Do I need an oil change? =P

We can drop the example anytime... I'm sure everyone here is smart enough to
get it.

Cheers,

Kevin

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Crawford [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2005 3:09 PM
To: CF-Talk
Subject: Re: CF vs LAMP


On Thursday 02 June 2005 13:42, dave wrote:
>  I guess  Simon  is trying to say that if I buy a car and everytime it
> breaks down they will send someone to fix it (even from germany) and he
> thinks thats a BAD thing? I guess it would be better to take it down to
> jimmy joes house and confer with the locals about what to do with it,
maybe
> google the problem a bit, maybe find a half-assed answer and then try it
> and if it gets messed up to bad cause there is really noone to back it up.
> Sounds good to me, guess i'm gunna ditch cfm and go with that cause gee it
> sure sounds swell wally.................

Well, you gotta figure that there are people who *prefer* that approach.  If
you want to keep the hood of your car welded shut, that's fine with me, and
have fun with your 'Vette.  I'm personally not going to give you grief about
it, because you're probably quite a capable driver.

There are those of us, though, who aren't too sure about the mechanics.
Seems
like every time we call them out to fix the car, they end up breaking
something else, then putting in a whole bunch of stuff that I don't want or
need and that just hinders what I want to do.  Automatic transmission may be
nice, but I know I can maximize my standard transmission to get better
performance from the car, and I resent the fact that I can't even *get*
manual transmission.  There's also the fact that I don't really want my car
reporting back to the manufacturer, making sure I'm driving it properly.

And when I open the hood of my car, I can see exactly what's going on, where
all the parts are, what they're doing to each other, and so on.  If I don't
want that fancy flywheel that does nothing but sit there looking pretty, I
can take it out.  If I'm having a problem with a specific component, I can
open the hood and fix it myself; or I can Google the problem, or contact
other experts who have better insight into the problem than I do, and I can
do it for free.  (To be fair, though, you can do the same with your
sealed-hood 'Vette, so comparing how the two different approaches set up and
maintain support systems and knowledge bases is probably irrelevant.  I
*could* pay lots more money for a dedicated help system for my 'Vette, but
why bother when the help I can get for free is just as good?)

And, of course, there are the issues of security.  The 'Vette may have a
sealed hood, a nice support system, may go fast and have great performance,
but it does me no good if the lock is broken.  I could keep putting new
keyholes in the same lock, but I'd prefer the option of opening the lock
mechanism and fixing it directly.

So I think it's all a matter of philosophy, worldview, and personal
preference.  You like your shiny 'Vette which you pay good money to
maintain,
and I prefer my old Dodge which is cheaper and older but seems to perform
just as well and which I built myself and maintain myself.

Where it breaks down -- and where I personally take offense -- is the point
where I'm no longer given the choice.  Just as I resent the fact that I
cannot buy a car with manual transmission, I seriously resent the
manufacturers who tell me that a sealed hood is my only option.  I don't
resent those who tell me that a sealed hood is the *better* option (because
I
tell them that an open hood is the better option), but if I don't even have
a
choice to invest in a cheaper option that I can maintain myself, then I'm
going to get mad.

I'll stop this rant short, though, before I get into issues of politics and
economy.  ;-)

--
Richard S. Crawford
Programmer III
UC Davis Extension Distance Education Group
2901 K Street
Sacramento, CA  95816
(916)327-7793
http://unexdlc.ucdavis.edu



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support 
efficiency by 100%
http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49

Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:4:208446
Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/4
Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:4
Unsubscribe: 
http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.4
Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54

Reply via email to