Support Techs

WTF is the deal with the support GUYS in Atlanta? [There are no other girls as far as I know, so I feel that I can make the gender distinction here with good reason.] Why are they such incredible fuckwits?

Yesterday I went to fix a Mac for a new client and I find her Mac stuffed full of applications that she didn’t buy. I asked her if she understood that her Mac was filled with illegal bootleg software and she kinda did, but being a total user, she didn’t fully understand what the previous guy had done. She had about $3000 of “free” software that the tech loaded up, even leaving his serial number generator on her machine!! She didn’t understand that now, if anything happens to her harddrive, she can’t reinstall ANY of her software since she doesn’t own a single install disc. What she does own is so old that she couldn’t run it. She’s screwed, basically. He told her that they were “his” applications, so it was OK for him to give them to her.

BULLSHIT. That software was SO not his. He pilfered it from some client and uses a serial number search engine to find serials for it!! What a fucking LIAR!! And even if it WAS his, that still does not mean he can give it to everyone on the planet!!

You know, I have plenty of bootleg crap, but I don’t go around installing it on my clients computers! Is there NO ethics at all with the techs in this town?? I see this, literally, every time I work behind another tech. EVERY time. Is this just an Atlanta thing or are all freelance tech support guys like this?

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G4 goodness!

Ok, for all of you Mac haters, just move on, cuz you’ll not be interested in this post! I just have to give some blog lovin’ to my spiffy new G4!

It’s not a very fast system by today’s standards (450Mhz) but lemme tell ya, moving from a beige G3 433 to this system is a big speed jump. The bus is faster, the ethernet is 100bT, the USB is native and OSX Panther is SWEET! All the networking and file transfer functions are noticeably faster.

In addition to the groovy hardware improvements, the new OSX is faboo. Just when I think that Macintosh couldn’t possibly get any more powerful AND easy to use, they bring out something better. It’s astounding. Really. I transferred all my user crap (prefs, mail, addy book, favourites, etc) to this new system en masse, plopped them into the system and it never bobbled. Nick about had a heart attack when I told him what I’d done!! [DISCLAIMER: You are not supposed to bring in old system prefs from a different set of hardware as well as a different version of the OS with OSX. Do NOT do that! I can afford to run rampant since I am a tech and I can recover from stupid shit like that. Do NOT email me if you drag all yer old shit into a new system and it blows up, ok??]

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New G4 goodness!

Well, the G4 arrived yesterday here at the house rather than where Nick told them to send it (NuVision), but luckily I was here to sign for it! It’s in good shape, but it’s not the 500Mhz we ordered, it’s a 450. I’ve got to get on the phone now and call them about that. ::sigh:: I don’t think this company, Second Wind PCs has a clue about Apple hardware [they don’t have a site anymore, either. -ed]. So, I’m off to wrangle them and then to start setting up the new G4!

Yay!

Update @ noon: the Second Wind ppl have no idea about Apple hardware, so they are currently trying to figure out what sort of credit to issue us. They didn’t even know that the Mac had more than 500Mb RAM in it AND a SCSI card installed – facts that I didn’t point out, either. Heh.