On Saturday 29 March 2003 07:41, Roberto Sanchez wrote: > >As a perennial budget-limited fixer/upgrader of not-quite-new PC's, I > > just don't want to know these brand-name bleeding-edge > > nobody-else's-bits-fit 'top> >name' brands. Dell, Compaq, HP, IBM.... you can keep 'em. Give me a> >Joe's Computer Shop special assembled from off-the-shelf bits any day. > ><grin> > > > >cr > > I am in total agreement. The only brand-name computer I have ever> purchased is my laptop. I won't do that anymore, especially since a friend> recently told me that in many cases you can buy direct from the> manufacturer (the one under contract to Dell, IBM, or whatever). The only > down-side is you don't get tech support. But if bought from Dell and put > Debian on it, I wouldn't get tech support from the, either. So in the end,> it's all the same. > > -Roberto > That 'tech support' is a red herring anyway, at least if you have Internet access. I've had better support from the linux-newbie, gnome, debianmailing lists (and even from a guy I just happen to have met on a completelyunrelated mailing list who runs a Linux network in UK) than I *ever* have from any official source. cr
You are absolutely correct. I don't even bother with tech support unless I have exhausted every other source first (yahoo, goolge, lycos, mailing lists, etc). The only time I have recently called tech support was to get my DSL connection setup. I was very fortunate that altough the tech was not knowldgeable about Linux, he was willing to give me all the details I asked for (how to enable/disable DHCP on the DSL modem, the IP addresses of my ISP's nameservers, etc).
<rant>The main reason I don't bother, is beacause when I call tech support it is becuase I am totally stumped and have already spent considerable time actually troubleshooting. I don't like the idea that some technician who knows about 1/4 as much (or less) as I do about computers in general asking me a bunch if scripted questions that I already know won't lead to the solution. I always end up wasting hours of my time while they take me around in circles trying to convince themselves they've tried everything before letting me talk to someone who knows what they are doing.
</rant> -Roberto Sanchez _________________________________________________________________Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail