The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Viral Video Idea, Only Minor Damage To Robert Stacy McCain Required

Posted on | December 20, 2012 | 23 Comments

by Smitty

Via Slashdot, we have a review of the new Windows:
Based upon that review (lengthy, but consistently good throughout), if we set up a camera, gave RSM a writing deadline, and a computer running Windows 8, my gut is that the resulting meltdown would be one for the ages. I guess if they wanted to shank Windows 8 any further, they would have needed Congress to code it.

While more or less good with Windows, myself, especially with VBA macro coding in MS Office (I should crank out an O’Reilly book) I really only use it on the job. It’s all Linux and OSX these days. If I haven’t got a command-line interface and some reasonable scriptability, it’s dead to me.

Category: Uncategorized

Comments

23 Responses to “Viral Video Idea, Only Minor Damage To Robert Stacy McCain Required”

  1. Steve T
    December 20th, 2012 @ 9:11 pm

    Feel Good Story of the Day: “Layaway Angels” return to Kmart…
    http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com/2012/12/feel-good-story-of-day-layaway-angels.html

  2. WarEagle82
    December 20th, 2012 @ 10:59 pm

    I had a very similar experience with Windows 8 when I first installed it. After a couple of hours, I finally disabled as much of Metro as I could and made it work like Windows 7 and found that if I removed the useless, counter-productive interface IMPOSED on me by Microsoft, I could use the Windows 7 lurking beneath the surface. But why should I have to spend hours to get to that point in time.

    Windows 7 may be my last Microsoft product I ever buy.

  3. Watch This Video Review Before Buying A Windows 8 Computer | The Lonely Conservative
    December 20th, 2012 @ 11:01 pm

    […] This Video Review Before Buying A Windows 8 ComputerDecember 20, 2012By Lonely ConservativeVia The Other McCain, here’s a video review of Windows 8 that you might want to watch if you’re thinking […]

  4. jwallin
    December 20th, 2012 @ 11:28 pm

    So that means that Window 8.1 will be okey dokey?

    (for the young or inattentive, this has been M$’s MO since DOS days.
    I very briefly used 2.2 from the days of the IBM PC jr but not long enough for an eval as I had to sell it for cash asap.
    About the ’90’s I had occasion to have to operate a clone IBM xt it had 3.0 and it sucked. 3.1 and 3.2 were improvements.

    4.0 blew chunks.(I have no idea what happened to the rest of the 3.* OS’s) then 5.0 Worked great. 6.0 MEH, 6.2 fantastic. (the last iteration of standalone DOS)

    Win 3.0 suuuuuccccckkkkkkeeeeed. Win 3.1 Great. Win 4 AKA win 95 = meh, win 98 = great, win 2000/millenium ; HO HUM,
    Win xp @#$^^^ Yeah, cheers ding, ding, ding we have a WINNA. The first OS I ever used that has almost totally eliminated the BSOD and hard restarts, cranky drivers and misbehaving applications.

    Because it was such a success, there was an opposite and equal reaction: == VISTA (words cannot express my disgust)

    Win 7 Okey dokey. (now I’ve never used it so this is hearsay)
    So it’s Noooooo surprised to find out that M$ has stepped on their dick once more.

    they’ll have to pry my Win XP from my computers cold dead hard drive. (or I’ll just wait till win 8.02 or win 9.0)

  5. AnonymousDrivel
    December 20th, 2012 @ 11:34 pm

    I guess MS is trying to move in on the Smart phone industry that Apple et al. is taking over by forcing a Smart phone interface on all devices regardless of practicality. Big mistake. A phone is a phone and a desktop is a desktop. As the reviewer noted, those are two completely different animals.

    MS is going to force users to Linux, a fantastic replacement that will give the user any and all control he wants. Pretty much for free, too.

  6. Finrod Felagund
    December 21st, 2012 @ 12:32 am

    Forcing someone to use any new version of Windows should be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

  7. JeffS
    December 21st, 2012 @ 2:15 am

    I’m already headed there, I’m playing with Fedora.. Old dog, new tricks, etc, but it’ll be useful, methinks.

  8. JeffS
    December 21st, 2012 @ 2:19 am

    MS-DOS jumped from 3.2 to 4.0; my experiences are the same as yours. I wished Gates had stayed with 6.2, but XP is a good package. Too bad MS stops supporting it in a couple of years, but It’ll be around for a while anyway. Never fear, someone will figure out a way to keep it going.

    Win 7, meh, stable enough, but mostly a revision of the desktop, upgraded some packages, enough to have backwards compatibility issues, especially for third party developers.

  9. smitty
    December 21st, 2012 @ 5:33 am

    But don’t forget the Stacy McCain Exception, before you go all Geneva Convention on me.

  10. Quartermaster
    December 21st, 2012 @ 8:10 am

    As I recall there is an entertainment exception to the Geneva Convention. Such allows what you are proposing for McCain. It does, however, bear a striking resemblance to pulling the wings off flies, but if you are going to upload the video to You Tube it would allow you a positive defense against accusations of cruelty.
    Besides, compared to what he does to himself, it would be comprable to you or cutting ourselves shaving.

  11. McGehee
    December 21st, 2012 @ 8:58 am

    Are there instructions online for how to do this? I thought this computer would have Windows 7 when I ordered it, but noooooooooo…

  12. matthew w
    December 21st, 2012 @ 9:17 am

    I have a home laptop and and an extra desktop running XP that I will never let go away !!!

  13. SDN
    December 21st, 2012 @ 9:23 am

    jwallin, the definition of “Tester” in the Microsquish glossary just says “See: Customer”.

  14. Paul H. Lemmen
    December 21st, 2012 @ 9:55 am

    Try http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriankingsleyhughes/2012/12/04/make-windows-8-look-like-windows-7/ I found the software they recommend works quite well for a friend that bought a new laptop that was advertised as having 7 but actually had 8 pre-installed. I detest 8 thoroughly. I ran it (both the final Beta and the release candidate) for about 4 months earlier this year and thought it really stank (and it was nearly impossible to remove from my laptop, requiring a complete reformat of my hard drive and re-installation of 7 and all applications). Imposing a “smart phone” interface on a laptop or PC really is a stupid idea and dumbs down the average user. I don’t believe I’ll be renewing my MSDN membership.

  15. richard mcenroe
    December 21st, 2012 @ 10:47 am

    In related news,if you haven’t finished your holiday shopping yet, there’s an aftermarket pull-starter on Amazon that’s advertised as compatible with Stacy’s laptop.

  16. Wombat_socho
    December 21st, 2012 @ 10:58 am

    I’m not sure he’s ready to give up on the factory-installed crank yet.

  17. Wombat_socho
    December 21st, 2012 @ 11:24 am

    Hey, I liked Vista. Still do.

  18. Rob Crawford
    December 21st, 2012 @ 1:01 pm

    I will have the joy of installing Linux on a box currently infected with Windows 8 tonight.

    I will admit that at times I’ve been reduced to foul language over the curious places MSFT has hidden basic functionality.

  19. WJJ Hoge
    December 21st, 2012 @ 2:54 pm

    Windows 8?

    Microsoft is still bothering to kludge up an OS?

    I hadn’t noticed.

    Sent from my iPad.

  20. richard mcenroe
    December 21st, 2012 @ 3:27 pm

    I thought Mrs. Other McCain was getting cranky about the backfire and smoke every time he turned it on…?

  21. WJJ Hoge
    December 21st, 2012 @ 8:53 pm

    Those of you having problems with Windows simply need to use the correct programming tool:

    http://hogewash.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/programming.jpg

  22. McGehee
    December 21st, 2012 @ 10:36 pm

    Thanky. I’ll have a look.

  23. McGehee
    December 21st, 2012 @ 10:37 pm

    To which does one apply it, machine or user?