Darn computers!!!!!

[slamjet]

They use BYU computer science students as cheap tech support?

Yes they do. We got one to let it slip. May as well have the Missionaries at the MTC take the support calls. At least they have the line in with Deity for help.

[MarginOfError]

Member and Leader Services.

You are about the only person I know who could respond to my casual sarcasm with such sharp casual sarcasm. Well done.

[MarginOfError]

That nightmare of an excuse for a piece of software that continues to get bloated to the point that no church requisitioned computer will ever be able to run it with any sense of speed let alone the database is so fragile that one miss-step and the whole thing explodes in your face let alone the church has changed it's accounting practices for the church units to make it more idiot proof which made the software even more of an idiot than the worst doctor I tried to show how to run a simple piece of software (Microsoft Word 2003) for when you call tech support to try to figure out why it's not working for no good reason all you get is a comp-sci student at BYU on the line to supposed help you out when they themselves are beyond clueless as to where the power button is on the computer let alone how to answer the dog-gone phone.

Yes, the church is true because if it wasn't, the MLS software would have killed it long ago.

I'm sorry slamjet, but I've found MLS to be very useful and reliable*

*as long as you don't try to do anything out of the ordinary with it.

What I actually do more often is take the export files and make my own reports using R or Access (I know, Access hardly seems like something anyone who has a clue would ever use, but I wanted something that could easily be picked up by the next guy.)

[Guest]

I gave my dad an iPad for his bday...

Dad: "My iPad is not working right."

Me: "What's the problem?"

Dad: "I can't get past Mercenary. Even after I beat him, it won't get me past that level."

Me: "Uhm. I don't know. You will have to call tech support of that App."

Dad: "That's why I'm calling you."

Me: "I did not program Aurora Feint."

Dad: "So?"

Me: "So, I can't fix that problem...if it's even a problem"

Dad: "What use is your Master's Degree in computers if you can't fix my iPad?"

My sister: "Yeah, that's the only thing dad needs from you!"

Me: "Ahh... hmm... fine, I'll figure it out".

(My sister is a nurse, my brother is a doctor - they're both putting their brains and brawns together to get my dad through chemo... I guess, the least I can do is figure out how to get him to understand the workings of his many iPad apps).

Edited April 23, 2011 by anatess

[slamjet]

Dad: "What use is your Master's Degree in computers if you can't fix my iPad?"

I believe this to be a legitimate questions that awaits a response

[Mahone]

I'm sorry slamjet, but I've found MLS to be very useful and reliable*

*as long as you don't try to do anything out of the ordinary with it.

What I actually do more often is take the export files and make my own reports using R or Access (I know, Access hardly seems like something anyone who has a clue would ever use, but I wanted something that could easily be picked up by the next guy.)

The question here is, how did you get lucky enough to get MS office on the computer in the clerks office? The vast majority across the UK have open office on them. Not that I think that's a bad thing, I'm a big supporter of free community made software, and most clerks only ever use basic word processing, or basic spreadsheets - hardly worth an M$ license.

I gave my dad an iPad for his bday...

Dad: "My iPad is not working right."

Me: "What's the problem?"

Dad: "I can't get past Mercenary. Even after I beat him, it won't get me past that level."

Me: "Uhm. I don't know. You will have to call tech support of that App."

Dad: "That's why I'm calling you."

Me: "I did not program Aurora Feint."

Dad: "So?"

Me: "So, I can't fix that problem...if it's even a problem"

Dad: "What use is your Master's Degree in computers if you can't fix my iPad?"

My sister: "Yeah, that's the only thing dad needs from you!"

Me: "Ahh... hmm... fine, I'll figure it out".

(My sister is a nurse, my brother is a doctor - they're both putting their brains and brawns together to get my dad through chemo... I guess, the least I can do is figure out how to get him to understand the workings of his many iPad apps).

You should reprogram the entire application from scratch, replicating all of the interfaces and functionality of the application, fix the problem he is referring to, jailbreak his ipad, install your newly made application (jailbreaking enables you to bypass the apple store which would reject your application on copyright grounds), then job done.

Or, you could try and get him (and your siblings) to understand the concepts of the word 'compile', and the disadvantages it has when it comes to troubleshooting someone elses applications . I suspect the former would be quicker.

[MarginOfError]

The question here is, how did you get lucky enough to get MS office on the computer in the clerks office? The vast majority across the UK have open office on them. Not that I think that's a bad thing, I'm a big supporter of free community made software, and most clerks only ever use basic word processing, or basic spreadsheets - hardly worth an M$ license.

My stake ponied up for licenses for each computer in the stake on the last replacement schedule. It's been very nice. I wouldn't mind having Open Office, but their database program isn't nearly as good as MS Access (It's rare you'll ever hear me put a Microsoft program above another)

[WardClerk]

Wash your mouth out with Open Source for saying the MS word.

[Mahone]

Wash your mouth out with Open Source for saying the MS word.

[slamjet]

Great, we've gone from evil updates, evil programmers, evil MLS, and how, benevolent open source. We're probably going to get into the AMD ATI marriage issues and how Intel is wallowing in self importance.