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You could do a lot worse than to buy one of these:

http://www.microway.com/produc...

Microway have been supplying high quality, high performance systems for decades and
they should have figured out how to do it right by now. If I had the spare money, it's what
I would choose.

For your CFD software, you might consider the open source OpenFOAM system.

Be careful with the memory subsystem to select DIMMs that will run at the maximum
rate of the system. Quad-rank DIMMs typically run slower. This may mean you can't
use the full range of 1TB dram that this system can address.

The i860 and the i960 were entirely different chips.

Famously, the i860 was described as a Cray on a chip

You're looking at this from a users perspective. I'm looking at it from a webmasters perspective.

Even webmasters can choose what they use. Not only that but they can even choose to use more than one search engine and provider of advertising. Actually if I were an employer and my webmaster wasn't using more than one provider then I wouldn't want to pay their salary. Sure right now Google has the major market position but that is likely to change. For instance Microsoft handles Facebook's ads as well as other high traffic websites. Until the end of August Google handled News Corp's MySpace ads however in July News Corp was in discussion with Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo for ad placement. Marketing is growing on other social networking websites as well, and Google doesn't do ads on all of them.

How many people install their own OS?

Well, I do. My daughters use Linux.

Did you install Linux for your daughters, or did they install it themselves?

How many buy Macs?

Well, I do. My wife uses a Mac.

So do I, I'm typing this on my MacBook Pro. I also have 2 Linux PCs, both of the tower PCs under my desk have Linux installed. One is a really old one I ordered from Microway with two HDDs, one with NT4 and the other with Redhat Linux, so I can dualboot. The other I bought with Linspire preinstalled. I also plan to install Ubuntu on my Mac. But most people buy and use Windows PCs.

How many buy PCs with Linux preinstalled?

I would say, enough to make it a venture that's profitable enough that manufacturers keep doing it.

But how many people can easily switch to Linux? Without a Linux guru it is difficult for most people to switch. Distros like Linspire attempted but Ubuntu is doing successfully is making it easier but there's still a long way to go before Linux is as easy to use for normal people as Windows, heck even Macs, is to use.

Falcon

There's a failing video card in a imac sitting right here

Graphics failed in the MacBook Pro I'm typing this on. When it did I headed down to an Apple store and made an appointment with the Genius Bar the same day. The tech ran some tests and said the graphics needed to be replaced. He then went into the back and came back a few minutes later. He said they were short on the part so he'd have to order it, and when I asked he said it's be in in a couple of days. He then said I could take the MBP home, after rebooting it was working again, and they'd call when the part came in. Because of a repair backlog, there are 4 Apple stores in my area but one closed for remodeling, it took a week to get it back. I later found out that if you pay for Apple Pro Care, which costs $100 a year, you're put at the head of any line.

That failure was the first of two hardware failures this MBP had, and it failed more than 16 months after I got it. The second failure was the DVD drive, after 2 years. I bought two other Macs used. One was a Mac SE 30 I bought in 1992. They were made in 1988-89 and mine lasted until 2000. A few months after it died I bought a PowerMac 7300/200, which were made in 1997. It died in 2006.

I've also bought PCs new, one with Win 95, one dual booted NT4 and Redhat Linux, another had ME, and one came with Linux preinstalled. Except for the NT4 Workstation/Linux PC they had had to have both the hard disk drive and the motherboard replaced before they were one year old. The Win 95 PC was a Gateway, the WinME an HP, the workstation was from Microway, and the Linux PC was a store brand.

Whereas every Mac I had lasted more than a year before I had trouble with it of 4 new PCs I bought only one did not have trouble during it's first year, the Microway PC. Unfortunately its CPU is a DEC Alpha and I was unable to install much software, DEC's FX!32 software emulator wasn't as good as DEC billed it as, on it so I haven't used it much.

I guess I'll send it in at the last day of warranty :\

Grit your teeth and take it into a store. Then if they say they need to order the parts to fix it take it home and have them call you when they come in. You might be without it a few days but at least you'll get it repaired.

Falcon

While this sort of machine is useful (I just built one for quantum Monte Carlo calculations 6 months ago) it is hardly news. NVIDIA has been pushing this sort of machine since the launch of the Tesla. In fact, they have had a parts list on their website for some time telling exactly what is needed to put together a computer with 4 C1060's. This is not even the first commercial offering of this nature, with companies like appro and microway having similar products for at least a year (see nvidia) for a more complete list.

What I found weird about installing, or trying to install, software on the Alpha was that the only commercial closed source proprietary software I was able to install was the Borland compiler yet I was able to install a few freeware/shareware and open source programs. Not even Netscape would install, I called tech support and they said they didn't support Alphas.

because the sole reason for existence for an OS is running apps.

And the sole reason for the existence of hardware is to run software.

BTW, I am crazy with envy right now... Dude, you got an Alpha?

Yeap. I ordered it from Microway back at the end of 1997. I ordered it with two 5GBhard disks, which were big then. On one disk NT4 was installed and Redhat Linux was installed on the other. I don't know if I could do it but I'd like to upgrade it. For hardware I'd replace the HDDs, add a DVD drive, Firewire, new network card, and USB, as well as RAM. I'd replace one HDD with a disk at least 100GB then make two partitions, one for NT4 and the other for Linux, the other one I'd replace with a big drive. At least 1TB, for user files. Both NT4 and Linux would use the second drive as the home partition.

Of course about all it's good for now is as a play thing, unless it's used as part of a Beowulf cluster. I don't want it to go to waste, so maybe I can use it as a server. I don't know if they can but maybe the Geek Squad can upgrade it.

Falcon

They haven't been able to make a legitimate "we build the whole thing so it's stable" argument in a long time, if they ever could.

I know it's only personal anecdotes but I've had more problems with Windows OEM, specifically Dell, HP, and Gateway PCs than I have had with Macs. I've bought 2 used Macs and they lasted me years without problems. I'm typing this on my MacBook Pro I've had about 20 months and I've only had one hardware problem, a few months ago my graphics had to be replaced. It lasted more than a year before I had a hardware failure. The PCs I bought new were a different story. I had the motherboard and harddisk drive fail on Windows PCs from Gateway and HP PC within one year. They also failed on a PC that I got that had Linux preinstalled. The Dell was a brand new PC running XP in a class where I was going to college and on the first day of class it froze when I first booted it up. The only Windows PC I bought I did not have hardware or OS trouble was a DEC Alpha PC I bought from Microway. Unfortunately because it had an Alpha CPU I could not get much software installed on it, so I didn't use it much. Which was a real shame, what software I got working ran a lot faster than the software did on the Gateway I got at the same tyme.

I never had NT4 crash or throw up the BSOD. Other than Win3.x all other versions of Windows I used did. However I have NT4 running on a DEC Alpha I got from Microway. Because I wasn't able to install much software installed on it I didn't use it as much as I would have liked.

Falcon

On the flip side though, since I bought my wife's MacBook in August of 2007, I've had to replace a battery and the keyboard (no, nothing was spilled on/in it :-))

Really? In the about 20 months I've had my MacBook Pro I taken it to the Genius Bar in an Apple store twice. The first tyme was the day after it was delivered. When I ordered it I also ordered software for it. One program was the utility suite Tech Tool Pro 4. The day I got it I tried to boot the Mac with the disk but it didn't do anything. So the following day I rushed to an Apple store to see a Genius. That store was busy though I was there at opening, however one person set up an appointment at another Apple store, there are 4 in my area with 3 10 to 15 minutes drive. It ended up Apple had sent an older version of Tech Tool which wasn't compatible to boot with.

The second tyme I took my MBP to the Genius Bar was after the hard disk drive was replaced in January this year. After the replacement it it didn't respond for a while when I was installing Leopard. So again I went there, and made an appointment. While waiting I tried to install Leopard again. Apparently the first tyme I didn't wait long enough, I only waited about 10 minutes, because after about 15 minutes the Leopard installation started.

One of the reasons I switched from PCs to Macs is because of the trouble I've had with them. Of 4 PCs I bought new on 3 both the hdd and motherboard had to be replaced within a year. On two of those, the third came with Linux preinstalled, I had to reinstall Windows a number of tymes. And no it wasn't that I just decided to reinstall Windows. The first one started giving me problems so I called the OEM's tech support. After running through a number of tests the tech told me I needed to reinstall Windows. After that I had the same problem again with it as well as a second PC I bought new.

I understand that the plural of "anecdote" is not "data", but my personal experience with post-iMac G3 Apple products is that they haven't been nearly as reliable as the machines I put together myself. My iPods, Apple IIs, and older Macs all keep going like a Timex watch though.

I say the same, Windows OEM PCs weren't reliable but old Macs were. Of the three PCs I needed to replace the hdd and mobo one was a Gateway, one an HP, and the third a no name store brand. I've only been happy with the hardware on one PC, one I ordered from Microway. I agree about the older Macs, the first computer I bought was a used Mac SE30 I bought in 1992. Because it's floppy drive was only double density I think it was built in 1988, the high density floppies came out in 1989. It lasted me until 2000 when it wouldn't bootup. Shortly after that I bought another used Mac, this one a PowerMac 7300/200 which I think came out in 1996/7. It lasted until 2006 when like the SE30 it wouldn't bootup.

Falcon

You implied Dell was cool because it owned Alienware, however Dell didn't start it Dell bought Alienware. I first thought the same about Gateway when they bought Amiga, Amigas were my favorite computer platform and at the tyme it was expected Gateway would revitalize the Amiga. I also thought DEC's Alpha CPU was cool. So when I bought my first new PCs I bought a Gateway laptop and an Alpha tower PC from Microway. Back then both the Alpha and Gateway had pretty good reviews, but I became sorry I bought them.

Falcon

You browse the web, you check email, maybe design little HTML based websites and that sort of thing.

I also do photography, programming, and other things.

You said "I've had hardware problems within a few months of buying a new PC. You don't buy a new PC, you build one.

I have the skills to add or replace a few things but I do not have the skills to build my own PC. Nor do most people. Nor do I have the ability to diagnose problems, hardware or software. About all I've done, hardware wise is add more ram, a second graphics card, and a second hdd. I have never ever built my own PC. Now I have had to reinstall Windows a bunch of tymes. And installed Linux once, which didn't out well.

Unless you bought a boutique computer, of course you had hardware problems if you bought a Dell or Gateway or something - they use crappy components.

The first PC was a Gateway, which was a big mistake. The other one I had hardware problems with was an HP. The only PC I had, and still have, that I did n't have a problem with is a DEC Alpha I order from Microway. While I didn't have hardware problems with it, because it's CPU's an Alpha I wasn't able to get much software installed. Of all the Windows PCs I've owned or used NT4, which it ran, was the most stable. Heck the first tyme I used XP it froze while booting up. And it was on a brand new Dell the college I was attending had just got.

Here's one thing I'd like you to do: Run HFS+ and install Dreamweaver for webpage design.

Unless HFS is a file system I have no idea what it is. Dreamweaver? I've used Dreamweaver, on both Windows PCs and Macs. I prefer to handcode though, using TextPad on PCs and TextEdit on the Mac. I also used TextPad for Java and Perl.

Install Flash to augment those web pages.

I have the Flash player installed on my Mac. As for creating Flash, though Adobe has Flash for both OS X and Windows, I don't like Flash. Years ago I bought Macromedia Studio which came with Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, and Homesite. The only one of them I used much at all was Dreamweaver. Then again the only reason I used it at all was because I was taking a Dreamweaver class at the tyme. I haven't used since.

Here's another thing: In Mail.app, mark a message as unread from the message list so you can address it later.

Why would I want to do that. I don't even use Mail. When I used Windows I used Eudora and liked it, and so when I switched to Mac I kept using it. The only problem with it is that OS X and Windows does end of line differently. To convert my old email from Eudora for Windows to Eudora for OS X all I have to do is open the messages in TextEdit and do a search and replace. Before making the switch I researched what I needed to do.

Share your HFS+ drive to a Windows box with logon credentials.

Again I don't know what HFS+ is. As for Windows, I don't want to have anything to do with it. I switched because I was sick and tired of having Windows crash, and I don't like spyware or being treated as a criminal. And that's was Activation does.

You can't use a Mac to create websites with Dreamweaver

I have no interest in using Dreamweaver. And Dreamweaver is not the only way to create websites. TextEdit does me fine. However Adobe does have Dreamweaver for OS X.

That vast majority of those using an creation tool use Dreamweaver, yet it doesn't work.

That Dreamweaver class I said I took, we used Macs not PCs. The classes that used PCs used Frontpage. Because it was several years ago when I took the class I just checked Adobe's site to see what the requirements for Dreamweaver is now, and they do have a Mac version, it says specifically "Mac OS X v10.4.11-10.5.4".

What CAD software do you use?

I don't use C

http://www.microway.com/8wayopteron.html

http://hpcsystems.com/AMDQuadOpteron_A5808-32.htm

where you at Intel (IA64 doesn't count)?

Which firm out of curiosity? There is really only one major PC company I have barely used and that is Dell.

My first PC was from Gateway and the second I had trouble with was an HP. The best Windows PC I got was from Microway, I got it at the same tyme I got the Gateway. Unfortunately though it's cpu's a DEC Alpha and I wasn't able to install much software on it, DEC said with FX!32 almost any software that ran in NT4 would run on Alphas, but that wasn't true. Out of several programs I bought I was only able to install one, Borland's C++ Powerbuilder. I got it as a dualboot, Windows NT4.0 installed on one hdd and Redhat Linux installed on another.

the fact that a comparable PC costs the same is meaningless if I can get a 200$ discount by leaving that stuff out. I use that stuff regularly(at least every week besides the apple tv) so when I got a mac, I thought it was a good deal(this is outside of the constant hardware issues I've had along with shoddy construction of the notebook case which has greatly lowered my view of macs at this point). But I can easily see someone wanting the same power notebook for whatever use without those frills and will happily take the 200$ discount.

You bring up, if indirectly, a problem I have with Apple. Apple doesn't have a good range of Macs. Forgetting a full tower, more than a year ago I bought a tower PC with Linux preinstalled for $250, there's no mini-tower Mac. As for hardware problems, you have some with your Mac? I'm typing this on my 3rd Mac, a MacBook pro, I got in August so I haven't had it long. However the first Mac I got I bought used in 1992, it was a pre 1989 SE30. The only hardware trouble I had with it was when the floppy drive died in 2000. My second Mac's a Power Mac 7300/200 I bought used in 2000. It lasted without hardware problems until January 2006.

The PCs I've bought though are totally different. In December 1997 I bought 2 new PCs, a laptop from Gateway and a tower from Microway. A few months after I got the laptop the hdd had to be replaced. Then about a week before I had it a year the motherboard also failed and had to be replaced. Then in 2000 I bought a new HP PC and the same thing happened, I had to replace the hdd and the motherboard in the first year. I won't even mention all the problems I had with Windows other than to say I had to reinstall it a number of tymes. So though it's only anecdotal or personal experience I have had used Macs last longer than new PCs, much longer. Oh, I didn't mention the Microway PC. Depending on how you look at it, it has either been the most troublesome, or the least troublesome PC I've owned. Troublesome because it's CPU is a DEC Alpha and I wasn't able to install many programs on it. Least troublesome because I never had any hardware failures and I never had trouble with the OS, Windows NT4. Now I may of had some trouble, though I don't know, if I had been able to use it more than I did.

As for the shoddy laptop case, I totally agree. Other than the keyboard the only thing I don't like about the MBP is the plastic case. Oh, I also just realized, my poor memory, I sometimes have trouble with it not turning off the display when closed and not coming back on when reopened occasionally, however I can just take it to an Apple store and have them look at it. Still I like it more than the PCs I've had.

Having a stable Unix base certainly helps, but their products are far from flawless.

While Apple's products aren't flawless they are much better than many competitors' products, and this was true before OS X. The first computer I bought was a used Mac SE30 I bought in 1992, SE30s came out in 1989. I used it until 2000 when it finally failed. I bought another used Mac in 2000 after the SE30 died, a PowerMac 7300/200. They were released in 1997. I used it until January 2006, when it refused to bootup.

At the same tyme I've bought 3 new Windows PCs. I bought a laptop from Gateway and a DEC Alpha based PC running Windows NT4.0 and Redhat Linux from Microway in 1997. Within 6 months the hdd in the laptop had to be replaced, then 2 week short of having it a year the motherboard also had to be replaced. I replaced the PC with an HP Pavilion I bought in 2000. Just as with the laptop, it's hdd and motherboard had to be replaced in the first year. The one PC I haven't mentioned yet is the Alpha. Because it's cpu is an Alpha I was not able to install much software, the only commercial program I was able to install was Borland C++ Powerbuilder. And because of this I haven't used it much, not at all in 3 or 4 years.

SGI bankruptcy is mentioned in the second paragraph of the entry on wikipedia

Yea, I see. No wonder I hadn't heard of it, wiki says it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 8 May 2006. Other than a few months ago when I read how they had sold some high performance and supercomputer, I hadn't heard about them since oh the late '90s. The past few years I haven't been following the industry much, basically just Macs.

Because of the problems I've had with Windows PCs and MS wants to treat it's users as criminals I've switched. Both to Linux and to Macs. A bit over a year ago I got a PC with Linux preinstalled which when I get to it I'll setup as a server. And 2 months ago I got a Macbook Pro, which I'm typing this on.

They are a sad shell of the mighty graphics workstation company they once were.

Years ago I loved SGI's graphics. I had planned on getting a MIPS based PC from SGI 'til Gateway bought the Amiga. While I didn't get one I did get another RISC based PC at the same tyme, I got a DEC Alpha based PC from Microway. I got it as a dualboot PC, with Redhat and Windows NT4.0 installed. NT4.0 is the only MS Windows OS I have not had trouble with. I even had XP freeze on me the first tyme I booted up a PC with it. Knowing what I now know, if I could go back to 1997 and start over I'd get Macs instead.

I want my personal box to be as easy and hassle free as possible so I run windows and only windows.

Sounds like you want a Mac.

Say what you want about bloatware, but it's nice to buy a piece of hardware and have it just work.

I've bought 4 new PCs for myself running some version of Windows, two were from Gateway, one from HP, and the other one is from Microway. The one from Microway is the only one of the four that I did not have trouble with either the hardware or the OS, which is NT4.0. One of the Gateways and the HP had to have their motherboards replaced before they were a year old as well the hdd for each. The LCD on the other Gateway cracked a few mnonths after getting it. Also with both the first Gateway and the HP I had to reinstall Windows a few tymes.

I have also bought two USED Macs. The first one was an SE30 I bought in 1992, it lasted until the floppy drive died in 2000. That was the first hardware problem I had with it, and I didn't have any trouble with the OS. The second is a PowerMac 7300/200 I got a few months later, in 2000. It lasted until January 2006 when it didn't power up. Again that was the first hardware problem and it didn't have software problems either.

It's nice to install a program without having to recompile the kernel.

You don't need to recompile the OS on Macs either.

It's nice to have a box I can actually buy decent games for.

Now that's one thing lacking on Macs, there are a lot of games for Macs but not nearly as many as for Windows.

I haven't found the hardware to be better than anything else either. In fact my experience with Apple hardware has been that it breaks more often than other brands. My iBook has the only LCD display I own with dead pixels. Everyone I know with Macs has had it in the shop at one point or another (everyone in my company has a Mac, among other computers). They're like Ferrari's, nice to look at but a bitch to keep running.

My experience with Macs is the opposite of your's. When I was a heavy user of Macs, from the mid '80s to the mid '90s, I never had either hardware or software problems with a Mac. I bought my first Mac in 1992. It was a used Mac SE30 and I used it until the floppy drive died in 2000, 8 years it lasted me and the only problem I had with it was the fd dying. My second Mac I also bought used, it's a PowerMac 7300/200 I bought after the SE30 died in 2000. I used it until January 2006, last year. I got more than 5 years use out of it.

However with Windows PCs my experiences have been much worse. I bought my first Windows PCs in 1997, a brand new tower and laptop. In the first year the laptop's motherboard and hdd had to be replaced. And it wasn't a no name off brand PC, it was from a then leading PC OEM, Gateway. I replaced it in 2000 with an HP Pavilion. Unfortunately it too had the hdd and motherboard die in the first year. Since then I have replaced the hdd twice and RAM three tymes. The only PC I have not had hardware problems with is the first tower I got, back in 1997. However it has a DEC Alpha cpu running NT 4.0 and was built by Microway. Because the cpu's an Alpha not an Intel or AMD I was not able to install many of the programs I tried to install therefore I have hardly used it.

As I remember it, when DEC went belly-up the software assets went to Compaq and the hardware assets eventually to Intel, which buried the Alpha - strong competitor to their processor lines.

Actually a South Korean company, Samsung, was producing Alphas though I don't know if they still are. And until April HP will be selling the Alpha Server. Microway the company I got my Alpha from still sales Workstations & Servers using Alphas. Of course they also offer computers with Intel and AMD cpus.

My own personal machines haven't really been problematic, except for every Mac I've owned. From 'logicboard failures' (In all the years I've been using computers, I've never had a motherboard just 'fail' except when it came to mac) to the wireless card just dying a few days after I got it (and then Applecare trying to dodge dealing with it).

I've had the opposite experience to your's. I've bought two Macs used and four new PCs running Windows. My first Mac was an SE30 I bought in used in 1992. It lasted until 2000 when the floppy died. Several months later I bought another used Mac, this one's a Power Mac 7300/200. It died in January 2006, early this year, when it didn't bootup. These were the only problems I ever had with either Mac.

However it's a different story with the four new PCs I bought. The first one was a laptop I bought from Gateway in 1997. About 6 months after I got it the hdd died and had to be replaced. Then 2 weeks before I had it a year it refused to bootup and Gateway arranged to have it picked up and sent into the service center. To make the story short the motherboard had to be replaced. The third PC was another Gateway laptop I got in early 2000. It's LCD cracked three months after I got it. The fourth one, which I'm typing this on, is an HP Pavillion I got in later in 2000. Like the first laptop, it's hdd and motherboard had to be replaced in the first year. Altogether I've replaced or installed three hdds, the motherboard, and a graphics card on the HP. This leaves out one PC, my second. I got it at the same tyme as the first laptop, in 1997. It has a DEC Alpha cpu and is from Microway running NT 4. It is the only compatible PC I haven't had hardware trouble with, however because the cpu is an Alpha I wasn't able to get much software installed on it so I haven't used it much, and not at all in the past few years. Now I'm hoping to find a Linux distro I can install on it.

In all, I've bought 2 used Macs which lasted me several years before dying and 4 new PCs three of which had hardware problems within a year. From my personal experience I'd definitely say Macs are more reliable than other PCs.

I'd like to bring a list of Linux desktop hardware vendors, but so far I only have two off the top of my head.

There's Microway.

Now you are mostly spouting nonsense. Stability, ease of use, security are assets of the Mac.

Depends on who you talk to. I work with a team of 12 Windows engineers who find disparagements of the OS like that to be not only laughable, but a little sad. We'll all tell you the same thing: we chose this OS as our primary base because we didn't want to work so hard. We hate being called in the middle of the night because something went down or got hacked. The Unix guys are not so lucky. They actually take the week off when they're on call they get called so often. Us, one call a week is excessive when on call. And, more often than not it's because some supportie dialed the wrong group. When a distributed app goes down, 999 times out of a 1000 it was the Unix side...unless the Windows box was running on a Dell, of course. :)

Windows PCs are more stable than Macs? Funny, Not! I've used both Macs and Windows PCs and by far I've had more trouble with Windows PC than I have ever had with Macs. I've bought two used Macs, the first one's a Mac SE/30 I bought in 1992. I used it until 2000 when the floppy drive died. The second is a Power Mac 7300/200 I got a few months later. Until early this year, January 2006, it died though I don't know why. I went to turn it on and boot up but nothing.

Windows PCs though are a different matter. I've bought 3 brand new and one reconditioned PCs running Windows. The first two I ordered in 1996 around the same tyme. One was a laptop from Gateway running Win 95. I had it a few months before the harddisk drive died and needed to be replace. Then two weeks before a year passed the motherboard died as well, Gateway arranged to have the laptop shipped to their repair facility. A week later I called the check the status and was told they were out of a part they needed so I had to wait longer. The following week I called again and they said they had shipped it the day before so I shoud of gotten it. After exchanging calls between them and the shipping company Gateway decided to send me a new laptop which took another couple of days. The third PC was a remanufactured laptop from Gateway I got in 2000. I had it for a few months before the lcd cracked. Sorry they don't cover lcds.

The fourth PC is an HP PCI got in 2001. Like the first Gateway it's hd and motherboard had to be replaced within a year. And in the following year the RAM had to be replaced. Also like the Gateway I've had to reinstall Windows a number of tymes because the OS kept crashing. Now, I haven't said any yet about the second PC. It's an Alpha based PC from Microway I ordered as a dualboot PC running both Redhat Linux and Windows NT4. It is the only Windows machine I've had that I have not had hardware fail on me. However because the CPU is an Alpha I wasn't able to get many apps installed in Windows and I didn't have a modem installed when ordered so I haven't used it much.

I know it's only ancedotes but from my personal experience Macs are much better than Windows PCs. And the next computer I get will be a Mac, I'm hoping to order a Macbook Pro by the end of the year at the latest.

You're right, I meant DSLR, for some reason I frequently make that mistake. I don't know why, though I'm not a pro I am a photographer. Actually I am hoping to get into photography professionally. But I need to work on my composition, and because it's been way too long since I've worked in a darkroom I'll probably have to take some darkroom classes. I loved it when I worked in darkrooms, but I also want to do digital photography as well as try medium format, say get a 645 camera.

Regarding your crashes, I've actually had to replace more Mac's than PC's. I've had one Mac HDD crash and one motherboard fry. I've had only a motherboard go bad on a PC.

My first Mac I got in 1992, it was a SE 30 I got used. It lasted until 2000 when the floppy died. The second Mac I got is a Power Mac 7300/200 I got a few months later also used. When I tried to boot it up early this year it wouldn't, I don't know why. I checked if it was getting power and such but couldn't do much more and it wasn't worth it to have it repaired. I however have had two motherboards, three hdds, and some ram from pcs die. The two motherboards and two of the three hdds died before they were a year old. I bought three PCs brand new and another one that was remanufactured and I've had hardware problems with three of them. The one PC I didn't have hardware problems with is a DEC Alpha running Windows NT4, but because it's an Alpha I haven't been able to get much software installed on it so I haven't used it much.

Your experiences with Macs vs PCs are opposite to mine.

The Mac is basically using the same hardware so failure rates are likely the same. Sounds like you had a run of bad luck. I typically don't use major vendors but assemble the hardware myself.

This is true now but it's not true for the old Macs like my SE30. As for the PC systems I got, two were from Gateway, one from HP, and the Alpha is from Microway. While I've added and replaced parts myself like hdds, ram, and video cards I haven't build one totally from parts. I started to, I had most of the pieces assembled, er bought, when I lost them. However now unless you want a custom built system it's cheaper to buy a compleat system.

The activation thing doesn't bother me.

It bothers me, the only thing that should be needed is a product key or serial number to activate any software, whether an OS or not.

I must admit I do not understand all your problems with hardware and software. I use a computer at least 10 hours a day, I have 4 at home right now, plus my one at work(which also runs my terminal emulator for the Alpha boxes we use). ANYWAY... One of them is even a crap DELL, and another one a crappy IBM Netvista, and I reboot around once a month. Do they ever crash... no!
And I work my PC's hard, never shutting anything down, running virtual machines, having 20 or more sites open in Opera etc.

I never had this much stability on my apple in the old days... Yes, I know the OS is better now.

I don't understand why I have trouble with the PC hardware I've gotten either, I haven't seen anyone have as many problems as I have. But for some reason I do have them. However I've had two Macs, both of which I bought used. The first was a Mac SE30 I got in 1992. It lasted me until 2000 when the floppy drive finally failed. The second is a Power Mac 7300/200 I got a few months later. The first tyme I had trouble with it was in the beginning of this year, I pressed the on switch and nothing happened. I checked to make sure it had power but it wouldn't bootup. As for Dell, a couple of years ago in a class at the college I attended on the first day of the semester there were new Dells on the tables though I don't recall what model. They had XP installed. When I sat down I pressed the power button to bootup and a couple of minutes later it froze, the three finger salute did nothing, the only thing that worked was to press and hold the power button. Afterwards it booted up alright. Between that, Activation, and WGA I decided not to get another Windows OS until Microsoft changes it's policies and practices.

You are expecting too little and too much. Your low expectations allowed you to have HUGE problems ever since the beginning and have never sorted them out, just accepted them. But feeling that a hard drive failure is a problem worth listing is setting your sights WAY too high. Hardware from ALL vendors fail, especially HD's... yes, even from Apple. (Apple seems to have more hardware problems than most as of late.) You have no Idea how many hard drives some of us slashdotters have had (Apple or others).

The only expectation I had when I got the first PCs was that I could use them, well and I expected the Alpha to be blazingly fast. I hadn't thought of it but if I had I would of thought both DEC and Microsoft would of supported the Alpha longer than they did. And while I expect hardware to fail, there's a difference between one failing occasionally and two, well four really counting harddrives and motherboards, failing in the first year. Bad luck hanging over my head maybe?

I'm sorry you bought an Alpha FX!32 machine after 1998

Actually I got the Alpha in 1997. I got it from Microway and a laptop from Gateway at the same tyme.

Speaking of doing research, you believe moving to Apple will solve your hardware problems, but you are aware that the old Apple quality control really is now a myth, right? They used to take heat for little things like cracks in the CUBE etc, but now they are pushing new products out so quickly that those cracks seem like childs play. (while the virus on the IPODS is not really that bad, it is just evidence that way too many shortcuts are not being taken in the design and Q.C. departments) This is the price of having leading edge hardware instead of trailing edge.

As I stated above I haven't had the problem with Macs I've had with PCs. But in truth I prefer Macs and I've been using both Macs and PCs since 1984/5, more than 20 years. Microsoft's policies especially as regards Activation and WGA are what pushed me over the edge and is the single biggest reason I decided to switch to Macs.

Also - design. I know a lot of nerds like Apple stuff for that reason, but really - it's awful. All that plasticy white or pale blue. I know iPods are only supposed to last a year, but PCs have to look like they'll survive a few years in an office environment.

It's only ancedote but from my personal experience Macs last longer than PCs. The first computer I bought I bought a used Mac in 1992. It finally bit the dust when the floppy drive died in 2000. Prior to this the only problem I had with it was I couldn't install new software on it after a few years. Since 1997 I've bought 4 pcs for myself. The first one was a Gateway laptop. It's motherboard had to be replaced a few months after I got it. Then a couple of weeks before I had had it a year the hd died. The third was another laptop from Gateway. The lcd cracked around three months after I got it and when I called tech support they said they didn't cover that and this despite the extended warranty I paid for when I ordered it. The HP PC I'm using now is my fourth PC and like the first laptop, in the first year I had it the motherboard and hd had to be replaced. And that was just some of the hardware troubles I've had. Now, the second PC I got, I ordered from Microway is the only PC I haven't had hardware problem with. However the cpu is a DEC Alpha and I wasn't able to install much software on it so I haven't used it much.

After not having any problems with Macs in years of use and with having them with almost every PC within a year has convinced me to make my next computer a Mac.

As far as I'm concerned DEC's FX!32 isn't any good. I bought an Alpha computer from Microway some year back and almost every program I tried to install FX!32 gave me the message it couldn't install the program. I found it rather ironic the only commercial app I was able to install was Borland's C++ Powerbuilder. Other than that I was only able to install some free/shareware. Because I haven't been able to use it much, and not at all in the past few years, my Alpha was a waste of money to me. I'm hoping to change that, after I replace the HP PC I'm using now with a MacBook Pro, I'm hoping to be able to find an up to date version of Linux to install on the Alpha.

... It is. Windows XP works pretty well, and there's really no more reason to switch PC platforms than there is to change your heat pump. It works. You'd be an idiot (quite literally) to waste time and money for no reason. That's the public attitude.

Then maybe I had a bad computer or install because the first tyme I ever used XP was on a new Dell in a class I was taking in college. The first day of class I pushed the power button to boot it up and while booting it froze and the BSOD popped up. The only thing that worked was to push in and hold the power button until it shutdown then I had to reboot. That's one reason when I get a new computer it will be a Mac, two more reasons are Activation and WGA. MS doesn't need to more more than that I paid for Windows, especially if it comes installed on a new Dell, HP, or anyother. Nor do they need to spy on me. And it isn't just Windows I've had problems with, I've bought two computers from Gateway, one from HP, and one from Microway. The first Gateway, well both Gateways, were laptops and within a few months of getting it the hd failed. Then a couple of weeks before the first year ended that I had it the motherboard failed. The same thing happened with the HP, which I'm using now. On the second Gateway laptop a few weeks after I got it the LCD display cracked and all Gateway would tell me was that I wold have to pay to fix it and that the cost could be anywhere between $200 and $1200. The technician wouldn't even give me a closer estimate than that. The only PC I haven't had hardware, or OS, problems is the Microway which runs NT4. Unfortunately the cpu is a DEC Alpha and DEC's FX!32 didn't work very well when I tried to install software, most of the software I tried to install wouldn't. Because of this I've hardly ever used it. On the other hand I've bought two used Macs. The first one was an SE30 and it lasted me several years before it died. The second one is a Power Macintosh 7300/200 and I got a few years use out of it before I had any problems with it. I know it's only ancedotes but from my experience Macs are trouble free whereas PCs cause too much trouble.

Currently I'm using an HP with Windows ME. I use it mostly at home and it's the newest I have, I got it in 2000 or 2001. To my left I have a Power Mac 7300/200 I got used at about the same tyme. And to my right I have a Microway DEC Alpha running both Windows NT 4.0 and Linux I got in 1997. However I haven't even booted up either the Mac or the Alpha in more than a year. For my next computter I plan on getting a Mac Powerbook, probably in January or February.

When firefox was first released, it was declared rock-solid. Now it is being used by a wider audience, they are discovering more 'holes'. (Anyone know of the status of Opera on security?)

Nothing should ever be declared "rock-solid" in security. Given enough tyme more than likely someone will break it. As for the status of Opera I don't know. Years ago I used it but I haven't in since about 2000. I've got the new version but haven't gotten around to installing it. Though I'm not using it right now I have both Firefox and Netscape 8 installed, right now I'm using Netscape 7. Occasionally I use IE 5.5, but mostly to save a webpage. I can use Netscape and Firefox for this but when I save using IE IE inserts the url of the webpage being saved whereas neither Firefox nor Netscape does. Sure I can open the page once saved and insert the url into it but why go through the extra steps, and yes I save a lot of webpages. For a previous reply I made I opened a page with special charactors I had saved so I could see how to type different accents.

I'd get one of these.

That's more the fault of proprietary software vendors than the alpha architecture.. If you run an opensource OS and compile opensource apps on it, you`l have a lot more success.. Most linux apps compile and run very well on alpha systems

Besides WinNT Redhat Linux is installed on a second drive, I ordered it that way from Microway however now I spend my computers mostly online and when I got the Alpha I didn't get it with a modem. As I now have cable access I'd like to go ahead and network the all three of my computers, other than the Alpha I have a 766MHz Celeron with Win ME and PowerMac 7300/200. All of them are rather long in the teeth, the Celeron is the newest and it's more than 5 years old. When I'm ready I'll need to find a good resource to help me setup the network. One of the things I'm wondering is if I should use a router or a switch, my knowledge of networking is rudamentary at best.

Once I setup a network then I'll use my Alpha as well as my Mac.

Ooh, even if running Linux doesn't different apps depend on what the processor is, with different ports for the different processors?

Falcon

That case looks ALOT like the Microway Whisper Station:

Microway

I seriously considered buying that box when I built my computer a few months back. I ended up going with this:

Micronux

because it was the best cost with the stuff I wanted at the time. I'd buy from them again but I'm going to investigate other cases for the system. This one runs hot and loud. While it's under my desk off to the side, it still drives me nuts sometimes.

I get a kick out of hearing people talk about "quality control" from Apple.

By brother went to the dark side a few months ago and got a mac laptop. Dont ask me for model type cause I dont know, I've never put one of my fingerprints on it. Anyway, he has had it sent in due to HARDWARE failure more times in the past 3 months then the 2 laptops and 5 desktops have had hardware failures in the past 10 years.

My first PC was a laptop from Gateway and less than a year after I got it the hd died so Gateway sent me a new one. A couple of months later ithe laptop died again and I talked tech support but they couldn't figure out what was wrong so they had me send it in. Once they had it they ran tests on it and found out the motherboard died so they since me a replacement. They sent it second day delivery but I didn't get it so the next day I called and they said it had been delivered and asked me to check with the the leasing office where I lived. But they didn't have it so I called back and they said they's send another one. A week later I still hadn't gotten one back so I called again. They said they were having difficulty getting the parts for a new one but that they'd send it as soon as they could. I finally got it about a month later. The second PC I got was also a laptop from Gateway and about a month later the LCD display cracked, sorry that's not covered, even with the extended service plan I got with it. So I asked how much it would cost to replace and all they could say was up to $1200, not even a firm price, forget that.

The computer I'm using now is my fourth PC and I've had two hds die on it as well as the motherboard. The only PC I've had that didn't have a hardware problem, it's also the only one I didn't have problems with Windows, is a DEC Alpha from Microway.

At the same tyme I've had two Macs, both of which I bought used. The first was a Mac SE/30 I got in 1992. In 2000 the floppy drive finally died. The second one is a PowerMac 7300/200. I got it in 2000 a few months after my first died and I've never had a problem with it.

I've had problems in the past, with a different PC

The PC I'm using now is my fourth with a version of Windows. This one is an HP Pavilion, two others were Gateway laptops, and the other one is a DEC Alpha from Microway. This PC has Windows ME, the first laptop had Win95, the second Win98, and the Alpha, NT4.0. Of the four the only one I haven't had any problems with Windows is the Alpha. However because it's an Alpha not an Intel I haven't been able to get much software installed on it so I haven't used it much, and not at all in more than a couple of years.

My copies of XP don't require activation.

Yea, someone told me that some editions of XP were released that didn't require activation but at the same tyme he said good luck trying to find one. When I get the Powerbook I plan on getting Virtual PC with Win2000 but unless and until Microsoft gets rid of activation I don't plan on getting another Windows OS.

They put out Windows NT for Alphas however when you get down to it and try to install software that runs in NT on Intel PCs more than likely it won't happen. I got an Alpha from Microway with NT in 1997. The only commercial app I was able to install on it was Borland's C++ Powerbuilder. And by 2000 MS stopped supporting NT on Alphas.

I really favor diversity in the desktop ecosphere, and let's face it - PPC is the last truly viable alternative to X86.

I used to think the DEC Alpha would be a viable alternative to the X86, boy was that an expensive mistake. I ordered an Alpha from Microway that was setup as a dualboot with Linux and Windows NT. DEC as well as all the articles I read about the Alpha said that most any program that ran under NT could be installed on the Alpha yet I was only able to install one program I bought on mine, Borland's C++ Powerbuilder. Though it's sitting to my right within arm's reach I haven't had it running more than an hour in the past 5 years. Maybe when I get a network setup I may use it but I don't know. If I knew then what I know now I probably would of gotten a top of the line Mac instead. At least then I could run Windows as well as Mac software.

I'll second that, but I've experienced up to over 30% failure rate.

I will never do whitebox stuff again.

FYI, the vendor was Microway.

I run a 48 Node Microway beowulf and I must say that it is the most stable system available. Everything came assembled and ready to go (of course, I built the enclosure and did the networking, but they will do that for you if you'd like). If you're not very knowledgeable about beowulfs, how do you know you'll need so much power? Do you know how well the software you will be using will scale? Is it close to embarassingly parallel or does it lose efficiency over X nuber of nodes? What type of resources and consumption does the program use? Is it extremely processor hungry, or does it deal with dense matrices and require low-memory latency and high bandwidth or both? Do you know if you will need the power of Myranet or will you be able to get by on GigE?

These are important questions you must ask your researchers and yourself before you purchase this cluster. But, to answer your question, I believe Microway is the best choice and I plan on having them build our next cluster in the next fiscal year.

-brian

On the Portland Group's website. If you have the money, they're darn good compilers. Microway sells them as their preferred C/C++ suite, which says something... They support AMD64 too! :-)

The only downside, for some, is that they're Linux-only.

Sure, no probs, I probably should have done that in my post first time round...

For PowerPC, Motorola actually roll their own there was a Slashdot article about it a while back. The Motorola ones are particularly cool because they are dual CPU and dual on board ethernet (and of course are regular ATX form factor). You could also get an AmigaOne board (ATX) (currently Pre-Order), or a Pegasos Dual board http://www.amigasuperbit.com/indexcataloge/531.htm (MicroATX).

You can a motherboard and CPU for ~600 Euro from these guys, which is not at all bad.

There are other sites too, but you do have to Google for them. All of these run Linux, and while they may not seem that fast from reading the specs, of if you've ever tried a Power Macintosh of a similar spec that seemed slow on that speed of CPU, don't worry as Linux is extremely fast in comparison to Mac OS X (quite amazingly so, especially as gcc does not optimise compiled code for Altivec (work currently being sponsored by Red Hat, and being done by Alan Cox I think I read...). I've posted this before, but Linux runs much faster than Mac OS X on my G4 PowerBook than Mac OS X does, there is so much difference it's in speed it's scary (and it's not just Mac OS X's GUI that slows the system down, general IO is slower, meaning *everything* (networking, disk access, memory usage) is slower [which is :-) or :-( depending on your position on Linux/Mac OS X :] ).

For SPARC, the SPARC Product Directory web site has quite a few places you buy them from. Tadpole are particularly cool as they make SPARC laptops. A lot of companies simply re-sell Sun parts they buy OEM.

One company, Sun Rise (UK) buy Sun motherboards, CPU's etc OEM from the US and resell them in their own cases in interesting & powerful configurations. Apparently this pisses of Sun UK, but Sun US are quite happy to keep selling them the parts, so they continue to build systems that way...

They are really very good systems and the midrange systems are a much better (and much cheaper) than anything Sun offers, there support is good too, but I think their sales & marketing side of things lets them down I think (their web site is appalling and they don't really seem to know how to drum up business with technology oriantated firms, e.g. ISP's, Telco's, the seem to be after other markets...). They are still worth looking at though...you will save 50% on the cost of hardware (compared to buying from Sun), and you'll get a much better midrange system than anything Sun currently offer.

NB: Sun Rise actually sell business (not consumer) products, but I thought this might be interesting to some people none the less.

Prices vary quite a bit for them (none charge as much as Sun though, most are less than half the cost). Second hand might be best if cost is a big consideration, a complete Dual CPU SPARC system can be had on ebay for ~700 USD.

As for Alpha systems, apart direct from HP/Compaq there are a few component sales in Google like these guys, but most of them are complete systems, badged as 'Workstations', an example is Microway who sell a reasonably affordable complete system (even ships with Red Hat or Windows 2000 (if you like that sort of thing ;)).

Alpha systems are more expensive than SPARC (and twice as much as PPC systems), and while I think the PPC systems are better value for money, if you did want to go 'all out' and get an Alpha system you can get one for around 1,300 USD (CPU + Motherboard).

If they had higher-end NVIDIA graphics cards, they could also be very good OpenGL development/visualization stations, using Linux. Port all that SGI code with very little effort...

Biggest problem I'm still having is the system sounds like a 747 taking off and I've had official AMD CPU fans burn out on me. I would still love to get a bit more oomph out of this though if there are any suggestions.

I'd use aftermarket fans, I thought AMD's fans were cheesy (to use a technical term;). If you want a good product, I recommend the PC Power and Cooling Athlon CPU cooler. PCP&C generally has top-quality products (great choice for power supplies as well).

You should probably start going for DVD/RAM drives also, lots more capacity for backups...

One final thought on numerics - you might want to compare some of the commercial compilers with gcc. For instance, Microway resells a strong line of commercial compilers. The Portland Group compilers, in particular, look promising.

Of all the media bull I've heard about the 64-Bit Intel/AMD chip, I've yet to hear ONE SINGLE person claim that the new chip will be somehow better than the Alpha.

Tell you what. Since all the apps need to be fixed (or at least recompiled) to work on 64-bit processors anyhow, why not just go the route of porting everything to the Alpha? We could use this to finally get the hell away from Intel's terrible chipset.

And for all of you that think the Alpha will be dying soon, there are plenty of companies other than Compaq with Alpha products that are far better quality than Intel, and will likely be cheaper as well.

http://www.microway.com/products/ws/alpha_21164.ht ml

Would you care to have a read of here and then explain your car analogy again?

On second thought, it looks like they're sold by Microway.

You should think a bit about whether the extra abilities of the Alpha boxes are worth the extra bucks for your application. One thing which I think that I remember about the Alphas is that they use a crossbar switch to link the several processors on a motherboard to memory, et cetera. This should give better throughput. They also have huge caches which should help with big matrices. I think that if you have lots of little problems which should be run in parallel, more nodes with lower price and capability per node might be the way to go.

I remember back in the days of the XT, Microway used to sell math coprocessor and video boards for PCs which cost more than the box you hooked them to, along with high-grade compilers which would put that hardware to work. They were once the place to get hardware and software for doing seroius number-crunching on a PC.

You should think a bit about whether the extra abilities of the Alpha boxes are worth the extra bucks for your application. One thing which I think that I remember about the Alphas is that they use a crossbar switch to link the several processors on a motherboard to memory, et cetera. This should give better throughput. They also have huge caches which should help with big matrices. I think that if you have lots of little problems which should be run in parallel, more nodes with lower price and capability per node might be the way to go.

I remember back in the days of the XT, Microway used to sell math coprocessor and video boards for PCs which cost more than the box you hooked them to, along with high-grade compilers which would put that hardware to work. They were once the place to get hardware and software for doing seroius number-crunching on a PC.

You should think a bit about whether the extra abilities of the Alpha boxes are worth the extra bucks for your application. One thing which I think that I remember about the Alphas is that they use a crossbar switch to link the several processors on a motherboard to memory, et cetera. This should give better throughput. They also have huge caches which should help with big matrices. I think that if you have lots of little problems which should be run in parallel, more nodes with lower price and capability per node might be the way to go.

I remember back in the days of the XT, Microway used to sell math coprocessor and video boards for PCs which cost more than the box you hooked them to, along with high-grade compilers which would put that hardware to work. They were once the place to get hardware and software for doing seroius number-crunching on a PC.

• http://www.microway.com/
• http://www.aspsys.com/
• http://www.swt.com/

Err, now. That is if you count Beowulf cluster in a rack, 64 way a simp at $70720

Medway Dual Athlon Cluster

Check out Microway.
You can pick up a 533 Mhz Alpha system for $1995. It comes with everything except a monitor.
Hrm... 64-bit cpu w/ 2mb cache system for under 2 grand. Not to shabby.

--

Well, the Alpha would have a much bigger market penetration if it wasn't so damn expensive. Do you really want to spend $3000 just for the CPU and motherboard? I know I don't have that money. I suspect that an awful lot of people are in that situation.

Otherwise, aside from that and the occasional lack of 64bit cleanness, the Alpha is a nice platform.

You also don't have the time to even look. As an example, go to Microway and look at their Alpha workstations. A 533MHz 21164 w/NT4 or RH6.2 for $1,995. I'm pretty sure I've even seen lower prices on Alphas, shop around.

Vote Naked 2000