Does anyone ever look past the first few days

[Alias]

More FUDD for someone with NO experience running Vista.

I call something that controls what I do with my computer malware. What
do you call it? One doesn't have to jump off a roof to know that it's a
bad idea. One doesn't have to run Vista to know that it is reporting
back to MS every time you change hardware.

Alias

 

[Chad Harris]

AJR--

For what it's worth, you can search from/to/subject/message and often just a
key word or two will get the job done. the number of daily posts will do an
uptick come January 30 and most of the OPs won't search for answers--they
want spoon feeding. It's a gen X gen Y thing--mommy and daddy have met
every gratification that sees the light of day.

CH

 

[Scott]

Mark-Allen [160825] spake thusly on 1/17/2007 6:11 AM:

Henry,

I agree with your observation, and have noticed it for years.

However, since I use Windows Mail now and previously, Outlook Express, I
can place a lot of the blame on the application's Search function.

It hasn't changed for years and is still infantile in usability.
Outside of searching for only one word at a time, you'll spend more time
searching than finding relevance.

Just my lost 2 centimes.

Why do you continue to use that POS? There are much better options
available. Outlook Express is part of the reason why newsgroups are
filled with such garbage.

 

[Scott]

Alias spake thusly on 1/17/2007 6:20 AM:

Mark-Allen [160825] wrote:


Hence the need for Google to search newsgroups. Or, get a real
newsreader like Thunderbird at www.mozilla.com/thunderbird that has a
lot more search options.

It boggles my mind that anyone spending serious times in newsgroups uses
anything from Microsoft to do so. "Windows Mail" is just a dressed up
Outlook Express which is the worst thing to ever happen to Usenet.

I'm using Thunderbird myself but for Windows-based newsreaders, nothing
beats Forte Agent. Unfortunately it's not cooperating with Vista at the
moment.

 

[Scott]

MICHAEL spake thusly on 1/17/2007 7:34 AM:

Steve has spent years answering many questions over and over and over
again. He does so in way that is helpful and without being condescending.

I also believe Steve is more than likely correct, more than you, that
many folks are just plain lazy. They'd rather have someone else do
the work for them, instead of doing it themselves. It is quite indicative
of the general mentality many folks have today.

It's been a problem since I first appeared on Usenet in 1994.

"RTFM" was a popular response to repeated questions.

What this newsgroups really needs is a FAQ. Those have gone by the
wayside in recent years. It's too bad.

 

[Scott]

AJR spake thusly on 1/17/2007 7:33 AM:

The number of daily posts aggravates the problem of "tracing" back. - in
addition many (most) of the post subject titles are not adequate in
assisting search functions.

And then of course there's the problem of trying to follow a
conversation when people top quote......

 

[Michael Jennings]

It is evolution. If there is plenty of a nutrient in the environment, the species
loses its ability to synthesize that nutrient. This happened with vitamin C.
Economizing there allowed splurging elsewhere - larger brain size, perhaps.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Looked in on AOL chatrooms? It isn't the newsreader, its the news readers.

Mark-Allen [160825] spake thusly on 1/17/2007 6:11 AM:

Henry,

I agree with your observation, and have noticed it for years.

However, since I use Windows Mail now and previously, Outlook Express, I
can place a lot of the blame on the application's Search function.

It hasn't changed for years and is still infantile in usability. Outside
of searching for only one word at a time, you'll spend more time
searching than finding relevance.

Just my lost 2 centimes.

Why do you continue to use that POS? There are much better options
available. Outlook Express is part of the reason why newsgroups are
filled with such garbage.

 

[Paul-B]

Alias spake thusly on 1/17/2007 6:20 AM:

Mark-Allen [160825] wrote:


Hence the need for Google to search newsgroups. Or, get a real
newsreader like Thunderbird at www.mozilla.com/thunderbird that has
a lot more search options.

It boggles my mind that anyone spending serious times in newsgroups
uses anything from Microsoft to do so. "Windows Mail" is just a
dressed up Outlook Express which is the worst thing to ever happen to
Usenet.

I'm using Thunderbird myself but for Windows-based newsreaders,
nothing beats Forte Agent. Unfortunately it's not cooperating with
Vista at the moment.

XanaNews works well in Vista and, IMO, is better than Forte Agent. And
it's free.

 

[Scott]

Paul-B spake thusly on 1/18/2007 2:08 AM:

Alias spake thusly on 1/17/2007 6:20 AM:

Mark-Allen [160825] wrote:


Hence the need for Google to search newsgroups. Or, get a real
newsreader like Thunderbird at www.mozilla.com/thunderbird that has
a lot more search options.

It boggles my mind that anyone spending serious times in newsgroups
uses anything from Microsoft to do so. "Windows Mail" is just a
dressed up Outlook Express which is the worst thing to ever happen to
Usenet.

I'm using Thunderbird myself but for Windows-based newsreaders,
nothing beats Forte Agent. Unfortunately it's not cooperating with
Vista at the moment.

XanaNews works well in Vista and, IMO, is better than Forte Agent. And
it's free.

Thanks. I'll check it out. I'm hoping I disagree since I paid for
Agent.

 

[Mike]

Thanks. I'll check it out. I'm hoping I disagree since I paid for Agent.

I have Agent, but I only use it for downloading binaries. IMO it sucks for
reading/replying. It's quaint notions of "Online/Offline" make it unuseable
for me (I have cable - I'm always "Online"). However, it works fine in
Vista.

OTOH, Windows Mail works just like I want it to. Press space bar,
instantly download next message. None of Agent's "download all the
messages first THEN pressing spacebar takes you to the next message"
nonsense.

Mike

 

[Jeff Gaines]

I have Agent, but I only use it for downloading binaries. IMO it sucks
for reading/replying. It's quaint notions of "Online/Offline" make it
unuseable for me (I have cable - I'm always "Online"). However, it
works fine in Vista.

OTOH, Windows Mail works just like I want it to. Press space bar,
instantly download next message. None of Agent's "download all the
messages first THEN pressing spacebar takes you to the next message"
nonsense.

Interesting, I will only use off line news readers - which limits my
choice, but I find XanaNews excellent.

If I read off line the latency drives me round the bend. The laptop
connects to the desktop (via Remote Desktop), the desktop kicks the
connection into life, the news server may be busy and so on. I have found
myself looking at a post and thinking I've just read that - and I have,
I'm still waiting for the next body to arrive. I know which groups I want
to read so I just download all the posts and read them at my leisure.

 

[Mike]

If I read off line the latency drives me round the bend.

I assume you mean "online" here. With cable, there is no such thing as
"offline" - you are always connected.

The laptop connects to the desktop (via Remote Desktop), the desktop
kicks the connection into life, the news server may be busy and so on. I
have found myself looking at a post and thinking I've just read that - and
I have, I'm still waiting for the next body to arrive. I know which groups
I want to read so I just download all the posts and read them at my
leisure.

Are you on a dialup connection? I have cable and the next message is
downloaded as soon a hit the space bar. At most it takes a second, and then
only if my connection is very busy with me doing multiple downloads, with
the wife and daughter online at the same time.

With cable and an "online" newsreader, any time is "at my leisure".

Mike

 

[Scott]

Mike spake thusly on 1/18/2007 3:22 PM:

I have Agent, but I only use it for downloading binaries. IMO it sucks
for reading/replying. It's quaint notions of "Online/Offline" make it
unuseable for me (I have cable - I'm always "Online"). However, it
works fine in Vista.

I rarely download binaries and I love agent. Reading/replying work
great. I'm quiote fond of the tabbed view as well. Nobody else comes
close.
I have cable too and have not had an online/offline problem.

OTOH, Windows Mail works just like I want it to. Press space bar,
instantly download next message.

Just like Agent....

None of Agent's "download all the
messages first THEN pressing spacebar takes you to the next message"
nonsense.

You must have been doing something wrong there.

 

[Scott]

Rick Rogers spake thusly on 1/16/2007 7:03 PM:

No, wait until the first virus hits new vista users.

The folks at Novell, RedHat, Debian, The Fedora Project, Ubuntu and
others thank you for promoting their Operating Systems.

 

[Scott]

Gary spake thusly on 1/17/2007 9:03 AM:

More FUDD for someone with NO experience running Vista.

Fudd? Did you say FUDD?

http://looneytunes.warnerbros.com/stars_of_the_show/elmer_fudd/elmer_story.html

 

[Scott]

Alias spake thusly on 1/17/2007 9:22 AM:

I call something that controls what I do with my computer malware. What
do you call it? One doesn't have to jump off a roof to know that it's a
bad idea. One doesn't have to run Vista to know that it is reporting
back to MS every time you change hardware.

Alias

Got Linux?

 

[Scott]

Steve Cochran spake thusly on 1/16/2007 6:07 PM:

This is extremely typical of the MS newsgroups. Users don't think to
look first and ask later. Its not something that will get fixed
unfortunately, so many of us answer the questions over and over again.

And speaking of "extremely typical of the MS newsgroups"


A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?

 

[Mark-Allen [160825]]

Hi Scott,

I happen to prefer posting at the top, since I can read a response faster
than having to click down. But it *is* a personal preference.

And having to read-up or read-down doesn't seem to me to make any
difference, except top-posting is faster when just wanting to read a
response.

Your mileage may vary.

--
Mark-Allen Perry
160825 / 1112165
Windows Vista X64 Ultimate
RTM Build 6000.16386
ALPHA Systems
Marly, Switzerland
mark-allen @ mvps . org

 

[Mark-Allen [160825]]

Looked in on AOL chatrooms? It isn't the newsreader, its the news

readers.

Interesting observation, and probably most accurate.

And Scott, I suppose it's an old man's habit. Hard to change. When I was
an MVP for many years it as about all that was on the market. And now that
I don't post a lot (ok, I'm posting more since I'm helping out for Vista and
Longhorn), the change isn't on my radar yet.

But if my posts go up, I'll definitely check into alternatives. And your
suggestions will come in handy.

Many thanks,

--
Mark-Allen Perry
160825 / 1112165
Windows Vista X64 Ultimate
RTM Build 6000.16386
ALPHA Systems
Marly, Switzerland
mark-allen @ mvps . org

Looked in on AOL chatrooms? It isn't the newsreader, its the news
readers.

Mark-Allen [160825] spake thusly on 1/17/2007 6:11 AM:

Henry,

I agree with your observation, and have noticed it for years.

However, since I use Windows Mail now and previously, Outlook Express, I
can place a lot of the blame on the application's Search function.

It hasn't changed for years and is still infantile in usability.
Outside of searching for only one word at a time, you'll spend more time
searching than finding relevance.

Just my lost 2 centimes.

Why do you continue to use that POS? There are much better options
available. Outlook Express is part of the reason why newsgroups are
filled with such garbage.