My point is there are basic, FREE things you can do, like have Firefox installed, that the majority of cyber cafe owners in India are too ignorant to implement.

The places I am referring to are metropolitan cities. I’m not saying spend a bunch of money on ergonomic chairs… Christ, I’ve been in India long enough to know sometimes you get shit on your hands.

I just wish people weren’t so resigned to getting by on least they can possibly do.

As an Indian, it upsets me to know that your IT experience in India was so terrible.

In India (outside of the metropolitan cities), cyber cafes are a sort of cultural haven. It is more about getting to actually be on Yahoo Messenger, Orkut or Facebook and talk to people in a way you would otherwise find very restricted. Most people who use cafes do so because they do not have access to the internet at home.

The ones who do have them at home worry about pretty much the same things you do. Viruses, Firefox vs IE 8, Mac vs Windows…ergonomic seats.

But the ones who don’t have those privileges are happy with whatever they get. Sure, who wouldnt want better facilities (in your eyes, basic facilities), but these things will only add to the cost, which at times a lot of people dont see the cafes as warranting. Its like taking a taxi when an auto-rickshaw would do. It may not, for all of us, but there you have it.

As for the hospitality, what can I say…I can only hope you meet/have met better people during the rest of your travels to India.

Take care.
K.