But the shift from combatant to spectator was inevitable, and probably overdue,” says Woody. I’ve spent several decades as a self-styled consumer advocate, and it’s hard standing back and letting other folks fight the battles. “Most of all I miss being in the middle of things, helping normal customers push back against Microsoft’s wayward ways. Until then, old habits are hard to break. “We’ll move back to Tennessee, COVID willing an’ the creek don’ rise. The world is changing so quickly! Places I visited 30 or 40 years ago are completely different now. I’ve been to quite a few places and would like to see a few thousand more. “Down the line, I’d like to do a lot more traveling. I still handle the Customer Support line at AskWoody, but I don’t even try to tackle technical questions anymore,” he admits.īut his new life is presenting new opportunities. “I’m taking some downtime right now – catching up with the family, tutoring my son, soaking up the sun. Asked simply “What’s next?”, Woody replies, “I wake up every morning and wonder the same thing.” However, adjusting to retirement can take time.
LEONHARD DISAPPEARED PATCH
Susan has picked up the Patch Watch/MS-DEFCON baton with technical savvy I could never approach.” Max Oppenheimer brings some real legal chops to tech subjects.
I couldn’t believe they convinced Brian Livingston to come back. “Susan and Will are doing a fantastic job with the Newsletter. She’s reaching out to cover more ground and bring in a more diverse group. “I like what Susan’s doing with the site. Looking back at the AskWoody handover last November, Woody is a happy bunny. Man, those folks got hung out to dry last week,” he grimaces. “At least I’m not taking care of an on-premises Exchange Server.
LEONHARD DISAPPEARED WINDOWS
“I read that Panos is ‘pumped’ about the next Windows – Win11 or whatever MS will call the next version of the last version of Windows – but his ‘pumped’ picks usually leave me snoring. Yeah, I’m the prototypical grouchy old man yelling at the TikTok kids to get off the lawn.
LEONHARD DISAPPEARED WINDOWS 10
Windows 10 is in a bloated downward spiral, and has been for years. “Microsoft’s been dishing out more of the same-old, same-old, with broken patches and truly insipid new features that I’ll never use. Asked, “Now that you’ve had a chance to step back a bit, what do you think about Windows?” his reply is simple: “Meh. Windows has been the heart and soul of Woody’s sharp focus for nigh on three decades. My eyes have thanked me for the 3440 x 1440 ever since,” he says with a glint in his eye. “One new addition to the family: I bought a 34-inch super-wide curved screen monitor, from Xiaomi, on sale out here for just over $300. Unfortunately, there are very few Chromebooks in Thailand, so I’m back to the XPS-15 (great laptop, by the way), my ancient Das Keyboard 4 (don’t leave home without it), and Logitech MX Master.
“Before I left the US, I spent most of my time on a trusty Dell XPS-15 – but I was doing more and more on a Chromebook and on my Samsung phone. The move has meant some changes to his devices at hand, but Woody still likes his creature comforts from home. Even remote parts of Thailand, such as my mother-in-law’s farm in the very rural south, get good-to-excellent coverage, and have for years,” he points out. 5G is widely available, but I don’t have a phone yet that can handle it. I get 100 Mbps over Wi-Fi (fiber optic), 20 Mbps with 4G – tethered. Yet tech and being connected are never far from his mind. Many folks know that I lived in Phuket from 2000 to 2014 – both and my son were born here – so it’s great being back, especially without the crowds,” says Woody. “We’re waiting for the COVID situation in the States to improve. It is here that Woody is doing his version of taking it slow, enjoying time with his wife Addie and son Andy, who was born in Phuket 10 years ago. The answers are found in an apartment at the southern end of Phuket, Thailand, more than 9,000 miles from his home in Tennessee. Where did Woody go? What is life after AskWoody like? Could someone so immersed in his field for so long ever truly step back from the keyboard? While Susan Bradley has picked up the mantle as publisher of AskWoody, with Will Fastie as editor in chief and a host of respected contributors continuing to shine light on those critical issues that can bring your computer down, it has been hard to ignore the silence. That voice we had grown accustomed to, calling out Windows for its shortfalls – sometimes with a roar, sometimes a grumble, but never a whimper – had gone. He disappeared from our screens, but never drifted far from our thoughts.
Late last year, after 28 years of publishing everything everyone needed to know about Windows, esteemed AskWoody founder Woody Leonhard retired.
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