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Being also in the accounting world, I agree 100% with the comments (yours and readmorebeaverton’s) about QuickBooks.  Intuit has even said that the online version will never be as full-functioned as desktop, yet the call this progress!

I actually have the same problem with virtually all web-based software — it’s too darned slow!  QBO is the worst of the bunch; I’m a heads-town, touch typist, and far too often with QBO I’ll type four fields’ worth of information before realizing the autofill on the first field didn’t keep up and is waiting for me to add a new account number, for example, to the system.

On a related note, it seems the type-ahead buffer has disappeared from far too many applications.

I haven’t thought to look, but if there isn’t a thread elsewhere about alternatives to QuickBooks then maybe I’ll start one (not today; it’s already noon and I’ve accomplished nothing but wade through the weekend’s email).  There are good discussions going on in several places, but one more certainly can’t hurt — nobody can follow all of them!

I, too, miss the ready availability of optical drives, and for the same reason — I have hundreds of music CDs and a considerable number of DVDs and at present no way to play them (my actual, non-computer-connected, players are temporarily in storage).  And ever since Apple destroyed the Windows version of iTunes, I’ve been looking for a program that I like that can convert all my iTunes files (from my CDs, not purchased) to another format and I can listen to them conveniently.  (Before anybody pops up with suggestions, I like MusicBee, but it has a fairly sharp inflection point on the learning curve.)

Just thought I’d let you all know this can still be a problem.  I just had to reinstall Windows (10) from scratch due to hardware maintenance — don’t get me started on that — and ever since I did Acrobat Reader will not open maximized.  Apparently I missed updating the Windows Update settings, because last night my computer rebooted itself.  Today, all my LibreOffice files opened mid-size although I always have them maximized.

I’m theorizing an overnight Windows Update — which is waiting to be completed with another restart — because (a) there is a restart pending, and (b) Copilot and OneDrive turned themselves back on.  I’ll upgrade to Windows 11 after tax season, and then I can put up with the every-3-days nagging about needing to finish setting up Windows, instead.

Exactly.  If I wanted a complete PC environment, I’d get an Apple product.  All I want is the OS to run the computer, including a way to interface with it; let me choose my add-ons.

(And no, Linux is not an option because too much of my business-critical software doesn’t run properly on it.)

 

It’s going to be a moot point for a few days.  The machine’s problems keep happening even with the fresh OS install, so I’m going to restore the previous image so I can get some work done while it stays running.  It’s going back to the Dell shop for the third time, and I’ll put the new image back on for their benefit before shipping (but it’ll be a day or two before the shipping box gets to me).

This has been a perplexing problem, since my office manager’s identical machine — down to having exactly one different character in the service tag — is having no such issue.

Yep, found that out.  Must say that the written documentation provided by Dell, Microsoft, and Macrium leaves a bit to be desired (too much either inadequate or contradictory)!

Current state of affairs: after making a complete mess of things yesterday and wasting the entire day, I ended up re-reinstalling the OS today (did need a complete installation, not just a repair).  Repartitioned the disk drive so I have my D and P partitions back, then recovered those from the image.  Now just need to figure out how to recover all my profiles (and, ideally, the registry so I don’t have problems with the few programs installed on the hard drive) without repeating yesterday’s disaster of overwriting the new OS with the old one.

Definitely not a project for the faint of heart!

Just to keep you all updated:

What I didn’t mention the other day, because it was irrelevant to the immediate question, is that my server was enough out of date that it was generating a few errors of its own (but not enough to shut down my computer, since there was no effect on my partner’s identical machine).  I updated the server Friday afternoon with no apparent ill effects.

After taking care of the usual start-of-the-week “must do” stuff today, I went ahead and did a repair install on the machine.  All went well, aside from 2 hours of my life that I won’t get back, but after the install the computer didn’t even stay up long enough to finish typing this reply.  Rebooted and ran some system tests; all looks good so will see how long it lasts.

(One reason for doing the repair installation is that the OS was installed by Dell when I bought the PC, about 2½ years ago, so I have neither a serial number nor a product code.  I’ll have to talk to them about that.  It does mean I can’t do a full installation right away!)

Interesting — I was just coming in to offer a viewpoint almost 180° from yours!

I think that much of the problem is that Microsoft is trying to be too  much like Apple, with everything getting baked into the OS.  If they would limit Windows to being the operating system, with the basic interface necessary to do anything with it, I don’t think we’d be seeing nearly as many issues.

I know I’m oversimplifying, because I’m not and never have been a systems-level programmer (almost, but not quite).  It does seem to me, though, that less direct access to the system itself and more control through the use of APIs — with a standard set of parameters in and out, like subroutines in a program — should greatly reduce the number of ways for third-party applications to go bonkers due to OS changes or to create havoc on their own.

Personally, I’d be fully on board with Linux if all my software would run on it.  Alas, not all programs will, even with WINE or its cousins, and there are not suitable alternatives (yet).

 

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dtl6156

Much of the problem, at least in the US, is that the Patent and Trademark Office is woefully understaffed and underfunded.  Examiners don’t have the time to truly examine an application and instead have to rely on the litigation process to invalidate a patent.  Unfortunately, as the article points out, this takes resources — time and money — that most smaller companies simply don’t have.

Yet, we do need some kind of patent system.  I like Ascheeli’s idea of mandatory licensing, perhaps after a minimal period (3 years?) of exclusivity.  Another idea, either in place of or in addition to, is to mandate that the patent owner be involved in actually using the patent and not just squatting on it, similar to the way that nonuse of a trademark can invalidate it.

Speaking of trademarks, I’ll make just a comment here that the copyright system is also broken, but that’s a completely different can of worms.

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ibe98765, wavy, Cybertooth, Myst, rizzquery

In the past, Cloud service providers (CSPs) refrained from disclosing information about vulnerabilities found and resolved in cloud services, unless customer action was required. The common understanding was that if the customer didn’t need to install updates then no additional information was necessary to help them stay secure. However, as the industry matures, we recognize the value of transparency. Therefore, we are now announcing that we will issue CVEs for critical cloud service vulnerabilities, regardless of whether customers need to install a patch or to take other actions to protect themselves.

Living in the Seattle area, where both companies are frequently in the news, I can’t help thinking that maybe Microsoft learned a lesson from their manufacturing counterpart across the lake with the decision not to let pilots know about a new system because they didn’t have to do anything with it.  (Obviously not a direct analogy, except for the general attitude!)

You’ve captured my thoughts perfectly!  There are far too many product “upgrades” that serve no useful purpose to the majority of the user base.

Another example of the subscription model being completely annoying is QuickBooks.  Aside from Intuit trying to force everyone to the online version, which is another gripe entirely, the basics of accounting haven’t changed in eons.  Anyone not running payroll really doesn’t ever need to update the program, but soon it will be available by subscription only.

On the other hand, this is the sort of thing that powers the open source industry!  LibreOffice suits my needs perfectly (and is a worldwide standard format), so why pay Microsoft’s extortionist prices?

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hhodges, Cybertooth, Doug D, snissen, windbg

Coincidentally, we received our second one of these today.  In our case, though, they both came through referral forms.  Today’s came via Yelp — and there’s a decent chance it really is legitimate — and the other one came through the form on our own website.

The first one looked suspicious due to the wording, although the purported prospect was of a different ethnicity and the English errors were as you might expect.  The big problem was that it came from a hotmail address, and the business itself uses a hotmail address (business owners: why can’t you pay a few bucks and get your own domain???).  I replied via their website form and never heard anything back, so I assume that was a scam attempt.

Today’s is a little more difficult.  Again, the wording doesn’t sound quite right, but the facts line up with what research I could do online.  Since it was one of those rare cases when an online search for the individual actually returned an address, my office manager is at the mailbox right now, mailing our response letter.  If it’s a legitimate request, I assume the person will get in touch with us directly (if not, her loss).  If it’s a scam, then I hope I just saved both parties future hassles.

Have to read everything extremely carefully these days!

I like the concept, somewhat, but I’m still skeptical of the implementation.  Too many unanswered questions for my liking (granted, this article and last week’s are the extent of what I’ve seen).  They’ve just provided a broad-brush overview, as one would expect at this point, and I haven’t had time (nor enough inclination) to investigate further.

Windows users probably don’t have the same operating system on both their computers and their phones.  What about shared computers?

USB devices?  My phone’s only USB interface is for the charger, and none of my computers has the same port.  Besides, a USB device is even easier to lose than a computer or a phone; just this morning I discovered a thumb drive in my jacket pocket that I didn’t remember was there (at least I am 99.9% confident it’s mine; it’s my brand, and I probably used it to bring data back from a client site).

Last week I commented that I don’t trust biometrics because they do change and I don’t know the technological limits for dealing with minor differences (cuts on a finger, eye tumors, etc.).

I’m looking forward to seeing how this all turns out.  I’m hopeful, but I’m not sure it’s ready for prime time.

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Propje, KevSpa

Add me to the list of those wondering if this would even work if I don’t use a Microsoft account.  Sorry, but as far as trust with my personal information goes I have Microsoft on the same shelf as Google and Facebook!

I notice someone mentioned having trouble with biometric identification, which leads nicely into my next point.  I’d like to see an article sometime — if it’s been written somewhere and somebody can point me to it that’s fine — about how reliable biometrics are.  When I was being fingerprinted for my security clearance 45 years ago, the technician observed that I must work with paper a lot since I had so many minuscule cuts.  That can only have increased over time; will that affect fingerprint recognition?  I have both a cataract and a tumor in one eye.  Will they affect a retinal scan?  Even a DNA test wouldn’t be 100% foolproof (one’s DNA can change over time — granted, only a tiny-beyond-tiny bit, but what if it’s the bit that happens to get tested?).

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wavy, Average-Jane

My biggest peeves have been partly addressed (summed up as “Microsoft’s arrogance”), but one additional one is that they seem more and more intent on creating an operating environment as opposed to an operating system.  Provide a kernel, along with a usable interface to it, and leave it at that.  Stop trying to emulate Apple and its closed architecture!  If I could get all my business-essential programs to work properly from LINUX, I’d be happy to change over!

Other short gripes:

Stop making changes for the sake of making changes (that admonition goes to many magazine publishers, too — at least Ask Woody isn’t one of those!).

I’m not and never have been an operating system developer, or anything near that level, so I really don’t understand why device drivers need to be so complex that they need to be rewritten all the time.  Taking printers as an example, what changes in passing data and commands back and forth, and why does the OS care?  The printer features haven’t changed.  I’m expressing myself badly here, but I hope the point is getting across.  But to put it another way: back in the old days of FORTRAN when we had subroutines, data were passed back and forth between the main program and the subroutine.  How the subroutine did its work didn’t matter, as long as the interface stayed the same.  (Okay, FORTRAN is a compiled language so a change to the subroutine requires recompiling, but not rewriting the program.  The same concept applies to interpreted languages, though.)

 

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wavy