#computer purchasing

[kosher-martian]

Dell... Dell listen to me: You CANNOT rename your entire commercial product line to "Dell Pro".

That is stupid. Stop it.

You're telling me that somehow I'm supposed to relabel all my mental shortcuts because you want to "simplify" your naming convention? OptiPlex -> Dell Pro or Dell Pro Plus Latitude -> Dell Pro or Dell Pro Plus Precision Tower -> Dell Pro Max Mobile Precision -> Dell Pro Max, Dell Pro Max Premium, or Dell Pro Max Premium Plus? And then all you've done with the numbers is transition from a 4-digit number right next to the name plate (OptiPlex 7010, 7020, 7040, etc) to a 7-digit identifier tucked up next to the serial? Brilliant move! Can't wait for the next Dell Pro Max Pro Premium Plus Arch Deluxe FU69420.

[kosher-martian]

What in tarnation has Google done to their search engine!?! I've spent the last three hours at work trying to research some software system requirements so I can procure appropriate hardware. (This actually ended up being a wash for reasons that are too stupid to get into...)

I'm going to use two immediately recognizable programs to make this easier:

Back in the day I could search "system requirements for Adobe Photoshop" or "Photoshop system requirements" and get the results I needed.

I could then follow that up with an unrelated search for "system requirements for LibreOffice" or "funny cat pictures" without any issues, all the while finding exactly what I needed.

Now? In addition to selling off the entire first page of results to advertisers and unloading an AI slop trough at the top of the page, they've also seemingly tried to implement some sort of algorithmic search system, such that every result is for some godforsaken reason tied to the previous search. But what do I mean?

I search for "system requirements for Adobe Photoshop"

The first page will of course be AI slop and ads, interspersed with links that might be helpful.

I find what I need through lots of trial and error and then move on to my next search: "system requirements for LibreOffice"

The results (setting aside the slop and ads) are now only results pertaining to how LibreOffice can work with Photoshop. Anything relevant to the topic I actually searched for is absent.

Losing hope, I search for "funny cat pictures" only to find that all my search results are for how to make those funny pictures in Photoshop and utilize them in LibreOffice

Google, why? Why Google? You used to be so functional.

[kosher-martian]

My workplace closed for unexpected snow last week. We were closed the whole week.

Monday morning: 103 new unread emails from last week. 103. Many of them sent late at night or early in the morning, between 11PM and 2AM. All of them for new computer purchases. They aren't supposed to send an email. They are supposed to submit a ticket. Some people need to find some work life balance. And those same people also need to learn how to follow directions.