<p>srunni, you don't regularly need support for your mp3 player, but your mp3 doesn't require drivers, doesn't require software, doesn't have the same probability of malfunction etc as a computer. The comparison isn't very valid. And if it's not treated like a "real" computer, then why recommend it for use like one?</p>
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srunni, you don't regularly need support for your mp3 player, but your mp3 doesn't require drivers, doesn't require software, doesn't have the same probability of malfunction etc as a computer. The comparison isn't very valid. And if it's not treated like a "real" computer, then why recommend it for use like one?
I already said it shouldn't be treated as your only or even main computer. Besides, all that malfunctioning with Windows is self-inflicted. Windows itself doesn't just malfunction. I rarely see my Windows install hang or crash (though I don't use it more than half an hour every few months, so maybe that's not a good example), because I don't install a bunch of crappy programs that cause it to (iTunes, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Yahoo Instant Messenger, AIM, etc.). On Linux, you don't even have the choice of installing all those crappy programs, because there are open source alternatives that don't have those problems, and no companies will waste their time porting their software.</p>
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On the Linux discussion above, I wouldn't recommend someone get a netbook with Linux if they have never used Linux before, if they are going to use it as their main computer.
Yes, we already said the netbook is not supposed to be the main computer. However, I know several people who know next to nothing about computers yet are able to use Linux machines just fine as their main computers. Those people cannot fix Windows problems any better than Linux problems; the difference is that Windows runs into problems a lot more often.</p>
<p>srunni: I think you miss my point. I'm not saying "why do you treat it as a main computer". That point has been discussed ad nauseam and if you'll read my posts you'll see that I've agreed with you time and time again. What I'm trying to say is that, if you don't consider it a "real" computer, then why recommend it's use as one at all, no matter in what capacity you recommend it. </p>
<p>As for linux, it's not the problem-free, care-free solution that many people paint it to be. Using linux equals going it on your own. No matter how much less complicated and bloated it may be, it's still a piece of software and it will still have bugs. Because linux programs are open-source, they usually aren't supported by a vendor or by an institution, which places the burden of troubleshooting on the user. For an average college student with little technical experience in this type of problems, it can be challenging. While it's true that the average college student probably knows about as much windows troubleshooting as linux, Windows is generally supported by IT departments on campuses and the necessary expertise to solve most problems on the windows platform is often readily available, whereas that might not be the case for linux. Maybe you know a few people who use linux just fine, but the same cannot be said for the general college student population especially wehn they run into problems (which will happen to some)</p>
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it may be, it's still a piece of software and it will still have bugs. Because linux programs are open-source, they usually aren't supported by a vendor or by an institution, which places the burden of troubleshooting on the user.
If you buy a computer with Linux preinstalled, it usually comes with a warranty.</p>
<p>But for me, I find it much more of a hassle to deal with a big company than it is to go post on a forum asking for help. I had to deal with IBM tech support for some hardware problems, and they knew next to nothing, whereas posting your question online (possible for software issues, and some hardware ones) almost always elicits a quick and correct response.</p>
<p>Most manufacturers will refuse to troubleshoot software problems unless it's software that came pre-installed and you did not modify the system. In fact, if you look at the policies of HP and such large companies, the very first thing that they do when they take a computer in for repair is to reformat and reimage. That says a lot about how willing they are to solve software related issues. Also even when over the phone, many times, their response to problems is uninstall the software and if the problem persists, system restore or reformat. The only company that I know who does software troubleshooting is Lenovo for the thinkpads. Even then, it's not covered under Lenovo's standard warranty and it's pay per call/case.</p>
<p>I've had a variety of experiences with different vendors.</p>
<p>I had a Compaq Presario that I wanted to get Windows XP x64 on and I had some driver issues so I called them up for help. They said that they didn't support the platform but the guy on the phone wanted to play around with it and they had one setup in their lab. It turned out that I figured out how to resolve my problems and wound up telling them how to get drivers for the platform. They also advised me that running XP x64 voided the warranty.</p>
<p>Dell has helped me with software problems in the past. Sometimes they spend quite some time and sometimes they say that they can't do anything unless you buy a software contract. If you get sent to India, you can generally forget about quality help.</p>