Just a minute --
Hello. Thanks for all your emails about the clock.
Everyone got an extra hour on Sunday when the clocks went back. I hope you enjoyed yours; mine just seemed to fritter itself away (probably on Twitter).
But changing the hours always causes, er, a minute problem.
The clocks have to be changed. Everywhere.
That includes the video recorder. And the oven. And the central heating boiler.
And don't start me about the clock on the car dashboard. Could it be any more difficult? I'm sure the real reason families have two cars is so they can keep one on summer time, and the other on winter.
So I probably should not have been surprised to get some indignant emails after Monday's programme.
"Your on-screen clock is wrong!" you complained.
I have to confess, I didn't immediately realise what you were talking about. "What on-screen clock?" I thought. "This isn't Breakfast TV. We don't have one."
Aha. But we do.
It's on the stock market display. That thing we show you - oh - only every day that we're on air.
And while the Working Lunch stock markets computer is fully up-to-speed with the second-by-second movement in stock prices around the globe, the passing of the seasons passes it by. Unless we tweak it, every day is summertime for our markets computer.
Anyway - it's fixed now. I tried to do it myself, but was defeated by the security passwords.
So we sent for someone who knew what they were doing.
That's pretty much how we handled my weekly trip to the tech shed this Tuesday.
We looked at the launch of Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 7.
I spend lots of time, money and enthusiasm on new programmes for my computer. But I don't give any thought at all to the operating system that enables all those programmes to work.
When I switch my computer on, I expect it to work. Quickly.
My many friends in computer science are horrified by this. They get alternately enthused and enraged by the different operating systems. For some of them, Windows is the soul of popular computer. For others, it's the creation of a bug-loving, spam-ridden devil.
For those in the know, this is a subject that excites strong passions. Good. People should be passionate about important things.
But when we look at technology, it's not for the benefit of specialists. It's for people who like gadgets and technology, who are comfortable using them, who want them to save time and money - but who don't need to think about what goes on behind the screen.
So when we sent for someone to explain the topic, his job was to tell me - why should my Dad care about this? Why should he have to think about his operating system? And if he does need to change it, how does he go about doing it?
Agent Fran from the Geek Squad answered all that very well, I thought.
We talked a lot about Microsoft's Windows. Like it or not, it powers the vast majority of the world's PCs. Our viewers are much more likely to use Microsoft than anything else, so it's right and proper that it dominated the discussion.
He and I also said - several times - that there were alternatives to Microsoft. Fran also demonstrated Google's Android os.
Some of you think he should have given a much more detailed list of all the competing operating systems.
James Norris emailed, "There are real full desktop and laptop alternatives to Windows but these were not even given a mention. The problem with this sloppy and ill informed journalism is that to people that are not aware of the alternatives out there would be left to think that Android is really the only (one)."
He thinks we should have mentioned the Linux operating system. It certainly has its fans.
John Maltby emailed to praise it.
"In the interest of helping viewers to save money perhaps you might consider giving the Linux operating system a little more coverage," he wrote.
"Not only is it free but it is now stable and in practically all areas equal to Windows (whichever version) if not superior. I am not a geek but a mere user who migrated from Windows several years ago."
Malcolm Collins also weighed in on behalf of Linux - used all the time by his grandchildren, he says.
"Linux is another operating system, rarely mentioned, which has many variations. All very easy to install on modern computers and ALL 100% FREE. This OS is also almost completely virus free and does not require you to purchase anti virus software too. Another big saving every year."
And there was criticism of other systems. Peter Stott has a Mac, and recently upgraded from Panther to Leopard operating systems. He thinks this was a completely unnecessary change, forced on him by Apple to make him "fork out a large sum of money".
As I said - strong passions. Thanks for all your emails. Please do continue the discussion in the comments.
Comment number 1.
At 28th Oct 2009, mesmerizing commenter wrote:What winds me up most of all is all the hype over how good vista is, how it will revolutionise your life, how secure it is...and how you must have it. So I go out and buy two very expensive high end PCs (one desktop and one laptop) to find out its not only incompatible but its slow, and has severe problems copying files over networks (takes 4hrs to copy 2GB for backup across my 100Mbit network).
And it crashes, a lot. And even though I have automatic update turned off, it decides to reboot and throw everything away regularly.
If this were not enough we are now told by microsoft "sorry, vista was rubbish, now buy windows 7, windows 7 is excellent, windows 7 will sort all those problems you've had with vista".
My PCs are just a few months old, and I'm being told I have to pay a large bunch of cash to move to the newer version which works!!!!
What other companies out there can sell you a rubbish product that doesnt work properly (pretty much publically admit it), then instead of sorting it under warranty smile and suggest you buy the new one?
Dont even want to get started on charging extra for products in the UK than in the US with the excuse "its local language conversion" when its a similar price to the US in asia. They should just come out and say, "we can get away with charging more...so we do".
Luckily I didnt buy microsoft office 2008/9 or whatever it is since they have happily changed the interface "to make it easier to use" to something nobody who used the old version understands. Even presenting a business opportunity for a paid for upgrade to get the old menus back! Open Office is great....
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Comment number 2.
At 30th Oct 2009, read_animalfarm wrote:How many dedicated and informed viewers of Working Lunch for at least 10yrs feel patronised by Declan's Blog? In fact, is Working Lunch as a program being undermined by producers?
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Comment number 3.
At 2nd Feb 2010, oobuc5 wrote:Never mind all that what about something realy important ,a little bird told me that the insurance companies got together and decided that businness was so bad and the forcast for the resesion was another 3 years minium so they decided to put up the price of insurance for vehicles by close on 100% i was told that the base line for a car will be £250,the fact that a lot of people were paying a lot less like the 50 somethings
does not seem to bother the insurance.
The one fact that seems to escape them is a lot more people will be driving with out insurance because they just cant afford it ,
along with the pensioners on a low fixed income:
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