The grumpy thread

[warren t claim]

@ Warrens avatar

I knew I would find an appreciative audience here!

[myglaren]

Every fucking programme these days has those little hidden trojans that want to download themselves onto your computer without your say.

 

I'm always wary of what I download and 'uncheck' all those bastard options that want to install themselves. Problem is, I'm not the only one who uses the computer so when ever someone else uses it, I always find these bloody toolbars and programes I dont want and have to waste time uninstalling them.

Sorry to be the one that says this but someone has to.

Unless there are compelling reasons to use Windows, then go to the dark side and use Linux.

 

I use Ubuntu. It is as free as air, easy to learn and nobody can install their nefarious little widgets as they just don't work.

 

I installed it on a laptop for a guy at work who is a past master at screwing computers up.

He had somehow managed to fix it so that Vista would only work in safe mode, took ten minutes to boot and he had buggered the 'hidden' partition that Vista could be reinstalled from.

Messed around with it for ages then stuck Ubuntu on it.

Works a treat for him, he was very impressed with the speed, both booting and working, plus closing down in a couple of seconds instead of fifteen minutes.

Straight online with it (wirelessly) where it took him about an hour first time with Vista.

He hasn't asked how to do anything, has managed to work it out for himself, something he never managed with any version of Windows.

 

A bit of Goooooogling should provide any necromancy needed to get the mail client to work with Virgin Mail. I don't bother with that crap, just use webmail (BTYahoo, Yahoo, Gmail, Gmail and yes - Hotmail (first email account god knows how many years ago).

[Lord Sterling]

I'm glad you mentioned it, what is "Ubuntu"? Sounds good (Actually Lord Sterling, stop being lazy a "google" it FFS)

 

*Actually I've just had a look at it, looks good, looks really easy to use, but reminds me of the current 'Apple' system.

[Albert Ross]

DVLA. I live in a quiet little street. Just had a van drive down in excess of the 20mph limit, and haul to a halt at the end of the street where my driveway is. The van? DVLA wheel clamping unit. Obviously after the three sorned vehicles at my address. That and the Sierra which I still haven't got round to getting the docs for. Which is parked off-road, and obviously so, with nettles up one side, and a tree up the other. Go out and catch insurance and MOT dodgers you time and money wasting set of wankers..................!

 

Seriously, quarter to nine at night, and you still have to watch your stuff. I'd rather have pikeys visit. I think I might have a welcome party for them next time.

[Pete-M]

Sorry to be the one that says this but someone has to.

Unless there are compelling reasons to use Windows, then go to the dark side and use Linux.

to be honest, this ol' PC I'm on now has been running Windoze XP for close to 3 years*. It has never, ever gone wrong because of Windoze. Ok, it's popped a hard drive and a video card, but it keeps on working in a way that not many computers do.

 

Only had one virus on it in 4 years, and that was my fault.,,

 

This could have something to do with it being a one user machine, but it has never given me anywhere as much grief as you'd think.

 

It's a lot more reliable than any of the Macs I know, and it does all Windozey things - like games etc. So I'll leave it as it is.

 

*The actual computer has evolved over the last 9 years or so, but it's always run XP Pro and it's never given me any problems.

[warren t claim]

DVLA. I live in a quiet little street. Just had a van drive down in excess of the 20mph limit, and haul to a halt at the end of the street where my driveway is. The van? DVLA wheel clamping unit. Obviously after the three sorned vehicles at my address. That and the Sierra which I still haven't got round to getting the docs for. Which is parked off-road, and obviously so, with nettles up one side, and a tree up the other. Go out and catch insurance and MOT dodgers you time and money wasting set of wankers..................!

 

Seriously, quarter to nine at night, and you still have to watch your stuff. I'd rather have pikeys visit. I think I might have a welcome party for them next time.

Report them. I nearly had a head on collision with a DVLA snatch wagon that was going the wrong way around a roundabout.

[myglaren]

 

Sorry to be the one that says this but someone has to.

Unless there are compelling reasons to use Windows, then go to the dark side and use Linux.

to be honest, this ol' PC I'm on now has been running Windoze XP for close to 3 years*. It has never, ever gone wrong because of Windoze. Ok, it's popped a hard drive and a video card, but it keeps on working in a way that not many computers do.

 

Only had one virus on it in 4 years, and that was my fault.,,

 

This could have something to do with it being a one user machine, but it has never given me anywhere as much grief as you'd think.

 

 

It's a lot more reliable than any of the Macs I know, and it does all Windozey things - like games etc. So I'll leave it as it is.

 

*The actual computer has evolved over the last 9 years or so, but it's always run XP Pro and it's never given me any problems.

I run Vista on my laptop, as it came with it and inertia prevents me installing Ubuntu (yet! - I do run Ubuntu on it but it isn't installed)

 

I rarely have any problems but my daughter and grandson tend to run off and hide with the laptop and have been known to install crap+virus-typ shit.

 

My point was that the sneaky shit can't install on Linux and the likes of AOL, Virgin and even BT (my ISP) deny it's existence so aren't going to attempt to install their shovelware on it.

 

10.4 does have a Mac look to it but if you don't like it you can fix it up anyway you like. There is an XP-Pro lookalike if you really want that. Personally I don't care and use it more or less as it comes.

 

The KDE desktop is probably different to the GNOME one but I haven't checked that out.

 

There is also Linux Mint. Different again although still Ubuntu/Debian derived. My wife had that on her laptop for a while and liked it. Cool as hell and easy as falling off a log.

 

 

ETA: It has just dawned on me that the old Ubuntu colour scheme was almost identical to that of Autoshite

[CIH]

Back to PCs, my old man's was like that. He would install everything. It took bloody ages to fire up and if I plugged in a pendrive/camera about half a dozen programmes would fit to access it.

 

On a similar note a recent firefox update allowed MacAfee to sleeze it's way onto my laptop and now I'm getting OMGS TEH VIRUZ!! warnings every day FFS...

[myglaren]

Back to PCs, my old man's was like that. He would install everything. It took bloody ages to fire up and if I plugged in a pendrive/camera about half a dozen programmes would fit to access it.

 

On a similar note a recent firefox update allowed MacAfee to sleeze it's way onto my laptop and now I'm getting OMGS TEH VIRUZ!! warnings every day FFS...

That's actually the Adobe Flash installer that does that!

[Minimad5]

Don't suppose you have a spare ethernet card knocking about have you?

Next time you are round remind me, and i shall drag the "box of shit" out

 

P.s:

 

Ubuntu is fantastic !

[warren t claim]

Thanks!!!

[ashmicro]

I have Ubuntu on a VM and I think it's cack. It just sits there, thinking up more bullshit error messages and excuses as to why it won't install VMWare tools. Ubuntu FTB.

[warren t claim]

I have Ubuntu on a VM and I think it's cack.

You have Ubuntu on a 1980's diesel Range Rover engine?

[M'coli]

I have Ubuntu on a VM and I think it's cack.

You have Ubuntu on a 1980's diesel Range Rover engine?

If you can heat up a pie on the exhaust manifold, why not ubuntu??!!!

www.instantrimshot.com

 

 

I'll get me coat.

[boobydoo]

Couldn't agree more about Virgin Media customer services.

 

Atrocious!!

 

Some annoying robo-bint says..,."Lets get you back up and running as soon as possible " in a really condascending tone.........then it's downhill all the way.

 

I have NEVER got through to anyone in the UK...always India and they don't understand a frickin word you say. Complete waste of a call.

 

I've actually thrown my mobile across the floor after speaking with them I'm so frustrated. And I'm normally very mild-mannered.......

 

 

Then yesterday I tried to phone customer services at Woolwich mortgages and had to re-dial 4 times because I kept getting cut off. Then I eventually got through to another foreigner who didnt comprehend that all I wanted to know was if I could use my Barclays chequebook to pay a bill from my Woolwich account.

 

Twat.

[Tayne]

,

[Pete-M]

Couldn't agree more about Virgin Media customer services.

 

Atrocious!!

 

Some annoying robo-bint says..,."Lets get you back up and running as soon as possible " in a really condascending tone.........then it's downhill all the way.

Oh yeah, their 'technical department', don't get me started on them.

 

"Hello and welcome to Virgin Medias technical support helpline. These calls are extortionate if you're not calling from a Virgin line. We've never considered that if your Virgin phoneline has bit the dust you're unlikely to be calling from it. Also, if your internet connection has gone tits up, instead of calling us, why not visit out webpage at www.showerofuselesscunts.com? Meanwhile here's a choice of Lady Gaga type tunes that you can't opt out of.... Sorry, but all our operators are busy at the moment, please hold and we'll get to you as soon as we can... Hello. All our operators are shit, please hold and we'll play you some more dire 'music', I bet you wish you'd not called now, hey, sucker? Our operators will be with you shortly."

 

 

This "Virgin Media Advanced Search" thing just activated itself. I've now killed it. Wankers.

[Station]

I was on Virgin media broadband, and didn't get any service connected for a month, at which time they said I owed them money, so I just cancelled. I didn't even get a modem, which I told them, so they sent out another one. A modem software DVD arrived in the post next week! Thanks!

[rocco1504]

I'll try to make it short, but it won't be easy

 

Fucking Bastard, Shit for Brains, turd munching Education Authority and associated departments Cunts.

 

My oldest boy, Ric is high functioning, ASD, autistic spectrum disorder, he's 12 but basically has the Social and Emotional age of about 5, but can read, write and talk fairly intelligently.

 

Anyway, we've been trying to get him the right sort of education for over 6 years, and at every turn the Education Authority, ( EA ) have made sure they don't have to spend any money on a Special School for him by basically getting all the people who's word counts, Psychologist's, Psychiatrist's, Behavior Support Etc., to say that Ric is not that bad and that Mainstream school is OK for him, even though he has a Statement that gives him 30 hours a week support when he's in school, it's funny how they also, all work for the County Council though.

 

So, in September last year he went from Primary to Secondary Mainstream School, against our wishes, and the wishes of his then Primary teacher and support worker, and it was the biggest Fuck Up they've made so far.

About 3 months in, Ric decides he hates the school and everyone in it, and won't go because he's being bullied, spat on called spastic etc, etc, etc, so because he won't go, and there is no way we can force him; because he goes into complete melt down when we try to get him up to go, and he's kicking and screaming, Literally, the Education Welfare people try to get us to sign a School/ Home agreement, threatening Legal action, whatever, and I refuse, saying that as there is no way I can guarantee we can get him to school, what's the point of us signing what is basically a legal document.

So this rumbles on for a couple more months, with us trying to get him to school, and he's going about 50% of the time, plus a few totally useless meetings with clueless teaching staff who don't even have kids, let alone Special Needs ones, and in the death, we get a letter from Education Welfare saying they want to take us to court, at which point, I say "Fuck That" and take my boy out of school on the premise that I will home educate him, as i'm not going to get blamed again for a situation that's not our fault, and wouldn't have happened if they'd listened in the first place.

The Home Ed thing has been a total failure, and we are trying to get him back into school, but the kind he needs, but that is another story.

 

Anyway, all this time we have been seeing a Psychiatrist, ( again, Council maintained, and took a year to get the initial appointment ) to get a final diagnosis for Ric, so that we can shove it under the EA's noses and say "Now do something", and 2 months ago he said "yes i'll write a letter, and say that Ric needs this sort of Special school" , But, of course we haven't got it yet, despite numerous phone calls, and all this time Ric is missing out and getting very down, to the point of depression, because he wants to get back to a school and make some friends.

 

I know it was probably the wrong thing to take him out of school, but we'd had enough of everyone, for years, blaming us for how Ric is with even head teachers telling us it was our fault.

 

Point is, i'm just so Fucked off with being given second best, being blamed, ignored, shoved from pillar to post just because we want the best we can get for our boy, no one seem to give a damn that we're talking about a real child, just where they can save money.

 

And lastly, 99% of the time i'm a mild mannered, reasonable bloke, but right now I could happily kill someone fro the Education Authority.

 

Apologies for the long rant

[Minimad5]

Apologies for the long rant

No need to apologize.

 

But keep at it, and i bet everything will work out in the end.

And to stop the little dude becoming down, why not get him to help you with the cars ?

 

Best of luck

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Jeezus what a nightmare, puts many of these other 'rants' into context I think.

[Mash]

Jeezus what a nightmare, puts many of these other 'rants' into context I think.

Quite so.

 

I think I won't bother with my post office one now!

[warren t claim]

I had a similar problem with one of the former Mrs Claims boys. He is now in his GCSE year and all the school will enter him for is art and cookery. The school are totally useless and have been less than supportive for the last four years.

[rocco1504]

I had a similar problem with one of the former Mrs Claims boys. He is now in his GCSE year and all the school will enter him for is art and cookery. The school are totally useless and have been less than supportive for the last four years.

That's one of the worst things, that the Schools don't give a damn and are mainly only interested in getting a good OFSTEAD report every year, that special needs kids don't help in getting.

They couldn't get my boy out quick enough when I said i'd Home Ed him, the same afternoon as they received the letter if I remember rightly.

 

Ric, my son has the potential to be an incredible Graphic artist, Savant skill, but they were happy to let him rot, or leave him in a corner amusing himself.

[warren t claim]

I had a similar problem with one of the former Mrs Claims boys. He is now in his GCSE year and all the school will enter him for is art and cookery. The school are totally useless and have been less than supportive for the last four years.

That's one of the worst things, that the Schools don't give a damn and are mainly only interested in getting a good OFSTEAD report every year, that special needs kids don't help in getting.

They couldn't get my boy out quick enough when I said i'd Home Ed him, the same afternoon as they received the letter if I remember rightly.

 

Ric, my son has the potential to be an incredible Graphic artist, Savant skill, but they were happy to let him rot, or leave him in a corner amusing himself.

They're very good at cashing the cheque for the money a statemented pupil gets though. Sadly in my ex's case the SEN teacher took an instant dislike to him and used to spend his day trying to wind the poor kid up until he did something he could be suspended for. All done in a way that he could talk his arse out of as being in the childs best interest. Twat! Now all my ex's siblings are getting it in the neck at that school due to guilt by association.

[Father Ted]

I'll try to make it short, but it won't be easy

 

Apologies for the long rant

Very similar story to my lad / education authority.

 

Go for a judicial review. The council wont like it but if you have the backing of the education psychologist and the special needs teaching / support staff you should have no problems.

We went through all this about four years ago. Ball ache and a half is an understatement.

Even had the newspaper campaigning on our behalf as he was effectively denied an education.

In the end (following Judicial review) he got a place at a special school and is doing very well - even got the annual achievement award this year.

[Cavcraft]

Bloody awful that Rocco but, alas, not surprising. We've pretty much given up with our daughter's school despite numerous promises from them that if she actually got to school (no matter what time) she wouldn't be marked as late, we wouldn't get letters from the school and the E.A would not get on our case.

 

Guess what? They still did. Eventually I told them we would get her to school whenever we could, we weren't interested in more lies from them and the E.a would be informed fully every step of the way as to how our (reasonable) requests were ignored. They can if they wish take us to any sodding jumped up court in the land, it won't make a blind bit of difference because we have exhausted every avenue possible to get her there, and on time.

 

Meanwhile some teachers have decided the best way to 'help' an emotional young girl with learning difficulties is to shout at her constantly in front of others, ridicule and blame her and generally treat her like crap.

Fan-bloody-tastic, that REALLY helps her confidence

[Father Ted]

Meanwhile some teachers have decided the best way to 'help' an emotional young girl with learning difficulties is to shout at her constantly in front of others

Sounds like the one at my lads first school. Even now she [the teacher] is someone that not only would I not piss on if I noticed she was on fire but would actually run down the nearest petrol station for a couple of gallons of unleaded.

End result of shouty-athon was Jimbo kicking off bigstyle and thus getting booted out of the school (this was despite having a TA one on one support) - all because said teacher thought that the way you got someone who is statemented with zero confidence to do something was to continually yell at him.

Evil Cow.

[whitevanman]

My step son had similiar problems, not as extreme, but he has ADHT and the schools up here are just as useless as are the education authorities...he only really improved with a hell of a lot of work on our side and from joining the army strange but its worked for him

[rocco1504]

I think Education Authority's everywhere are crap, and seem to be staffed by young women just out of Uni who, with all due respect, don't know their arse from their elbow, don't have kids, and are making decisions that will affect the rest of these kids lives, all because of money, I just hope having a PM that has experience in this area might change things some, although in reality it'll probably never happen.

 

We had one teacher in primary school who thought it was correct to stand there in the middle of a parent packed playground after school with a plastic bag held high and announce in the loudest possible voice "He's had another accident" , great for the poor little sods confidence, when he couldn't help it, and still has problems in that area, more than likely because of her.

 

I can take most things but when my, or anyone's for that matter, kid's are getting the short end of things, I get really mad