Like I've said, I've been CUMing for almost two years now and have no desire to stop. OSX rocks, and I think it will re-establish Apple's desktop dominance.
Even if Apple did the unthinkable, and created an x86 version of OSX, they STILL wouldn't 'establish desktop dominance'.
No way they would even get on 25% of the x86 desktops. Running only on overpriced, proprietary hardware? 5% forever (and that number is too high, based on my experience).
Really? Then why is this computer one thousand dollars less?
Sorry, the G4 Ti IS an awesome computer, but it is not what I would call "cost competitive". At $2600 it is definitely a botique computer.
Last year I bought a Dell Inspiron 3800 for $1200, and I dare say it is 95% of the computer the G4 Ti is for less than half the price. I could have bought another for the kitchen and still come out ahead!
Now let's stroll over to Dell.com. They sell a computer called the 8100, for $1459. Pentium IV 1.5ghz, 256 MB RAM, 60 GB drive, vastly superior GeForce2mx video, ethernet, CDRW, Firewire. 17" monitor, bigger than iMac. I won't even start on it's ZERO PCI slots or lack of upgradability on the video and sound.
Out of those two systems, I know which one I'd like to own.
Note: I have not even addressed Athlon systems, which have an even better price/performance ratio.
Don't even get me started on the higher priced G4, their pricing is a horrible joke.
And what if something breaks or you want to upgrade?? Sorry, that'll be $100 for 16MB SDRAM. That's what happens when you buy closed architecture.
You're trolling, but just to clarify in case anyone already doesn't know, every current Apple computer takes "PC standard" memory, (SO-DIMMS in the laptops, regular SDRAM for the desktops) and has for quite a while.
There is enough shit wrong with Apple that's true, we don't need to make up more:) Thanks.
Sure, the G4 Titanium is expensive when compared to a Dell Latitude. But the G4 Ti is the top of the line Apple - it has more in common with the Dell 8100 series... and when you compare those two, the difference is $50-$100 Cdn.
I agree, the Ti is an awesome laptop, but let's allow it to stand on it's own merits. It STARTS at US $2599. I just configured a Dell 8100 for $2,148.00 through their 'small business' store.
$450 is nothing to sneeze at, and will buy you a shitload of memory, giant hard drive, case, docking station, whatever. The Dell also has the best laptop video card avaiable (GeForce2go) whereas the Mac has the older ATI graphics.
So Apple is not quite there yet on price, but they are getting closer with the portables. Unfortunately, the G4 tower and iMac are getting further away...
I'll stop complaining about their hardware as soon as they stop charging $350 to UPGRADE from a GeForce2mx to a GeForce3 and selling 256 MB sticks of memory for $400.
I have no problem with Apple charging a premium for their nice cases, friendly OS, and good quality motherboards. I DO have a problem with them using "clone-PC" quality commodity parts and charging for them as if they engineered them in their own R&D department.
Macromedia Flash and Dreamweaver work and feel almost identical on Mac as they do on Windows. On Windows 2000, they are far more stable than any Mac I've ever used. So why would I pay more for a Mac to run the same programs needed for web development?
Re:trying to be objective
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Mac Rants
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· Score: 2
Like their product or not, at least it's a straightforward deal. M$ was "Whether you get it or not, you have to pay for it."
Last I checked, you have to buy a copy of MacOS with every Mac you buy, just like you have to buy Windows with every PC you buy. In both cases, whether you like it or not.
Except that in the case of the PC, I can build my own and add any OS I like. With the Mac, you must pay the Apple tax - NO MATTER WHAT.
Re:trying to be objective
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Mac Rants
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· Score: 3, Insightful
In other words, he tried tricking out systems from various windows OEMs and Apple's online store, compared prices, and guess what? The Mac came out even and sometimes ahead of the others.
No, it doesn't, because on every one of his charts, he always compares the best mac you can buy for the money against a PC that is NOT the best PC you can buy for the money.
I've sent the guy email about this, on several occasions even customizing a system at Dell.com, noting the price, and sending him a link to the shopping cart. He doesn't care about making it accurate.
If the G4 in the comparison is "equal" to the Dell using his scoring system, how well would it hold up if you ACTUALLY COMPARED the best Dell system you could buy for the same price? Not very well, I imagine, since that Dell would have double the memory, bigger hard drive, GeForce3, and 2 optical drives for the same price. (And yes, that's accurate, anyone can go to Dell.com and configure an 8100 in their home store).
This, and similar items have been pointed out to the chartmaker multiple times, he doesn't care. He is not concerned with accuracy, only with propping up the mac.
Been there, done that
on
Mac Rants
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· Score: 3, Insightful
The 'comparison charts' (I use that term loosely) referenced in the article also exist for iMac and iBook, in addition to the G4 tower referenced here.
I had a blast on the MacNN forums pointing out all the flaws in the guys scoring formula. No matter WHAT systems were compared, he rigs the scoring so the Mac always wins. Example: he compares the iMac ($900-$1200) to Dell's cheapest offering and declares the iMac the winner. Would he have claimed the same results had he compared it to Dell's Pentium IV 8100, which can be had for under $1000? That Dell destroys the iMac, which is probably why he didn't mention it.
Likewise, in his "$2500 tower shootout", the G4 has similar components to the Dell. Yet when I configure the Dell using their website, it's $1899! If I jacked it up to $2500, I get double the memory of the G4, bigger hard drive, GeForce3, two optical drives, etc. Yet he can't seem to configure the same system on his end, even after I sent him a URL containing the shopping cart!
Other errors: earlier iterations of his charts claimed "each PC loses a PCI slot, because you have to add a USB card to make them equivalent to the Mac". Bull SHIT. Every PC has USB on the motherboard. He knows it's wrong, and prints it anyway.
I could go on and on... the whole 'comparison' is such a joke, it's not even worth ranting over. I believe in honest comparisons - this one is not, and is no better than those created by PC people that slam the Mac without knowing the facts. Pure FUD.
As scary the possibility that the verdict could be overturned might be, it is completely outweighed by the fact that if they lose this one, Microsoft has nowhere else to turn. They will have appealed to the highest court in the USA and LOST.
Time Doctor, how about a URL for the procedure you just described? Sounds cool but is it do-able by your average joe?
Re:Where is the goat in goatse.cx?
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WonderSwan Advance
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· Score: 0, Offtopic
That will teach me to browse at "-1", I guess. Thank god I was at home and not at work!
how about an NES handheld?
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WonderSwan Advance
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· Score: 3, Interesting
This is not exactly on topic, but I had to throw it in here because it's just so damn cool. Here is a link to a company selling a handheld that plays the original 8bit famicom/NES games. I can play all my games again! (NES consoles long since broken). Crazy thing is it actually takes the full NES cartridge.
Same place has all sorts of shit imported from Asia - LCDs for your car for DVDs or Playstations, mod chips, all sorts of weird cellular stuff, etc. I don't work there or anything, just thought it was cool.
Hetz, my comments went more toward the interface and usability of Linux as a whole, rather than just the interface of KDE or Gnome.
To be honest, once Linux has been installed, setup, accounts assigned, etc... I find something like KDE entirely usable. My problems with the system are more like this - Sound card not detected at install, 'oh, that's easy to fix, run sndconfig at the shell' (what's a shell?), sound card gets detected and finally works (if it can detect it, why didn't it do it when I installed?) That kind of thing.
Or bad x configuration (user error, whatever) that results in the GUI not working. Now you have newbie trying to fix it on a command line! That kind of stuff. It needs to be more foolproof.
Try it, and let me know if you're seeing any usability problems - I'd like to fix them, but noticing them after you've used Linux for 10 years is quite tricky.;)
Bernard, first, let me thank you for replying to my original question.
I feel I must address your comment above, however. Consider this from a total newbie user perspective: perhaps they are an intermediate level Windows or Mac user, but have never tried Linux. There is NO way you can honestly believe that Linux doesn't have usability problems.
I think after using Linux for 10 years, you are experiencing the "can't see the forest for the trees" phenomenon. I don't know how you get around this. I've spent a lot of time trying to convince geeks that Linux is too hard, and most of them don't believe you.
I see alot of this in my job where I work with database developers building web applications. Frequently I will say "why did you put this button here?" or "why does this component work this way?". Almost always, their response is that "the user will understand that". Well, the problem is that the user DOES NOT understand! The developers are capable of fixing it, but they don't even see the problem in the first place!
Does RedHat even HAVE any usability testers? If not, you should have a Vice President of Usability, along with a staff to assist them. I can assure you that Microsoft and Apple do, and it shows.
The file managers in KDE and GNOME give you a GUI frontend to changing permissions, so you don't need to remember commands like "chmod o+rw test" or "chmod 4777/bin/sh".
Can you explain how to access the GUI frontend to do this. What's the name of the program and is it installed by default?
Can anyone running the beta comment on whether any enhancements have been made to the usability of the distribution?
Obviously, there are some new things, like filesystems, that frankly, won't affect me in the least.
My concerns lie more with some interface things that are holding me back from using Linux. Not having come from a Unix background, I have no experience compiling software, understanding file permissions, etc. Does 7.2 do anything to address the needs of newer users?
In addition to offsetting the pain of a long download, if you really like the product, dropping $50 every so often on a Linux distribution helps support the company, so future version will continue to be produced.
But I thought Linux was produced by persons doing it for the good of the computer community? Isn't that what Linux/GPL is all about? Do they really just want money?
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Even if Apple did the unthinkable, and created an x86 version of OSX, they STILL wouldn't 'establish desktop dominance'.
No way they would even get on 25% of the x86 desktops. Running only on overpriced, proprietary hardware? 5% forever (and that number is too high, based on my experience).
Sorry, but the G3 tower does indeed take PC100 standard memory.
Really? Then why is this computer one thousand dollars less?
Sorry, the G4 Ti IS an awesome computer, but it is not what I would call "cost competitive". At $2600 it is definitely a botique computer.
Last year I bought a Dell Inspiron 3800 for $1200, and I dare say it is 95% of the computer the G4 Ti is for less than half the price. I could have bought another for the kitchen and still come out ahead!
You shouldn't have picked the iMac :)
I'll bite -"Fastest" iMac, $1499. 700 mhz G3, 256 MB, 60 GB drive, cheesy ATI graphics card, ethernet, CDRW, FireWire.
Now let's stroll over to Dell.com. They sell a computer called the 8100, for $1459. Pentium IV 1.5ghz, 256 MB RAM, 60 GB drive, vastly superior GeForce2mx video, ethernet, CDRW, Firewire. 17" monitor, bigger than iMac. I won't even start on it's ZERO PCI slots or lack of upgradability on the video and sound.
Out of those two systems, I know which one I'd like to own.
Note: I have not even addressed Athlon systems, which have an even better price/performance ratio.
Don't even get me started on the higher priced G4, their pricing is a horrible joke.
Not only did you cleverly manage to work a porno link into the thread, you managed to get modded up for it, too. Congratulations!
You're trolling, but just to clarify in case anyone already doesn't know, every current Apple computer takes "PC standard" memory, (SO-DIMMS in the laptops, regular SDRAM for the desktops) and has for quite a while.
There is enough shit wrong with Apple that's true, we don't need to make up more :) Thanks.
I agree, the Ti is an awesome laptop, but let's allow it to stand on it's own merits. It STARTS at US $2599. I just configured a Dell 8100 for $2,148.00 through their 'small business' store.
$450 is nothing to sneeze at, and will buy you a shitload of memory, giant hard drive, case, docking station, whatever. The Dell also has the best laptop video card avaiable (GeForce2go) whereas the Mac has the older ATI graphics.
So Apple is not quite there yet on price, but they are getting closer with the portables. Unfortunately, the G4 tower and iMac are getting further away...
I'll stop complaining about their hardware as soon as they stop charging $350 to UPGRADE from a GeForce2mx to a GeForce3 and selling 256 MB sticks of memory for $400.
I have no problem with Apple charging a premium for their nice cases, friendly OS, and good quality motherboards. I DO have a problem with them using "clone-PC" quality commodity parts and charging for them as if they engineered them in their own R&D department.
Macromedia Flash and Dreamweaver work and feel almost identical on Mac as they do on Windows. On Windows 2000, they are far more stable than any Mac I've ever used. So why would I pay more for a Mac to run the same programs needed for web development?
Last I checked, you have to buy a copy of MacOS with every Mac you buy, just like you have to buy Windows with every PC you buy. In both cases, whether you like it or not.
Except that in the case of the PC, I can build my own and add any OS I like. With the Mac, you must pay the Apple tax - NO MATTER WHAT.
No, it doesn't, because on every one of his charts, he always compares the best mac you can buy for the money against a PC that is NOT the best PC you can buy for the money.
I've sent the guy email about this, on several occasions even customizing a system at Dell.com, noting the price, and sending him a link to the shopping cart. He doesn't care about making it accurate.
If the G4 in the comparison is "equal" to the Dell using his scoring system, how well would it hold up if you ACTUALLY COMPARED the best Dell system you could buy for the same price? Not very well, I imagine, since that Dell would have double the memory, bigger hard drive, GeForce3, and 2 optical drives for the same price. (And yes, that's accurate, anyone can go to Dell.com and configure an 8100 in their home store).
This, and similar items have been pointed out to the chartmaker multiple times, he doesn't care. He is not concerned with accuracy, only with propping up the mac.
I had a blast on the MacNN forums pointing out all the flaws in the guys scoring formula. No matter WHAT systems were compared, he rigs the scoring so the Mac always wins. Example: he compares the iMac ($900-$1200) to Dell's cheapest offering and declares the iMac the winner. Would he have claimed the same results had he compared it to Dell's Pentium IV 8100, which can be had for under $1000? That Dell destroys the iMac, which is probably why he didn't mention it.
Likewise, in his "$2500 tower shootout", the G4 has similar components to the Dell. Yet when I configure the Dell using their website, it's $1899! If I jacked it up to $2500, I get double the memory of the G4, bigger hard drive, GeForce3, two optical drives, etc. Yet he can't seem to configure the same system on his end, even after I sent him a URL containing the shopping cart!
Other errors: earlier iterations of his charts claimed "each PC loses a PCI slot, because you have to add a USB card to make them equivalent to the Mac". Bull SHIT. Every PC has USB on the motherboard. He knows it's wrong, and prints it anyway.
I could go on and on... the whole 'comparison' is such a joke, it's not even worth ranting over. I believe in honest comparisons - this one is not, and is no better than those created by PC people that slam the Mac without knowing the facts. Pure FUD.
As scary the possibility that the verdict could be overturned might be, it is completely outweighed by the fact that if they lose this one, Microsoft has nowhere else to turn. They will have appealed to the highest court in the USA and LOST.
Time Doctor, how about a URL for the procedure you just described? Sounds cool but is it do-able by your average joe?
That will teach me to browse at "-1", I guess. Thank god I was at home and not at work!
Same place has all sorts of shit imported from Asia - LCDs for your car for DVDs or Playstations, mod chips, all sorts of weird cellular stuff, etc. I don't work there or anything, just thought it was cool.
To be honest, once Linux has been installed, setup, accounts assigned, etc... I find something like KDE entirely usable. My problems with the system are more like this - Sound card not detected at install, 'oh, that's easy to fix, run sndconfig at the shell' (what's a shell?), sound card gets detected and finally works (if it can detect it, why didn't it do it when I installed?) That kind of thing.
Or bad x configuration (user error, whatever) that results in the GUI not working. Now you have newbie trying to fix it on a command line! That kind of stuff. It needs to be more foolproof.
That said, those things look pretty cool! Looks like you can't even see the pockets from the outside. Pretty unobtrusive.
Like the eHolster?
I have to warn you, if you wear that many gadgets, you will look totally gay.
By the way, I can't imagine that wearing one of these would be better than the vest solution you mention... but at least it exists.
Please buy one, so we can all laugh at you.
Bernard, first, let me thank you for replying to my original question.
I feel I must address your comment above, however. Consider this from a total newbie user perspective: perhaps they are an intermediate level Windows or Mac user, but have never tried Linux. There is NO way you can honestly believe that Linux doesn't have usability problems.
I think after using Linux for 10 years, you are experiencing the "can't see the forest for the trees" phenomenon. I don't know how you get around this. I've spent a lot of time trying to convince geeks that Linux is too hard, and most of them don't believe you.
I see alot of this in my job where I work with database developers building web applications. Frequently I will say "why did you put this button here?" or "why does this component work this way?". Almost always, their response is that "the user will understand that". Well, the problem is that the user DOES NOT understand! The developers are capable of fixing it, but they don't even see the problem in the first place!
Does RedHat even HAVE any usability testers? If not, you should have a Vice President of Usability, along with a staff to assist them. I can assure you that Microsoft and Apple do, and it shows.
Can you explain how to access the GUI frontend to do this. What's the name of the program and is it installed by default?
Obviously, there are some new things, like filesystems, that frankly, won't affect me in the least.
My concerns lie more with some interface things that are holding me back from using Linux. Not having come from a Unix background, I have no experience compiling software, understanding file permissions, etc. Does 7.2 do anything to address the needs of newer users?
But I thought Linux was produced by persons doing it for the good of the computer community? Isn't that what Linux/GPL is all about? Do they really just want money?