[quote=ibjames]Just MCSFT is huge doesn’t mean everything they create is horrible either. IIS, SQL, etc can fill then need.[/quote]
They can “fill the bill” in the sense that they will run more or less as intended a good deal of the time, but I gave up on that junk after being bitten once too often. I was a MS fanboy in the DOS 5.0 days and an enthusiastic NT 4.0 user circa 1997-98, so it’s not like I have some genetic predisposition against the Borg.
[quote]Have you seen 2008? Core is a 100% different ballgame altogether. MCSFT is finally looking at things from a performance perspective. Troubleshooting tools are better now also.[/quote]
I’ve done a couple of projects where I used my tools (Mac OS X or a stripped down Ubuntu install depending on needs, PostgreSQL, Apache 2.x, PHP 5.x) and another part of the project used theirs (Windows, IIS, SQL Server, C#). The awful performance and unreliability of the Windows-based stuff was startling, even to me, and they had a lot more hardware at their disposal.
[quote]I like snap on, I lived in Kenosha till I was in 7th grade. I use craftsman though because it is easier to get a replacement.[/quote]
Have you looked at Craftsman tools recently? It used to be an OK choice for the home or beginning professional mechanic, but I went shopping for a starter set of tools for my son this summer and was disgusted at the decline in quality of most of their hand tools. I used to date a Sears tool department manager, so it bums me out to run Craftsman down. 🙁
As far as replacement, quality tools don’t break unless you abuse them. My 20 year old Makita drills saw daily service for most of the ’90s and still work great. I have some of my father’s ’60s vintage Craftsman tools, and they’ll outlast me just as they did him. Replacement is the last thing on my mind when I buy a hand tool.
Speaking of tools, I took a chance on a Chinese import line (Toptul, see wrenhandtools.com) for my son’s tool kit and I’m impressed. His $28 1/4″ drive ratchet is smoother and apparently as well made as my $70 Snap-On.
