We're still mad at Microsoft:

Continuing with the rant below.

Well, you might say, users trying to do something as sophisticated as getting two computers to work together is a special skill, not something for the casual user (even if that user has a BS degree in Computer Science from Caltech). Why not take a class? There are some courses being offered in town.

We scanned a local catalogue and found a one-day course for Small-Office & Home-Office Networking. That sounds like what we need. Here is the description (emp add):

More and more people want to set up a computer network in their home or office. Perhaps you have a few old PCs collecting dust. Thanks to recent advances in technology, setting up a peer-to-peer or client-server network is easier than ever. In this combination lecture and hands-on class, you'll learn about setting up a simple Windows networking environment and determine whether you need a server for your home or small office. Find out how to trace network problems and troubleshoot them yourself to save time and money. Also learn how to evaluate and select someone to fix or maintain your computers when you can't do it yourself. Discover how how to keep employees from wasting time on the net, what's involved in getting a DSL line or sharing an Internet connection, anti-virus software, backups and more. Prerequisite: familiarity with Windows.

"Can't do it yourself" because ... too busy, or because you can't figure out how to do it? It's not clear, but we vote for the latter.


Bonus rant: When making a Direct Connection between two computers using a serial line, a user 'logs in' to another computer. The serial communication is RS-232, which does not involve modems. It's a pure digital communication. What do we see when we initiate a connection? This:



It says it's dialing. But it isn't dialing. Not dialing at all. Why is the user seeing this message?

I guess we're being too hard on Microsoft. After all, it's unfair to expect a company with billions of dollars in cash and ten years time, to fix basic errors.


posted by Quiddity at 5/31/2005 03:36:00 AM