By Flora Haslam
One of the great things about working in technology PR is that everyone you know automatically assumes you understand technology. Now in my case, while I get the intricacies of WAN application delivery and FTTH routers, this doesn't mean that I'm an expert at actually setting up and using a computer (our resident tech guru Lisa can testify to this).
Imagine my joy then when asked to set up a friend's new PC. In fairness, I thought it couldn't be that difficult and indeed it wasn't... until we got to the point of connecting to the internet. With over half of UK adults now having a broadband connection, you'd think this wouldn't be a problem…
However, I'm not sure how many of those are connected with a PC running Microsoft Vista, as it transpired that our basic problem was that the service provider’s software for getting onto the internet just wasn’t compatible with the new operating system.
Now, admittedly, I'm exposed to tech stories on a daily basis, but there can be few people that haven't heard about Vista - its arrival was hardly a surprise and yet AOL ("the world's largest interactive services provider") apparently wasn't ready for it. Cue what seems like hours on hold waiting for AOL support only to be helpfully told that I need a new version of AOL especially for Vista (just in case I hadn't already worked that out), and that I should pop along to the website and download it because the CDs weren't available in the shops yet…
Hmmm, you may have already spotted the flaw in AOL’s cunning plan here. 'Popping along' to the website when you can't get online is going to prove tricky for anyone, but it took a while for the support guy to work out why I wasn't overly happy with this solution.
What amazes me is the sheer number of services that are not yet Vista ready. Some have been well publicised, others not so much. Vista may still be relatively new, but if you buy a home PC now, you get the latest operating system whether you like it or not. It's frustrating then that such a basic thing as connecting to the internet (which is, after all, what most people are going to want to use it for) should be such a trauma.
(BTW, you'll be happy to hear the computer is now up and running. Although the first CD AOL sent didn't work, the second one did - after another hour or so calling AOL. The next phone bill should be interesting!)
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