Windows 7 story

[Scot]

Brian Livingston's newsletter is nothing like Fred's old publication. It is full, full, full of advertising (I pay for it, why should I have to read ads?) I'm waiting for Mr. Langa to start up again.

Fred is a friend of mine. I haven't talked to him recently, but I can tell you that creating and sending a newsletter is a big deal -- hours and hours of work are required to send even one newsletter. Fred's was twice a week, plus other issues. I'm not speaking for him on this, but I don't think it's part of his plan to relaunch his old newsletter. The part we all love is researching and writing. The part that gets old fast is the production work, logistics, list management, emails from people wanting you to unsubscribe them, etc.By the way, the people who were ranking on Fred in this thread are out to lunch. Read Fred's story, he explained everything and even admitted that he was testing too many things at once. (I did not get the sense that he was testing specifically to write about his experience; he was trying to get several things done quickly. I've taken that risk many times myself.) People who insist that other people's experiences are ridiculous because those experiences don't match their own are small minded.Brian is also a friend of mine, and I can't say as I blame him for trying to support his endeavor by as many revenue streams as possible. You don't make a lot of money in this business. This is why I never really tried to make money with my newsletter. Unlike me, though, both Fred and Brian have worked at this as a primary occupation. I don't think you should begrudge Brian what he's charging.My two cents, of course.-- Scot

[Guest LilBambi]

I totally agree. And they have made it so that even those who can't afford a large subscription cost can also get the newsletter. I certainly don't begrudge him that either. And I hate advertising. :' />

[crp]

Brian Livingston's newsletter is nothing like Fred's old publication. It is full, full, full of advertising (I pay for it, why should I have to read ads?) I'm waiting for Mr. Langa to start up again.

I am a paying subscriber to Windows Secrets. I have no problem what-so-ever with the advertisements. To begin with , they are clearly marked off and easy to read. It is also one of the best examples of targeted advertising out on the internet. More than once I have found an ad that was useful just in getting me to think about certain processes and trouble shooting methods.If I was paying hundreds of dollars for the WS then I might gripe about the ads. But I'm not and I doubt anyone in the world is.

[striker]

I think we should get this topic back on track. Let me tell you a little story of myself.When I first started with real personal computers, how they were called back then, Freds newsletter and the one from Karen Kenworthy were the ones I enjoyed very much reading, in fact this was material I learned a lot from, before I started to dig deeper in other internet resources. I was a paying member of both newsletters and I still have good memories about those. I also was a reader of Scots newsletter and the one from John Woram. I kept those for later in the week, preferably for the late nights studying them from A to Z after I got home from work.Imho we should not pick on Fred about his Windows 7 episode at all. It could have happened to all of us, to you, to me. Would you have the guts to publicly blog about it when this happened to you, knowing very well that people all over the place would stick their finger to their heads? I don't think you would. Myself I would think twice if not three or four times.So I applaud Fred to having shared this little disaster with his readers, and again it could have happened to me, to you. No, don't think it couldn't have happened to you, you're not the absolute expert which does not do stupid things. You're not a pre-programmed robot, you're a human being, just like me and like Fred and all of us. So we make mistakes, so what?Let's get over it, some of us had a laugh about this (in some way) funny story, but at the other hand we all could learn from it of what could go wrong when we're trying to do something like this or when we happen to enter a situation like this. And it will be at that very moment that maybe we remember Freds story and correct our methods of handling the situation.Better let's pick at our selves for all the faults and mistakes we do and make day in and day out while trying to cover our tracks before we get caught...

[Guest LilBambi]

You are so right striker. Here's some thoughts on failure.

Abraham Lincoln on Success and FailureNovember 22, 2007 · 3 Comments“My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.” - Abraham LincolnFailure can either break us or make us. Those broken by failure are haunted by unpleasant memories. These memories are like shadows that lurk in front, behind, beside, beneath and above. It is also a cage that traps the mind, preventing it to entertain possibilities of freedom and success. They are convinced that they cannot do it; therefore, they will not try.For those that failure could not break are those who became made “men.” Failure to them is not a ghost, but a friend who taught them well. It is also a stepping stone to wisdom. These men and women are convinced that true failure only happens when one gives up.

More in the article here.The same could be said of Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and many other greats over the years. Failure should be an old friend, one you don't like to see often, but one you learn from when he comes calling.

[sunrat]

I've always had much respect for Fred.Albert EinsteinAnyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.Thomas Alva EdisonI have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.

Edited February 2, 2009 by sunrat

[b2cm]

Like everyone else Langa make mistakes, and even if he says that experience was self-inflicted, I don't see how a Windows 7 beta bug should be his mistake.

Edited February 3, 2009 by b2cm

[Scot]

Why, Striker, I did not know you were such a big Windows Magazine fan. Karen, Fred, John, and I were all at WinMag together. Others include Dave Methvin (PC Pitstop, and occasional author at Computerworld), Mike Elgan (columnist and blogger for Computerworld), and Serdar Yegulalp, who writes for InformationWeek. People may not also realize that Jason Levine, proprietor of PC911, was also at WinMag. There are several other ex-WinMag staffers and columnists who are still writing for various publications.Windows Magazine was a very special place. The audience and readership was very actively involved with the editors through email and newsletters. It's great to hear someone bringing up the WinMag alumni again. And I know that some of the folks reading this forum and blog date back to sometime in the 1990s, many stemming from my time at Windows Magazine. That's very cool.-- Scot

[striker]

Yes Scot, I hear you. Those are the names I remember. I snooped all articles of this crew I could get my hands on, learning what I could. It was my starting time with Windows before I also jumped the linux wagon. Good memories! Top stories!

[Guest LilBambi]

I cut my Windows "eye teeth" on Windows Magazine too. Scot and I have talked about that before. It was a wonderful magazine! I really do miss those days. So much to learn. So much fun.

[sunrat]

I learned a lot from those guys too, although I hardly touched a computer till 2001. Now I'm on the same Linux road as striker and LilBambi. Does this mean something?

[Guest LilBambi]

LOL sunrat! I think it means we don't want to give up tinkering. And for us, that's a good thing!

[b2cm]

Was a Winmag reader, too. That led me to Scot's newsletter and Mike's list.

[zlim]

Me too. When the magazine folded I made sure I added to my bookmarks any websites of those people I could find.

[FuzzButt]

Me too. When the magazine folded I made sure I added to my bookmarks any websites of those people I could find.

You can count me as well. I think I even have some of the more important issues still in a box around here somewhere. I learned quite a lot from the group of writers at Windows Magazine. It was a sad day when I heard it was no longer going to be in print.

[Guest LilBambi]

Same here ... very sad day.