Quote:
Originally Posted by rcentros
...because its support demands are a pain in the neck...
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Once upon a time, you were right.
Since Windows NT 3.1, it's possible to run Windows as a normal user, and let administrative things be done by an administrator.
The problem is that most Windows programs were written for Windows 3.x, which didn't have support for secure accounts, and many developers just wrote where-ever they pleased. The result was that everybody had to run Windows as an Administrator, capable of **** up the system.
With Vista, it was pure bliss: "Finally! They FINALLY DID IT! YES, YES YES!"
What? They introduced UAC, and *enforced* programs to keep to their own folder, and the user's home folder (C:\Users\<username>).
When jacking up UAC to the highest setting and putting a password on "Administrator", it works exactly like the "root dialog / graphical su" in Linux and OSX.
Since then, Windows never breaks, except if you do something really stupid.
I have Windows Vista, 7 and 8.x installations that have been running for years. I actually have one user that started out on Vista, and did an inplace upgrade to 7, to 8, to 8.1... and the same install, trice upgraded since 2007 still runs (although the computer now has 8GB of RAM instead of 4GB, and an SSD instead of a normal hard drive).
Since Vista, I never have any more maintentance on most computers than running CCleaner once a month and an upgrade round of applications and drivers every half a year to a year; if necessary or wanted, that is.
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The problem is this:
- Everybody who uses Windows thinks they *KNOW* Windows, even well enough to do Administrator tasks; but they don't, thus they do it wrong and stuff starts crapping out.
- Everybody who uses Linux KNOWS how t use it, so the (mostly) do it right, and it never craps out.
- On the Mac, it's even easier. They don't offer you enough choice (regarding OS or hardware setup) to create your own problems because of stupidity or ignorance. You do it Apple's way (even down to the hardware choices) or you don't play. If you think a 21,5 inch iMac is tiny and a 27 inch is a monster: tough luck. Go away, Apple says. We don't support anything else.