TL/DR* version of computer rant (NBR)

[CapnK]

*(TL/DR is shorthand for "Too Long/Didn't Read", what someone writes who didn't bother reading the entire 7-page screed on whatever topic they are replying to. In this case, I am just giving you the very short version, without the screed.)

_Who says_ Windows is easier than Linux, any more? Due to circumstances (rain) (an open port), I had to replace my main onboard computer. I did that with a refurbed Dell laptop which is running Win7 Pro 64 bit. One of the main reasons I chose this system is that it has built-in Bluetooth, and my brother gave me a BT speaker for Christmas that really has great sound, so obviously I wanted to connect up these two techy devices.

It only took me about *6-7 hours* to get Win 7 to connect to the BT speaker...

My Android phone, my older, tiny Linux laptop, my 'droid tablet - they all connected and worked within seconds.

Seems MS intentionally left out BT Audio Sink capability in Win7, most likely because they wanted to promote their own wireless solution, called 'PlayNow' or something. End result? End user screwed.

Finally got it to work by installing some software* intended for Vista systems, which contained the 'missing parts' that make BT connectivity relatively painless under all other Windows, but which were left out of Win 7.

Seems to me, that 'crippling' your product functionality in order to try and force people to use your own stuff instead of the stuff which is already WIDELY in use, is a bad business decision. Is it any wonder they have faded so in the marketplace?

Yep, that's the the short, not-heavily-laden-with-curse-words version of my rant.  :) ::) :o Time to go boating, and tune in on some Radio Paradise...

*(Windows Mobility Center 6.1, IIRC. If you need help with this I will be glad to try and point you in the right direction.)

[Bubba the Pirate]

I run Ubuntu on a netbook and a desktop with a thumbdrive of Navigatrix. 

My only frustration with Linux is that I am out of practice and not as geeky as I once was. When something is not quite right, it is frustrating that I know that I can fix it fine but I can't remember all the details. I end up googling and reading Man pages and soaking up the bits I need to get started. 

As with many other things in life, it takes longer than it used to.

However  ...  I wouldn't go back to Windows for nothin'.

Todd

[Norman]

CapnK, congratulations!  I would have to get my grandson to fix stuff like that.  My sons would also have the skills, but not the time to mess with that on my schedule.

Computers left me behind when the chips went from 4 bit to 8 bit.  I once knew all of the commands for the 4 bit chip.  Programs were simple then.

My activity was in maintaining the hardware, and finding failed chips, cards etc., others worked with program problems.

Norman

[Travelnik]

Glad ya got it worked out.

The last time I had a Windows computer, they just came out with Windows 95!
Just for kicks, I bought a Mac from a friend of mine, and never went back.  ;D

My wife has a Netbook running XP, and we both have Android tablets.

My Nexus 7 tablet did the auto update to Lollipop, and it took quite a while before I could find a way to get KitKat back!  >:(   (I had to download KitKat, go into the tablet through the USB, unlock the tablet, go into developer mode, and enter the codes through Terminal.  :P )

A lot of hassle to get rid of Google's garbage!  >:(   (That little hidden game in Lollipop is not worth upgrading for!)

[/Android rant off]

Anyway, at least you got yours going, and you learned something!  ;)

[Godot]

I've been running Linux for years now. When the time comes to buy a new laptop I tend to run the operating system it came with (Windows 7 most recently); but somehow always end up back on Linux (Mint, now-a-days...though spent crazy time building Linux From Scratch, and when I ran out of time to get that tweaked, switched to Lubuntu on a very old thinkpad I use for the boat).

There are drawbacks. To get Netflix and Amazon Prime to work took some work-a-rounds. And the video editing software is mediocre at best. I suppose there is other specialty software that won't work as well; though that isn't a big deal for me.

[Jim_ME]

Maybe this being computer-related is the only vague connection, but I just discovered this Mozilla/Firefox add-on Lightbeam that  how the sites you visit connect to (other sites--often many other sites...graphing those links and showing them all hovering around the sites you visit like vultures...has a feature that enables you to block those sites.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/search/?q=lightbeam&appver=38.0&platform=windows

Nice to see that SailFar has no buzzards orbiting it...Yay!  :)

Checking to find the link I also just saw what looks like a similar add-on Ghostery...
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ghostery/?src=cb-dl-mostpopular

[Captain Smollett]

Another long-time Linux user and another that has settled on Mint.

Jim, to add to your point about this site, I've also noticed how much "cleaner" sailfar has remained compared to many other sites.  All the Google API and Facebook back-end stuff so many sites are using now for 'tracking' and the like...just bog things down and make them hard to use (especially on low bandwidth mobile).

Cheers to sailfar for keeping it "old school" and KISS on the web presence as well as the sailing philosophy.  Kurt..many thanks ... AGAIN ... for all you've done to make this site the community it is. (I know you will defer that thanks to 'the members,' and okay, fine, but your guidance as inventor/admin plays a key role, too!!   >:(    ;D  )