Happy Holidays!

If you want to say something that doesent fit anywhere else!
MAIN WEBSITE: http://www.wheelchairdriver.com

Happy Holidays!

Postby Martin O Refurbisher » 04 Jul 2011, 09:30

May I wish all our forum members in and from the USA Happy Holidays. Having lived in the US, I do understand how important a holiday the 4th July Independence Celebrations are to you!

Best Wishes,

Martin
Martin O Refurbisher
 

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby Burgerman » 04 Jul 2011, 09:41

Independence? From what/who? Us?
User avatar
Burgerman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 65050
Joined: 27 May 2008, 21:24
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby nandol » 04 Jul 2011, 22:52

Lol
User avatar
nandol
 
Posts: 1288
Joined: 04 Feb 2011, 22:48
Location: Lisboa,Poortugal

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby Martin O Refurbisher » 04 Jul 2011, 23:07

BM
You might think that they exchanged a relaxed tyranny without proper representation for the greatest level of state supervision in the world, and in spite of the "special relationship" an unfriendly officialdom which no longer welcomes us English.

You might think that but I could not possible comment!

Best,

Martin
Martin O Refurbisher
 

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby LROBBINS » 04 Jul 2011, 23:30

Martin,

Do you really want us to think of you as Francis Urquhart? That's downright creepy.

Ciao,
Lenny
LROBBINS
 
Posts: 5543
Joined: 27 Aug 2010, 09:36
Location: Siena, Italy

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby Burgerman » 05 Jul 2011, 01:52

I am English. And live in England. Tell me...

When I install much US software including Windows of certain vintages, and choose "English" as my language, why do I get American? With American versions of proper English in spellcheckers and menus and help systems etc?

And to "fix" it, I need to re install or go to setup, and make a special effort to choose "British English" rather than the correct plain "English" ???

Why isn't there an "American English" for the ruined version and "English" left to the real original English "English" From England!!!

And why are half the place names copied? Like New York, Manchester or why do you use gallons (and get it wrong?) At least thats called a US Gallon!

Part of a list of Things I find very odd... :P
User avatar
Burgerman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 65050
Joined: 27 May 2008, 21:24
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby Martin O Refurbisher » 05 Jul 2011, 02:30

Lenny,
Sorry,
I have no wish to offend our Amrican Cousins, and I am more direct than FU, usually!
Hence the borrowing. The background I come from is often much more direct.

Best,

Martin
Martin O Refurbisher
 

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby Martin O Refurbisher » 05 Jul 2011, 02:39

Burgerman wrote:I am English. And live in England. Tell me...

When I install much US software including Windows of certain vintages, and choose "English" as my language, why do I get American? With American versions of proper English in spellcheckers and menus and help systems etc?

And to "fix" it, I need to re install or go to setup, and make a special effort to choose "British English" rather than the correct plain "English" ???

Why isn't there an "American English" for the ruined version and "English" left to the real original English "English" From England!!!

And why are half the place names copied? Like New York, Manchester or why do you use gallons (and get it wrong?) At least thats called a US Gallon!

Part of a list of Things I find very odd... :P


BM
Most software is "lead" by Microsoft, who in my view are lazy, incompetent and steal far too much of my time.

Most options now are at least English (US) & English (UK), but you will now see amny other localised versions, such as Indian and South African.

The"Founding Fathers" came from England and wanted to feel at home, hence taking familiar names with them, along with the Authorised (King James) version of the bible, and Shakespeare. For more on this, you will find much in Melvyn Bragg's book "Book of Books".

I was once told that the Americans always wanted to do better than the old country so everything has to be bigger. The US Gallon was made smaller so that you needed more of them, hence a bigger number!

Not the entire answer, but I hope I have helped to set your mind at rest - once they were a lot like us because they were us. Now, they are nearly as multi-racial and multi-cultural as England has become.

Best,

Martin
Martin O Refurbisher
 

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby ex-Gooserider » 05 Jul 2011, 04:50

Far as I'm concerned, we don't have a heck of a lot to celebrate - we've managed to do to ourselves every one of the items that long list mentioned when explaining why we were tossing the king...

I'd also point out that while the localization choices vary considerably with different packages, lots of Linux packages and programs will come with (or have available for free download) many different flavors of English, including US, UK, Australian, South African, Canadian, and a few other places, along with Irish and a couple of other flavors of Gaelic...

We have a good friend who, among other things, teaches Irish and Gaelic as a side job - I've occasionally thought about getting her a cheap machine w/ Gaelic localization...

ex-Gooserider
User avatar
ex-Gooserider
 
Posts: 5962
Joined: 15 Feb 2011, 06:17
Location: Billerica, MA. USA

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby Burgerman » 05 Jul 2011, 10:19

But we shouldnt need to choose UK English! That IS English...

It should say "English" and then all the screwed up versions listed as an alternative like US etc! ;)

Its not just microsoft, eg Coral, Etc... My version of paintshop says "Color" in the menu... I chose "English"...! :P
User avatar
Burgerman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 65050
Joined: 27 May 2008, 21:24
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby TwoTeasChris » 05 Jul 2011, 14:23

Burgerman wrote:But we shouldnt need to choose UK English! That IS English...

It should say "English" and then all the screwed up versions listed as an alternative like US etc! ;)

Its not just microsoft, eg Coral, Etc... My version of paintshop says "Color" in the menu... I chose "English"...! :P


I speak proper English like wot Her Maj does.
User avatar
TwoTeasChris
 
Posts: 774
Joined: 23 Jul 2010, 20:29
Location: Crawley (nr Gatwick), UK.

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby Burgerman » 05 Jul 2011, 14:45

Every time I finish up speaking to an indian, etc call centre I insist on speaking to an english speaker. To which they always reply with "I speak english sir"...

At which point you should ask them what a monkey is, or a half a mild, a chav, or any slang you want. Non of them have any idea what you are talking about.
User avatar
Burgerman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 65050
Joined: 27 May 2008, 21:24
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby TwoTeasChris » 05 Jul 2011, 14:57

When I have that problem I normally say, 'Sorry, I'm not very good with accents.' My dodgy hearing from listening to Hendrix at full blast decades ago doesn't help.
Then again, one of my friends used to speak so 'up-north' I would start laughing when he would speak to me because I couldn't understand him.

Are pints still 80p?
User avatar
TwoTeasChris
 
Posts: 774
Joined: 23 Jul 2010, 20:29
Location: Crawley (nr Gatwick), UK.

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby LROBBINS » 05 Jul 2011, 19:11

At a major U.S. state university, a nobel-prize winning geneticist of Indian extraction AND an excellent teacher (the two don't alwys go together) was hated by a minority of students who were unable to understand his lilt, or made no attempt to try. I tolerate difficult accents better than empty heads.
Ciao,
Lenny
LROBBINS
 
Posts: 5543
Joined: 27 Aug 2010, 09:36
Location: Siena, Italy

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby Martin O Refurbisher » 05 Jul 2011, 19:22

Lenny, Applause!

Best,

Martin
Martin O Refurbisher
 

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby Burgerman » 05 Jul 2011, 19:35

Quite. My issue is that these call centre people have no clue about the language OR how to sort the problem. And the last thing I need is a call centre. Or a automated phone press this, press that system... I want a skilled human to answer the phone. Be it banks, utilities, virgin internet or whatever. Because I have NEVER had a "call centre" that actually helped - ever. If it was simple I would have fixed it myself. So its not, so I dont want someone with 6 hours of "training" that runs from a script.
User avatar
Burgerman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 65050
Joined: 27 May 2008, 21:24
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby ex-Gooserider » 06 Jul 2011, 04:12

Just remember that English is the result of Norman men-at-arms attempting to make dates with Saxon barmaids, and is no more "legitimate" than any of the other results.... :P :lol: 8-)

ex-Gooserider
User avatar
ex-Gooserider
 
Posts: 5962
Joined: 15 Feb 2011, 06:17
Location: Billerica, MA. USA

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby Burgerman » 06 Jul 2011, 04:58

Well I live in England, rang an English company, on a UK English phone number, because I speak English English, so do not expect to be calling india to speak "Indian English" in india... That I cannot understand or visa versa. :?
User avatar
Burgerman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 65050
Joined: 27 May 2008, 21:24
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby Anderida » 06 Jul 2011, 14:58

At the risk of sounding less equal opps / tolerant etc than I usually am, I must side with BM on the English / call centre issue.

In a recent call centre discussion I had with an English company who I was paying by credit card, the sales rep in India asked if he could read something back to me. "Sure," I said, "shoot!" This expression clearly perturbed the guy who became flustered and sounded not a little worried. When asked to repeat what I had said, I did, exactly as before. He then asked me what I meant.

In the past I have said things like, "What? A pony just to renew this?" then realised my "English" was not understood. In the US I asked for a pint of bitter to be met with a furrowed brow (and what's tipping the barman/maid all about?). The small bottle of blond gnat's piss they eventually tried to pass off as beer was nothing of the kind and is to be avoided. And they have the cheek to take the Mickey ("excuse me?") out of our 'warm' beer. How would they know it's beer? They have nothing to compare it to.

But one of my best friends is from Washington Heights, NY and I went to the 4 July fireworks in NY one year so when I say a belated "Happy 4th July" I do mean it, honest!

BTW, I speak English, not British English (no such beast) with a smattering of Cockney Rhyming Slang (strictly not Cockney - it's always been a London-wide slang not restricted to London within sound of Bow Bells).

Gonna put me plates up now and watch the box with a cuppa. :D
User avatar
Anderida
 
Posts: 184
Joined: 03 Jun 2011, 14:19
Location: Portsmouth, Hants UK

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby ex-Gooserider » 07 Jul 2011, 06:07

Burgerman wrote:But we shouldnt need to choose UK English! That IS English...

It should say "English" and then all the screwed up versions listed as an alternative like US etc! ;)

Its not just microsoft, eg Coral, Etc... My version of paintshop says "Color" in the menu... I chose "English"...! :P


Most of the Linux localization menus that I've seen list the language options in alphabetical order, so English (UK) or English (GB) both come before English (US), though it does still get beat out by some of the colonial versions like English (AU) or English (CA)....

Of course they still don't cover the regional variations in English (US) which can be considerable - i.e. the term used to refer to a carbonated non-alcoholic drink - different parts of the US will call it pop, soda, tonic, Coke (regardless of variety wanted) and so on...

If you do have the right localization chosen, and you still get properly spelled words, file a bug report if it's proprietary, or submit a patch if Free Software...

ex-Gooserider
User avatar
ex-Gooserider
 
Posts: 5962
Joined: 15 Feb 2011, 06:17
Location: Billerica, MA. USA

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby Burgerman » 07 Jul 2011, 08:45

>>>Free Software...


Thats why its clunky and looks and works like 7 year old windows, and non of my specialist software will run on it. Scanner, camera, RC Transmitter, my flight sims and drivers, photographic raw tools, much other software Including my own dyno software, the charger software, my vernier, voltmeter/occilloscope, etc etc... :P

Even my multitude of RC speed controllers and helicopter gyros come with windows software and drivers. All different. Its getting worse not better, as more stuff connects to your PC. My recent central heating programmer for EG uses windows software to load and change its parameters.

You cannot sensibly use betamax in a vhs world...
User avatar
Burgerman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 65050
Joined: 27 May 2008, 21:24
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby ex-Gooserider » 08 Jul 2011, 07:15

Go to Hearth.com, and look up a fellow named "Nofossil" in the "Boiler Room" - has a very thoroughly instrumented and controlled heating system on his house - all Linux based... (he also reduced his fuel-oil consumption from ~800 US gallons / year to under 20)

Several others on the board are using various forms of Linux systems to monitor / control their boilers...

I don't use them because my interests don't run in that direction, but there are several tools I've seen mentioned for dealing with RAW photo data, and the only thing that photoshop can do that the GIMP can't do is "Pantone" color numbers (because Pantone won't allow the GIMP to work with their system)

The guy that runs our local Linux Meetup group is also a ham, and does all of his radio work with Linux. He even has a specialized "Ham Operators" distro with a collection of all the stuff that a Ham radio guy needs - also including stuff to allow the distro to work on older re-purposed machines if necessary. His local club had a festival recently, with 100% of the logging and other infrastructure on Linux.

One of the problems that the Linux world is having right now is that a lot of the new specialized "smart" hardware is running Linux inside the tin, but the manufacturers are not obeying the GPL and other license rules and making source available like they are supposed to. However there are a pretty good number of legal cases that are coming down to enforce the GPL and other "copyleft" licenses....

I'd point out that many of the "Windows" programs you mention will also run under WINE on a Linux box, or in a virtual machine with Windows installed...

Also we would be having a lot less problem with the various programming software for our controllers if it ran on Linux as it would be easier to "jailbreak" the systems...

However the point that I was making was only in regards to the Localization question - and I felt that it was relevant to mention that my experience was with Free Software since I don't use that proprietary stuff...

ex-Gooserider
User avatar
ex-Gooserider
 
Posts: 5962
Joined: 15 Feb 2011, 06:17
Location: Billerica, MA. USA

Re: Happy Holidays!

Postby Burgerman » 08 Jul 2011, 10:39

Its all free if you dont mind breaking the rules and know where to look. :shock:

Anyway, I didnt choose to control my heating via PC! The cheap chinese box on the wall is bundled with windows software that can... As is most of my hobby stuff, tools, dynamometer software etc. But seriously Win 7 has come a long way from early microsoft stuff. And it really is good. It just works. I have played with linux and most other operating syst. but its just so much of a pain, nothing works without a fight, if a solution can be found at all, and it just feels old and ugly... Like that awful VLK player thingy.

All this fuss about security and reliability is also mostly bull. I have run windows, on servers, desktops and everything else since my own server at home in 97... And my linux server that this board and my other 30 websites is on is always getting attacked and infested by idiots... My windows web space isnt. Why? Unlike desktops theres more linux / apache web servers so thats what they concentrate on. Also have a laptop here my brother wants me to fix... Its a screwed up apple. Also randomly locking up.

NEVER had any issues, viruses, or security problems on my desktops. I have a virus checker that I run occasionally but its not "on" as such. I dont need it. I use it to check anything new if I am unsure. And I dont need to go to linux meetings! :shock:
User avatar
Burgerman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 65050
Joined: 27 May 2008, 21:24
Location: United Kingdom


Return to Anything

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 111 guests

cron

 

  eXTReMe Tracker