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I'm using 8.1 on my newly bought laptop. Bought just after Window 8.1 was released, and obviously, it had Windows 8.0 installed.

Had to load all sorts of updates to 8.0 before I was even offered 8.1. Good job I don't pay for bandwidth, as I used a heck of a lot tail end of October.

By the time Microsoft emailed me to sell touch applications and the new look, I'd disabled just about all touch controls, some still work, but I like a clean screen not one covered in finger streaks, boot to the desktop, and I'm another user of Classic Shell to make it even more sensible. Shame Microsoft didn't seek feedback.

There are a few early issues of course, despite it being beta tested for some months. Unless you need it, turn off "home group" as at the moment, it stops the computer going to sleep properly. Another is the fact it fills your router log in a matter of hours. Eventually I found out it's all tied into network discovery, and the blessed thing looking for other devices, pausing while it does so and generating a new connection on the router - as often as every minute! Again, unless you need it, disabling SSDP in the services menu sorts it for now. I guess sometime Microsoft will issue a fix, but few folk look at their router logs closely, I do as I had connection problems last Winter (lots of line faults).

Laptop is now a usable computer, but it probably took 36 hours of mostly downloads, updates and installs to get to that state. If I didn't have a desktop PC to ask questions of google while I was setting up the laptop, I'd probably have gone loco. Not granny friendly in my language.

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Doh, just switched over to Office 2011 (I'm frequently a little bit behind), and now wrestling with the Microsoft Ribbon interface. How stupid are these people, anyway?

Once I got used to the ribbon (way back when it was introduced in Office 2010) I'm in love with it. I can put what I want in the order I want in each ribbon. It makes using Office 2013 (the version I'm using) easy because I always know where to find what I need. No more messy menus! It's all there all the time. I just with Internet Explorer had a ribbon interface.

Colin :icon_geek:

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One of the problems with advancing technology, or progressive software is that, if there is too little backwards compatibility in the software then, older generations of users will have to make a decision.

Either, they can spend the time to learn the new software or they can revert to older technologies, assuming they are still accessible, in order to beat the biological clock ticking away towards their physical demise.

This is a shame where older peoples' contributions to the community, life fulfilments, and humanity in general, become stalled by the challenge confronting them by the newer programs.

It becomes quite distressing to be faced with replacement technology, when all that is required to enable the aged to use the newer technology is a small degree of backwards compatibility.

Colin, think of it this way; your beloved ribbon is replaced in forty years by a floating holographic that your old eyes no longer have the capacity to discern, let alone relay to your consciousness.

Yet, that does not mean you are incapable of still writing a good story for AwesomeDude if only the ribbon was somehow available to you.

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I'm happily (a relative term) using window 8 on a baby MSI netbook, and hardly ever use the win8 tile interface. So the question is: is the upgrade from 8.0 to 8.1 worth the time and effort?

I think it is, but if you are basically happy, I'd stick with it a month or two as there are a few bugs in Windows 8.1, that I presume Microsoft will get around to fixing.

I updated my display driver last night as I was one of the many laptop owners who could not change the brightness settings. I accomplished it, but the silly thing kiboshed my WiFi card. Really did a good number on it, I eventually got it back by uninstalling the WiFi in device manager, and then re-installing it. Complicated by the fact my card does bluetiith as well, but electrically uninstalling does bluetooth seperate to WiFi - so I had to do it twice.

Most, but not all displays are too bright whether it's a laptop or a TV and usually a far better picture can be got with a bit of tinkering. I can now dim mine for the winter evenings!

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Ribbon? Did someone say ribbon? Colin, bless your heart. I've been searching for a new ribbon for my Smith-Corona typewriter for years. Can you give me a link?

James, go to: https://www.google.com/search?q=smith-corona+typewriter+ribbons&oq=smith-corona+type&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j0l5.9887j0j8&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8

You'll find a wide variety of Smith-Corona typewriter ribbons available from various services.

Colin :icon_geek:

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Or, you could give employment to former members of monastic orders who produce illuminated manuscripts of your work—a system that encourages patience and also introduces errors that will foster debate among future critics.

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Or, you could give employment to former members of monastic orders who produce illuminated manuscripts of your work—a system that encourages patience and also introduces errors that will foster debate among future critics.

Cracking good idea! Though marginally more expensive than buying new inks.

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