What type of computer does everyone use?

Also, if you could, would you trade your current one for the other one?

I thought all home computers were PC and that Mac was only a brand  name.  Am I wrong or have I just misunderstood your post?

I got a Dell PC, next one will prob be another Dell. GHood machines, good back up service


PC = Windows set up

mac = Apple macintosh. Different software, they were leaders technologically. More inot music now I think ?? eg ipods

What Sprint said.

But... apparently Macs are now able to use Microsoft programs...

So I guess it might fall under 'normal PC status.'

But yeah... not a big enough geek to know this one.

mantra wrote on May 2^nd, 2007 at 9:36pm:

I thought all home computers were PC and that Mac was only a brand  name.  Am I wrong or have I just misunderstood your post?

This is true. The definition is however more to do with the design platform, not so much for the way the components are built, but how they plug together. PC has become a term that used to mean 'IBM compatible'. Mac like to distance themselves from the 'PC' these days but they really do just make different pcs.

Me I'm a PC boy, but I am developing an interest in macs, although I am far from ready to make the leap. The missus wants a macbook though and looks like she will be getting one. I do have a genuine apple brand ipod though :)

Trump, it is true that now macs can run windows if you want them to. Although OSX is a far superior platform, so the only reason to do this would be so you can use PC software.

I guess you could say I'm a bit of a computer nerd, we have 4 computers in our house, one runs linux, another runs freebsd (both free, open source unix based alternatives to windows...) the other two are windows systems but only because I have to. I hate windows!

Poll: what is your screen resolution: http://ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1164688550

Does anyone use firefox?

zoso - yes, seems the more computer literate ones prefer mac. 4 puters is a good score !

I could prob do with another. for kids homework etc.

macs get very few viruses. More user friendly, i use them rarely. not for years now though, used to be a few at work

Linux and Solaris two of my four machines.  Win2K and XP on the other two.  I'm presently contemplating buying a 2nd hand RS6000 computer running AIX.   Macs are OK.  Windoze is crap (my two Windoze machines are for the wife and kids).

Man... a couple of you guys use linux???  :o

I've heard from people that it's:

A) Too hard to use.
B) Only for experts.
C) A pile of sh1t.

ex-member DonaldTrump wrote on May 4^th, 2007 at 12:06am:

A) Too hard to use.

Only for those that don't attempt to find out how to use these machines we are working on. This is like saying a manual car is too hard to drive, or changing the oil in your car is too hard to do. Fine for some...


Quote:

B) Only for experts.

See point a)


Quote:

C) A pile of sh1t.

That runs the lions share of server systems that are not unix itself... The pile of sh1t claim only comes from points a) and b) and the fact that few companies build software for it, but there are open source alternative for all but the highest end of packages. It actually runs faster than windows due to lack of bloat, and now has the most advanced next gen desktop out on the market (compiz/beryl), far superior to vista and mildly superior to OSX. I love my linux box and were it not for uni requirements it would be my main system.

You can have windows but I don't have security/virus/spyware issues thanks to running an inherently insecure OS (ie winblows). I do run windows on two of my systems by the way ;) however I don't use internet banking or credit card transactions on them! Very easy to get infected with keylogger spyware.

Its cool, linux isnt for all, although it is getting closer. OLPC (one laptop per child) runs a stripped down version of linux called sugar, Dell are getting ready to start shipping linux (Ubuntu 7.04) preinstalled on some PCs...

Brian Ross wrote on May 3^rd, 2007 at 10:10pm:

Linux and Solaris two of my four machines.  Win2K and XP on the other two.  I'm presently contemplating buying a 2nd hand RS6000 computer running AIX.   Macs are OK.  Windoze is crap (my two Windoze machines are for the wife and kids).

Which linux distro? I'm running ubuntu 7.04 with beryl and its sweet. I also have freeBSD 6(?) running on a pile of naked components which are hanging by some string under my desk ;D

Anyone mind if I move this to the tech board?

freediver wrote on May 4^th, 2007 at 9:49am:

Anyone mind if I move this to the tech board?

YES! I MIND! LEAVE IT HERE!!!  >:(

Just kidding.  ;)

No problem freediver. Stop being so damn polite and just do it already.

If I would have thought about it come to think of it I would have put it in Technology section in the first place.

zoso wrote on May 4^th, 2007 at 7:59am:

[quote author=DonaldTrump link=1178096399/0#8 date=1178201179] That runs the lions share of server systems that are not unix itself... The pile of sh1t claim only comes from points a) and b) and the fact that few companies build software for it, but there are open source alternative for all but the highest end of packages. It actually runs faster than windows due to lack of bloat, and now has the most advanced next gen desktop out on the market (compiz/beryl), far superior to vista and mildly superior to OSX. I love my linux box and were it not for uni requirements it would be my main system. You can have windows but I don't have security/virus/spyware issues thanks to running an inherently insecure OS (ie winblows). I do run windows on two of my systems by the way ;) however I don't use internet banking or credit card transactions on them! Very easy to get infected with keylogger spyware. Its cool, linux isnt for all, although it is getting closer. OLPC (one laptop per child) runs a stripped down version of linux called sugar, Dell are getting ready to start shipping linux (Ubuntu 7.04) preinstalled on some PCs...

Yeah... I'm really curious about linux in all honesty, but I'm kinda turned off by people's negativity about it.

Also, people claim that certain windows games etc don't work on linux.

ex-member DonaldTrump wrote on May 4^th, 2007 at 3:05pm:

Yeah... I'm really curious about linux in all honesty, but I'm kinda turned off by people's negativity about it.

I will admit the learning curve is steep, but linux is just what the techies call a 'kernel', that means it is a basic system that has tools to convert software languages to hardware languages... It just the bit you don't see that runs the computer, put it that way. You need to look at a linux distribution.

There are hundreds of linux 'distributions' which are what you would actually compare to windows. Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Linux_distributions

The particular distribution you choose will be what determines if it is hard to use or not. I have one called Ubuntu, which is one of the easiest and most complete ones out there. Basically you go to their website and either download the install disc or you can request them to ship it to you for free (yes, free!), you install it and next thing you just have a desktop that looks a lot like windows or mac, with a stack of programs that look a lot like windows or mac programs, behave like windows or mac programs. Everything is gui driven, point and click etc. Its just that its free. There is even a 'package repository' which is a list of web sites that have free software to download, you go into the software manager, and click on the things you want, next thing they are installed on the computer. Its really really easy!

However! if you have hardware that is not supported...good luck to you! if you want software that is not in the repositories...good luck to you! Not that this stuff is hard to do, but it is higher upon the geek ladder, put it that way. nd very often you have no choice but to do these harder things. But that is what linux users usually love about linux (and where the criticism usually comes from)

Linux is not an OS like windows is, linux itself is just the core of an OS. The distributions are each a collection of open source programs and scripts and other random nerdy things that together make up an operating system. It is the free and open combined work of thousands of computer nerds all over the planet, all working on their own unpaid time. Thats what is really cool about linux.

One cool thing about linux i that heaps of companies actually make profits from it! They do so by setting up distributions (some bigger ones are Red Hat, Suse, Debian and so on) they give away their software then sign companies up for tech support. You forget about copyright and make money from you actual hard earned work, instead of simply duplicating something a billion times. The GPL itself is a really interesting concept http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPL (has some relevance to my arguments about copyright infringement too).


Quote:

Also, people claim that certain windows games etc don't work on linux.

And this is the big issue, they don't. There are programs out there that can emulate a windows environment and *most* windows software can be made to work on linux with some shoe-horning, but again, this is higher up that learning curve.

There is a piece of proprietary software out there called 'cedega' that is supposed to be an out-of-the-box solution to gaming on linux, but not everything will work.

However! John Carmack of id software is a huge open source/linux geek and he makes all his games work on linux, so Quake 4, Doom 3 etc should work perfectly. Carmack releases all his code on the GPL after 5 ears of sales or something like that.

Trump, if you have a spare computer that is just sitting around doing nothing and has nothing on it you won't miss then I'd just download a version of linux (either suse, ubuntu or fedora would be the best to start) and install it and see what happens. Bear in mind I wouldn't install it on a computer that you will miss afterward! If you don't like it cool, but maybe you will. When you get into the trickier stuff theres a lot of old-school style command prompt usage like DOS used to be, another thing people tend to hate but nerd love it.

Although, unless you are a bit of a computer nerd to begin with then there might not be much point...

ex-member DonaldTrump wrote on May 4^th, 2007 at 12:06am:

Man... a couple of you guys use linux???  :o I've heard from people that it's: A) Too hard to use. B) Only for experts. C) A pile of sh1t.

Like your opinions about Muslims, your opinions about Linux are sadly misinformed, DT.

Linux is more stable, cheaper and a better OS than Windoze.  Macs use a variation on it and are the better for it.   Personally, I prefer real Unix, such as Solaris and AIX but Linux is pretty good as well.

zoso wrote on May 4^th, 2007 at 8:01am:

Brian Ross wrote on May 3rd, 2007 at 10:10pm: Linux and Solaris two of my four machines.  Win2K and XP on the other two.  I'm presently contemplating buying a 2nd hand RS6000 computer running AIX.   Macs are OK.  Windoze is crap (my two Windoze machines are for the wife and kids). Which linux distro? I'm running ubuntu 7.04 with beryl and its sweet. I also have freeBSD 6(?) running on a pile of naked components which are hanging by some string under my desk ;D

Suse at the moment.  I have run Debian and RedHat in the past.  I find Suse the easiest to install and configure.  I've used FreeBSD in the past, professionally, as well.

I don't see what M$ is going to get out of this:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking-news/dell-microsoft-novell-to-push-linux/2007/05/07/1178390206427.html

Dell has agreed to work with Microsoft and Novell under an alliance to make it easier for the Windows operating system and the Linux system to work together.

Under the partnership announced in November, Microsoft said it would offer corporate customers a chance to license its Windows operating system as part of a package that includes maintenance and support for Novell's Suse Linux platform.

To encourage more companies to choose Novell's open-source platform, Microsoft has promised not to file patent-rights lawsuits over any of its technology that's blended with Suse Linux.

"Dell's embrace of the Novell-Microsoft agreement reflects a growing market reality: The two platforms of the future are Linux and Windows, and customers want them to work better together," said Susan Heystee, vice president and general manager of global strategic alliances at Novell.