I also found fluxbox after trying to get used to GNOME 3. Fluxbox is really nice. I added some things I cobbled together for automatic hibernation upon low power, adding nm-applet to the flux taskbar,etc. The ease of use of multiple workspaces/desktops is great. I am however typing this on a Mac my work has provided me and it is kind of re-calibrating my perspective of what a good UI can be......
There are still four laptops on the Dell US site with Ubuntu. No higher end stuff though. I'm typing this on a Dell XPS1530n (n="naked" ie no M$) which I enjoy a lot. When it comes time to replace it I hope there will be something as nice that is certain to work with Linux. (I prefer Fedora which can be another can of worms) Seems like HP and Lenovo don't support Linux much. Maybe System76 or ZAReason will be the way to go.
I guess my main point was that replacing the display on a $800 ($1000 if you prefer) laptop shouldn't cost $755. Just judging from the fact that the parts of the entire laptop including complete assembly can be had for $45 ($245) more. CPU, RAM, Video card, keyboard, blah blah. (In other words, just throw this one away and buy another one) The 755 price was confirmed by two of the engineers working in the store.
There was no question of diagnostics to be run, expert advice needed - the display got bonked, it had a ugly miscolored area, it needed to be replaced. A standard job for which there is a standard price. Which is too high.
The fact that they told me to go away and come back two hours later-- to hand them the laptop and ask them to do this-- when I was standing right there with the computer was just icing on the cake.
This is just one person's bad experience with the Apple way. It felt like what people seem to say about Apple- they were making the decisions for me, I had no alternative, and it was expensive. The appointment system seems kind of pompous, and finding out about the way I did was not a happy moment for me.
In real life I'm a Linux guy and I'm not any kind of anti-Apple zealot. Apple makes some stuff that works out great for certain people and applications. I love my iPod. My kids and wife love theirs. We have an iMac. I had my first Mac in 1988. etc etc.
I consider their computers to be overpriced in raw hardware but to me you're really paying for the superior OS and support (not sure I still feel that way about the support) which can't be had on a PC for any price (Hackintoshes not worth anything). So I am used to thinking there is a Macintosh tax and I think it is justified. However in this situation I felt I already paid that tax when I bought the Macbook in the first place.
but a $755 repair on an $800 computer? Please, that's insulting.
Most computer/electronic stores allow someone to arrive at any time and get served according to a combination of common sense and how pushy they are. Requiring an appointment to talk to a sales clerk is not the norm at Best Buy, Micro Center, Staples, Office Depot etc. Now that I am aware of it, I think Apple's system may have its advantages. Having driven there, parked, walked a ways to get in, and gotten someone to talk to me, I was not in a good place to be told "you'll have to come back in two hours to discuss why your computer is totaled".
It was on Black Friday. But someone else I know got the same price at Micro Center ($800 macbook) a couple months ago
The appointment thing is just part of their personality. I actually realized after I got over the initial anger that it is a good way to cut down on people waiting around, trying to grab someone who's in the middle of something else, etc. It was ignorance on my part to not know I needed an appointment.
But when you're standing there with the computer in hand having gotten to the place and you expect to just wait til someone's free it can rub you the wrong way.
I knew it was a crapshoot to repair it ourselves but the cost was so little compared to their basically saying it was totaled that we tried it. As it stands we saved over 600$ on a $800 item, which is nothing to sneeze at.
There's just a sort of snobbiness to their way of doing business that rubs me the wrong way.
The free cases or full refunds they're giving on this iPhone thing are pretty decent I guess.
Actually, I had a screen replaced on a Dell laptop by a tech who came to my house and was totally professional. It was covered under warranty.
Sorry about your Sony. However, I later found out that there is a little industry of people doing repairs on Apple hardware for more reasonable prices. And I mean the difference between $200 and $755 for the screen, although we did that ourselves.
Apple is supposed to provide such a great user experience but when they decide not to they can screw you. Want flash on that iPhone? Independent apps? You're "protected" from these things.
It wasn't _repairing_ it that required an appointment. It was _talking_ to them about repairing it. Just standing there talking to them in their store.
The basic Macbook (not macbook pro) is 1000 but often discounted to 800.
The fact that they would make a profit while repairing it doesn't bother me. The fact that their charge would be about 600$ for a half hour of labor (taking into account the cost of the part) bothered me.
My daughter has a Macbook, which she worships. A month or two ago, she damaged the screen on it. Nothing else was affected. I walked into an Apple store with it and was told
1. it'll cost $755 to repair
2. you need to make an appointment to speak to us,the next appointment is in 2 hours
These guys are supposedly providing the greatest consumer experience - I didn't think this was so great! The whole computer only cost $800!
We found instructions to replace the screen and the replacement part ($120) online and my son and I replaced it in about an hour. Would have taken someone with better information, experience and tools half that. Good as new.
I know their stuff is nice and shiny but this really pissed me off.
I just found the attitude in the store a little extreme. And the price for the repair.
I bought a Dell XPS configured with Ubuntu and immediately put Fedora on it. It works really well. There was a hardware problem with the display and they arranged for a guy to come to my house and fix it. I have fought with drivers for laptops to run Linux many times and it is a PITA. ndiswrapper, etc etc. No need for any of that with this machine. Did I mention it works really well?
On the Dell site look for "open source pcs" - it's not that prominent but you can find it.
I worked with some guys who brought up a cluster of machines named with disease names. I think one was 'schistosomiasis' (not sure of the spelling)
The users didn't like the idea of logging into diseases and something else was eventually put in place.
Happiness is twin floppies.
