I simply log on through AOL or Firefox and I am good to go. I am not going to give up, I don't mind learning the new OS, but it would be refreshing if Microsoft would stop releasing bullshit programs. Windows 7 is a solid product, and it was easy to navigate and do whatever you need to do.

As for Windows 8... So far I am not impressed!

As for the neighbor... He can go to HELL and may his job there be to help his fellow castoffs learn the VISTA operating system! FOR ALL OF ETERNITY!


Mood: Weary

~Me :)