Beep boop - this is a robot. A new show has been posted to TWiT…
What are your thoughts about today’s show? We’d love to hear from you!
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I look forward to downloading this tomorrow and listening to it during the week 
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I was particularly interested in the discussion the caller had with Leo about Windows. It’s obviously a never-ending story. But it made me take a broader look on the subject.
I’ve been able to voice my opinion on many occasions by saying, how we’ve moved from hardware-centered computing to application-centered computing to task-centered computing. Back then, there were those huge mainframes and we would try to figure out what we could do on them. Then, there were specific software applications and we would get a computer that could run them (a specific OS and/or hardware). Now, we just need to get our tasks done, and it doesn’t really matter what hardware or software we use since the versatility of the software being offered is enormous.
Having said that, we are now able to choose our hardware and software (including OS) base on different criteria, like the ease of use and the learning curve, or the resources we need to invest to maintain it, or simply, the visual aspects of the UI.
And well, coming back to Windows, it’s simply very complex, hence, it takes much more effort to use it efficiently. It’s an act of balance. With the number of features (enterprise ones included) and ways to customize it, it might be overkill for most people. However, there are very little things you cannot do with it.
There are also two more aspects of it that should be mentioned. First, it’s a universal OS targeted more at the business user, although Microsoft is putting a lot of effort into it being well-suited for home users, too. But, as with anything in this world, the more universal solution you’re trying to create, the less suited it’s gonna be for specific tasks.
The second aspect is, Windows was developed a very long time ago and the design patterns used for creating software back then were completely different. And obviously, a lot of errors were made as well (like testing procedures, code quality, etc.). The problem is, since it was basically the only OS for a very long time, a lot of software was created exclusively for it (especially in business), and Microsoft has been more or less willingly trying to maintain the compatibility, which means, Windows bares roughly 40-year-old pieces of code with it that cannot be fixed. And since we need more features, and we’re unable to get rid of the old ones, we end up with a huge piece of software, that, no wonder, takes a lot of resources and effort to develop, maintain, and use.
IMO, the only thing that could be done here, would be to start fresh. Like Apple did with Mac OS X, emulating the old environment for a while. But it’s less feasible to do in case of Windows. However, it’s happening in a different way, I believe.
First, if we look at Microsoft products of the last 10-15 years, they are totally different and are being designed with the new standards in mind. I was amazed with the Office for iOS when it first came out. It was nothing like the old Windows version I’d known. And their cloud services offer enormous functionality.
IMO, that starting fresh and moving away from software-centered computing, both of which I mentioned before, is going to take a slightly different (or less obvious) path in case of Microsoft. They have created a huge cloud platform and implemented many technologies in Windows that have taken running software off the client OS and make it independent, like the Containers, for example, which have also been present in other companies’ portfolios. I believe that, as soon as this gets deployed more broadly, it would be easier to start fresh with Windows as the compatibility will be achieved by providing thin-clients for accessing services on other OS’s or implementing them in future versions of Windows.
So, having said that, Leo, obviously, made a point that you need to make sure if you really need all those features Windows offers (and if you don’t lack any) and whether you wish to invest your time in order to master it. But if this is the case, like the caller said, it’s fine, too.
I’m primarily a Mac user, but I also run Windows for work as well as Linux and Unix for other tasks. My workflows aren’t OS-independent yet, and I also rely on some features that are only available on specific systems. And I believe, it’s a perfect mixture for now. But I could only speculate what I would be like if I hadn’t started with MS-DOS 5.0. But one thing is sure: back then we would have a single computer at home if any. Now, we have dozens, so we can choose to have a different OS on each of them.
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I was shocked and disappointed when listening to this episode that Leo claimed all Republicans support minority voter suppression. I know and realize he is very progressive, that is OK but to generalize about a group of people is disappointing. I know I will be flamed for that feeling. He is great with callers just wish he could avoid lumping half of his listeners in such a group. I am no Republican but I am leaning conservative. I would be just as disappointed if all Democrats were judged to be socialist, communist or support a one party system, even though some do. I immediately unsubscribed from the Tech Guy Podcast…will be taking a break…too many other technical podcast available these days. I know that means little but oh well.
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I am listening to this episode now, and have not gotten to that part yet.
But, I agree with you if that was what was said… Comments and ideas such as this are the result of the brainwashing that the mainstream media has pulled off. It’s not even hidden anymore…
Nothing can be further from the truth. Republicans or Trump supports are not racists, homophones or sexists. They are not crazies that support fascism, anti democratic ideals, etc… But, you would never know that listening to the agenda driven news. In the last 10-15 years, we have become more and more divided. And, silly concepts like that are not even remotely true. There can be no discussion or differing opinions anymore, or you are a racist, evil person, etc.
It’s much easier to oppose the other side when they have been demonized into being “Nazis,” suppressionists, etc.
Mission accomplished by the media… Too many people have bought into a reality that is not even true. But watch it 24 hours a day, and some people will think it to be so… It’s not just MSNBC or CNN anymore. ABC, NBC and CBS all do this. The truth is always distorted, and real stories totally get ignored for weeks often. You can’t believe anything you read or hear anymore.
I have generally tried to avoid certain topics here, because I have seen the majority viewpoint of certain issues here on the forum (and my view is often counter). And, this is also a tech forum.
But, 2 days in a row I have apparently been sucked in… Can’t help it sometimes…
And, unfortunately - as my other post was “flagged” overnight, this one might be too. And, for what?
I’m just a regular guy. No extreme views. I believe in common sense. But, I guarantee that because of this post and my previous one, now I am some sort of “radical” to some people here on the forum, unfortunately.
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Not going to try to argue your comments, simply to clarify that Leo did not make the comment you mentioned, a caller did, in respect to a question about online voting. Leo has stated he does not discuss politics as much as possible, but he certainly is allowed to have opinions some may disagree with. And his immediate response was pretty obvious to me to try and get back to technical issues. Conversation takes place at about 59 minutes into podcast.
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I haven’t listened to the episode but no doubt the caller has some opinions about gerrymandering. It really has happened, and you can google “republican gerrymandering” on your own for some very clear examples, such as:
“North Carolina’s congressional map is illegal Republican gerrymander, court rules”
It’s not unheard of for a government to take actions to stay in power… I wish it were unheard of for the public at large to deny they’re happening.
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I know the caller brought up the subject but Leo did reply with the things I said. Believe me I consider the attempt to prevent minorities from voting as racist and would not make that claim out of hysteria. Leo did agree with the caller mentioning Republicans doing that. I agree that he does try to keep such things out of his podcasts and stick to technical issues.
“OK, you said it but it is probably true” at 1.00:14"
Why would you refer to this as a Republican problem only.? Hell, both sides do it. It’s not right, but each side does it. It’s not just 1 side. You can google that as well.
Much of this Democrat vs Republican stuff is just to keep society divided. You cannot even disagree anymore without getting physically attacked - literally.
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I did not refer to it as a republican only problem… stop putting words in my mouth. I said “It’s not unheard of for a government to take actions to stay in power” … where does that say Republican. The caller said Republican, and I referred to why the caller might have had that opinion… nothing more.
You said:
Well, I never put words in your mouth. That is what you said. If you meant something else in your post, it wasn’t super clear.
So, I am just saying that BOTH sides do it.
sucks when either side does it. I agree that both sides are desperately trying to hang on to power or take advantage of current situation the gain more. My druthers would be if each party fractured in to at least 2 different parties on the way to making “voting for lesser of 2 evils” not applicable.
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Apparently you have a comprehension problem. I was explaining why the caller would hold that belief… to relate to the caller, I gave an example that I readily found on Google. I followed up with saying that it’s not uncommon, and summarized that it is bad when people turn a blind eye. You claimed I said that it was only a Republican problem. While it appears to be much more common for Republicans to do it, I never made any claim about who was or was not doing it. You’re being biased because you’re apparently a Republican, and reading into what I said to read things I never said. I asked you to stop. Hopefully we’re all clear now.
We are all clear now. However - what you said could have been taken as your own personal opinion tagged along to the topic of the original caller. It could have been taken either way. I do not have a comprehension problem.
I do not want to start any problems on the forum, but one of your other posts this morning on another thread was not very nice towards someone else. You seem to get annoyed way too easily, and take it out on people sometimes.
Instead of just clarifying something (in what you meant), all of a sudden… I have a “comprehension problem.” And, someone else who does not think the Ipad magic keyboard is that heavy is a " pedant" all of a sudden (on the other thread). You actually do this all the time.
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In general I try to stick to facts. If it gets personal, I get annoyed, and my responses will demonstrate my annoyance with curtness. You annoyed me by assuming I said something I did not, and then acting negatively on what you thought I said. The other person you’re referring to called me stupid. Don’t expect me to stand by and take mistreatment without returning it.
As I stated in our PM exchange - I missed the “stupid” comment that he made to you. I see it now. However, I read your post 2x on this thread - and it appeared that you were agreeing with the caller (the issue that started this entire thread) - hence my post. Overall, most of the political comments spread across this board since its inception have been left leaning. So…
It did look like you were interjecting additional info, and making it your opinion. All I did was say - hey, that’s not true. Both sides do it.
Look, I don’t like drama. I don’t want to have disagreements online. Most of the stuff is silly, and not worth getting into. As I told you via PM, many times I will write out a response, and just end up deleting it instead of posting it. It’s hard to infer attitude and meaning in text, and EVERYONE can get a different meaning out of something sometimes.
I have stayed out of so, so many political discussions on this forum - ones that I whole heartedly disagree with the majority on… But, I just kept my mouth shut because I had a feeling where the topic would go if I jumped in. And, that’s not why I joined this forum. However, I am starting to get tired of seeing only 1 view on many issues commented upon here on this forum. And people with another view should not have to be worried about speaking up and being insulted or demonized or worse. But, I usually stay outta stuff because I’ve seen where it leads too many times…
Every once in a blue moon, Leo will make a political comment… I try to overlook it when I disagree, because I enjoy the tech info and the podcast, and it doesn’t usually go there. But, I can disagree and not try to demonize a person, unlike some on the left (see what is happening on college campus grounds).
For whatever reason, this weekend there were a few topics I finally could not resist to join in on. And, I am not actually a Republican, but a conservative. However, because we only have a 2 party system here (unfortunately), that is the camp ya gotta throw your ring into sometimes…