Readers’ comments
Your views and feedback from email and the web
Make your PC zing
Many thanks for the feature on how to boost performance ( see issue 277, p30). I read it with interest, but I could not find any mention of the option of dumping Windows and installing the GNU/Linux operating system.
This provides a massive boost in performance. And if this approach is insufficient in terms of improving productivity, there’s always the option of turning the machine into a “Hackintosh”. Both ideas would certainly fall within the “nuclear” options section of the piece, and deserve serious consideration. Graham Mitchell
Crazy phone prices
What is it with phrases such as “against the iPhone X, suddenly the iPhone 8 seems quite reasonable” ( see issue 278, p3)? The fact is, it isn’t reasonable and it’s £100 more than the last model. It has a faster processor or a better camera, they will say, but the advancement of technology should provide those without increasing manufacturing costs. Dell charges much the same for a PC now as it did ten years ago, when the £269 iPhone was born. And if Ford applied the same rate of inflation as Apple, a basic Mondeo with specs similar to the 2007 model would now cost £65,000.
I decided long ago that Apple isn’t for me, but the worst of this is that same mentality is allowing Google to make what would have been considered “evil” pricing only a couple of years ago seem reasonable (the Pixel 2 is nearly £300 more than the last 5in Nexus). Apple can do what it wants, and there will always be people queuing up to pay huge premiums for its products, but this isn’t what attracted us all to Android. So, isn’t it about time we started voting with our feet? If not, where is the addition of £100 for each new version going to stop? Alan Ingram Editor-in-chief Tim Danton replies: Whatever you do, Alan, don’t read my Editor’s column this month…
Network Neighbourhood
The letter from John Errington ( see issue 279, p28) complaining about his loss of Network Neighbourhood after installing Windows 10’s Fall Creators update is resolved by re-enabling SMB1 file sharing, which is a requirement for this feature but turned off by the update. This is another example of Microsoft leaving people in the lurch by removing a feature without any real warning and not providing an obvious alternative. Many domestic networks and SMBs rely on Network Neighbourhood for everyday functionality, and networking office scanners and printers, which will stop working.
Many of these businesses don’t have full-time IT support. How hard can it be for Microsoft to add a pop-up for removed functionality, explaining why it has gone and how to work around it rather than leaving users in the dark? Greg Mallard
From Facebook with love
Facebook has recently introduced a new (presumably paid-for) feature that automatically creates recommendation links. This isn’t done under the control of the user, although they can delete them after they’ve been generated.
It’s creepy because it suggests some sort of endorsement when none exists. It’s also creepy because, at least on iOS devices, it has a horrible bug. If you happen to post xxx as kisses at the end of a post from an iPhone/iPad, Facebook can generate a link to an adult book store ( see picture below). Chris Jack
Windows Store scam
Your “The best pen-friendly apps” recommendations ( see issue 277, p86) provide an excellent illustration of why the Windows Store – and, with it, the whole Surface concept – is in danger of failing.
Many apps in the store, such as Plumbago, are essentially demos, which have a few nice features but lack the depth to replace a traditional package. For example, CollaBoard isn’t free as stated by you and the Store listing. All you get for free is an interactive brochure selling an expensive subscription. I could find no way to even try the app without paying. Similarly, Catchbook is only a trial with a single page and no way to save your work until you pay. At least this is a one-time payment, and worth it, but if you want to export your work you have to sign up to a subscription.
Grapholite, which you didn’t include, is the one Windows Store app that has impressed me as a viable replacement for traditional software (in this case Microsoft Visio). It is expensive, but in Grapholite’s defence this is honestly declared in the Store listing, not hidden away as an in-app purchase.
So, what should be done? Microsoft needs to include proper support for trials with in-app purchases and require that the real price is declared in
the Store listing. There should be a price list for all in-app purchases, as well as a central listing of everything the customer has bought, including in-app purchases, with the ability to cancel recurring subscriptions. The customer should be warned about subscription renewals automatically and, if they haven’t used an app recently, the subscription should be cancelled unless they explicitly consent to renewal. I find it difficult to believe that the Store is currently compliant with the Consumer Rights Act. John Hind
Windows questions
I would like to see an article in PC Pro that dealt with some simple questions that go through my mind whenever I have to delve into Windows 10. For example, my laptop is connected to my Wi-Fi router and an Ethernet cable. Is Windows clever enough to use the strongest signal?
When I’m installing software or hardware, why does it take so long to
There should be a price list for all in-app purchases, as well as a listing of everything the customer has bought
scan my computer for the install information? Surely it knows where such things can be found? One suspects that there are 65,000 possible locations, given the length of time it takes. Can’t it keep an indexed directory like a hard disk drive? Us business people are not hobbyists with time to spare.
Given the huge number of files and folders created in a business environment, then the painfully small number of quick access recent files available, why can’t folders and files be colour coded so that I could more easily find stuff that I used recently? For example, red for this week, blue for the week before, yellow for a month ago. Colours would make this dull task more attractive.
My mum, who is 92, can operate a light switch because something happens straight away. She can’t operate a computer because nothing shows up immediately. “What’s it doing, Peter?” she will ask. “Why do we get a pause and are then left wondering whether we clicked a button correctly? That swirly thing? You get that when something goes wrong don’t you?”
My verdict on Windows 10: full marks for stability, low marks for human interaction. Peter Jones