So you base your whole argument on one experience? Well, my experience is that on the low end, you aren't going to beat Dell. You can't simply put together a $300 system yourself that will be as good as the Dell - you just have to cut too many corners. Sure, I've seen people get lucky, and the $5 no-name power supply runs fine for years, and the PCChips motherboard is surprisenly solid - but I've seen the opposite far more often.
However, on the mid to high end, building your own you either end up with a cheaper system, or a better performing system. Furthermore, you get the computer exactly the way you want it. Sure, you may think the Dell is competitive, but they always seem to cut corners where you won't notice it until you really look. For example, the motherboard may use the last generation chipset, the power supply may be underspec'd and not have any overead for upgrades, or Dell may have a special batch of graphics cards made up with slower graphics memory - stuff like that. Pretty much every Dell system I have had my hands on performs worse than what I would expect given its specs, but that's just my experience.
And homebuilt can be reliable - just do what the most of the OEMs do and build Intel. Nothing against AMD processors themselves, it's just that many AMD-based chipsets seem to be lemons and buying a newish AMD board is a gamble, while Intel's own chipsets seem very solid.
There I fixed your statement for you. Without all the "gimmicky stuff" the price differential is maybe $100. Can someone list a PC with similar specifications to a Mac that is substantially cheaper?
Thinkpad (Lenovo) R61 14.1" Widescreen @ 1440x900 2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo 1GB Memory 120GB 5400RPM drive nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M DVD-RW Vista Ultimate Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Even includes a camera (can be removed if you want, it's a $23 option) $1414.92
Macbook Pro: 15" Widescreen @ 1440x900 2.16Ghz Core 2 Duo 1GB Memory 120GB 5400RPM drive ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 DVD-RW OSX 10.4 Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Camera $1999
I would call over $550 savings substantial.
Remember, sales do not count.
Sales certainly can count, as ultimately the important thing is how much you pay for it. Apple may almost never run a sale, but that's their problem.
But can the automatic door discriminate between customers and people who have been told (either by the proprieter or the courts) that they are not welcome?
Well, you could build a door that way. For example, you could put a keyboard outside the door, and put up a sign that says "Type YOUR name to open the door". The door would then check what you typed in against a list of approved people, and only open the door if you are approved. Of course, this is easily defeated if you know the name of an approved person, but the fact that you are pretending to be someone else to get it to open would pretty much make it a clear tresspassing case. This would be equilivent to MAC filtering your AP, and I wouldn't have a problem with spoofing MAC address to access a MAC filtered network illegal.
It's only not trespassing if you have permission. the fact that the door opens for you does not imply permission.
What happens if the proprietor forgets to lock the doors after hours? Does the fact that the door opens for you imply that you have permission to be in the store when it is closed?
What about the SSID? An AP broadcasting a SSID is saying "Hey everyone, there's a network here!", and would be a lot like the "OPEN" signs that most stores use. If the store doesn't have the "OPEN" sign up, or otherwise has an indication that they are open for business, then it could be tresspassing if you entered the store even if the door was unlocked. Much the same with AP's - turn off the broadcasting of the SSID and it would be like hanging a sign up by the door that says "PRIVATE PROPERTY" or similar.
Well, look at it the another way. They have a radio set up broadcasting a signal. If I set up a radio and broadcast some signals of my own, their radio responds. If they don't like this, they should set up their radio so it doesn't respond to my signals. The neighbor's light analogy can still fit here: If they have one of those motion sensor lights and it responds to me moving way out in the street, it's not my fault - even if I purposely trigger it to light my way. If they don't like it, they can change how their light works.
Of course, cracking WEP or defeating MAC filtering is also just a matter of setting up my radio to broadcast the right signals, but I would consider any attempt to lock down the access point (no matter how weak) the equilivent of a "KEEP OUT" sign, and wouldn't have a problem with making that illegal in the same way tresspassing is illegal.
Well that "gimicky stuff" still costs money to put in, so you're still not going to get an 8 bit screen without either paying more, or sacrificing other features.
It's not like Apple's laptops are using high DPI displays. You would think that they could spend a few more dollars and give the users a better display for the money they are spending, but whatever. But if they don't that's fine too. They just shouldn't claim that they do.
By the way, I've seen PC to Mac comparisons more like this:
PC Fanboi: Macs are expensive! Apple Fainboi: No they're not, they about the same as an equivalent PC. PF: Well, I can get a PC with this W, X, Y, and Z for $xxxx. I'd pay hundreds more for the Mac that has that, and I'd still be giving up Z. AF: But does that PC have useless features A, B, and C? The cheapest PC I see with useless features A, B, and C is more expensive than the Mac! PF:....
My biggest complaints is that every other file manager I have tried is slow. Explorer is fast and responsive, it can pull up local directories with thousands of files in less than a second on my machine, which means I can fly through the file system extremely fast. Everything else I have tried so far just seems slow and clunky in comparison.
Actually, you get 766 colors. The 0 shade of red, the 0 shade of green, and the 0 shade of blue are all actually the same color, better known as black.
"Extended desktop and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 1920 by 1200 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors."
Exactly. Just look at the higher quality screens that Apple puts in their laptops. Oh wait...
And if you haven't noticed, Apple laptops generally don't have more ram, CPU, etc. than their PC counterparts. The main justification for the higher price is gimmicky stuff like a built in camera, backlit keyboard, magnetic power connector, and stuff like that.
So how is that any different than dicking around with various other "solutions" that work on top of Windows and Linux, except that the solutions you propose run on top of OSX? I can run a BT client and add a TV tuner to a Windows box too.
On the other hand, you don't seem to understand the differences in power involved. Microwaves usually are in the low kW range, usually topping out at 1-2kW. A wifi router is usually down in the mW range, typically 10-200mW or so. Even if the microwave only allowed 0.01% of the energy to escape, it'd still easily wreak havoc on your wireless nerwork.
At the time, DOS only worked on the IBM PC platform with Intel chips. So, to use your logic, DOS was not "highly pirated" at all either.
Of course, that logic is plainly false
The reason why it was pirated so much is that it was (and still is) possible to buy/build a PC without an operating system. Hence you have a lot of people who buy the hardware and then pirate the software. With Apple and Amiga, it is not possible to buy the hardware without the software, so there was a lot less piracy as it was pretty much limited to people upgrading the OS on the machine.
And Joe Wiseman ends up with an expensive propriety Apple system, while while it may work a bit better than the expensive propriety Micsosoft system, it still only works at the whims of the media cartels and Apple Inc.
I've found the same thing, though not as frequent as you have found them. I'll usually take a look at any discarded PC I see to if I can make any use out of it. Even if I conclude it's purely junk I'll still pop the harddrive out to see what's on it (and usually take the CPU too because of the gold content). It's unbelievable the stuff I've found on the drives, including old emails, photos, old homework, resumes, tax returns, warez, porn, mp3s, viruses, etc. If I was into identify theft, or even blackmail I would be set.
So the lesson to be learned is if you are going to toss an old computer, you should wipe and/or destroy the harddrive - otherwise people will find it, and will go through it.
They are in it for the money, and little else. If it's profitable, they will recycle it. But what do you think they do with the stuff that isn't profitable to recycle? Most of that just gets dumped. And even when it comes to the recycling, a lot of that isn't done in the best way - things like using torches to get chips off of boards, burning stuff to seperate metals from plastics, smashing CRTs with hammers to break up the glass so it can be smelted, etc.
On the other hand, a call uses more resources than a text message. You would think that the cell phone providers would encourage text messenging over a call, as that would release some of the burden on what is already an overstrained network. Not to mention they would also be able to save money by needing less infastructure. However, I guess that would just make too much sense.
However, unless someone was to pony up the money to pay tax on GPL, BSD, etc. software, it would fall into the public domain by default.
If this system was to be put into place, I would make the copyright tax free for a certain period of time. Perhaps the 14 years that copyright started with. If that was the case, current projects would enjoy copyright and the benefits of the GPL, and only the oldest versions of Linux would be public domain at this time.
Well, the Nascar trucks seem to be little more than the same stock cars with a different fiber glass shell. What would really need to happen is the Nascar SUVs would have to have a certain weight, tire size, and ground clearance. That way we can assure that they will flip more often.
I thought the Hummer H2 didn't even meet the safety requirements in the US for a passenger vehicle (for example, the H2's roof with an intact windsheild cannot support the vehicle's weight and will crumple). The reason why they can still sell H2's in the US is that the vehicle is so large and heavy it's not actually classed as a passenger vehicle.
That's not too surprising. I'm pissed at Bush for the last 6 years, and I'm currently pissed at Congress for not making any serious attempts to hold him accountable for it.
Sadly, in these days of universal default, outrageously high fees, predatory lenders, and jacking up of interest rates at the drop of a hat, all it takes is a missed payment or an unexpected expense to get yourself into a hole that just keeps getting deeper. Like the original poster said, it's just too easy.
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So you base your whole argument on one experience? Well, my experience is that on the low end, you aren't going to beat Dell. You can't simply put together a $300 system yourself that will be as good as the Dell - you just have to cut too many corners. Sure, I've seen people get lucky, and the $5 no-name power supply runs fine for years, and the PCChips motherboard is surprisenly solid - but I've seen the opposite far more often.
However, on the mid to high end, building your own you either end up with a cheaper system, or a better performing system. Furthermore, you get the computer exactly the way you want it. Sure, you may think the Dell is competitive, but they always seem to cut corners where you won't notice it until you really look. For example, the motherboard may use the last generation chipset, the power supply may be underspec'd and not have any overead for upgrades, or Dell may have a special batch of graphics cards made up with slower graphics memory - stuff like that. Pretty much every Dell system I have had my hands on performs worse than what I would expect given its specs, but that's just my experience.
And homebuilt can be reliable - just do what the most of the OEMs do and build Intel. Nothing against AMD processors themselves, it's just that many AMD-based chipsets seem to be lemons and buying a newish AMD board is a gamble, while Intel's own chipsets seem very solid.
There I fixed your statement for you. Without all the "gimmicky stuff" the price differential is maybe $100. Can someone list a PC with similar specifications to a Mac that is substantially cheaper?
Thinkpad (Lenovo) R61
14.1" Widescreen @ 1440x900
2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo
1GB Memory
120GB 5400RPM drive
nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M
DVD-RW
Vista Ultimate
Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
Even includes a camera (can be removed if you want, it's a $23 option)
$1414.92
Macbook Pro:
15" Widescreen @ 1440x900
2.16Ghz Core 2 Duo
1GB Memory
120GB 5400RPM drive
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
DVD-RW
OSX 10.4
Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
Camera
$1999
I would call over $550 savings substantial.
Remember, sales do not count.
Sales certainly can count, as ultimately the important thing is how much you pay for it. Apple may almost never run a sale, but that's their problem.
But can the automatic door discriminate between customers and people who have been told (either by the proprieter or the courts) that they are not welcome?
Well, you could build a door that way. For example, you could put a keyboard outside the door, and put up a sign that says "Type YOUR name to open the door". The door would then check what you typed in against a list of approved people, and only open the door if you are approved. Of course, this is easily defeated if you know the name of an approved person, but the fact that you are pretending to be someone else to get it to open would pretty much make it a clear tresspassing case. This would be equilivent to MAC filtering your AP, and I wouldn't have a problem with spoofing MAC address to access a MAC filtered network illegal.
It's only not trespassing if you have permission. the fact that the door opens for you does not imply permission.
What happens if the proprietor forgets to lock the doors after hours? Does the fact that the door opens for you imply that you have permission to be in the store when it is closed?
What about the SSID? An AP broadcasting a SSID is saying "Hey everyone, there's a network here!", and would be a lot like the "OPEN" signs that most stores use. If the store doesn't have the "OPEN" sign up, or otherwise has an indication that they are open for business, then it could be tresspassing if you entered the store even if the door was unlocked. Much the same with AP's - turn off the broadcasting of the SSID and it would be like hanging a sign up by the door that says "PRIVATE PROPERTY" or similar.
Well, look at it the another way. They have a radio set up broadcasting a signal. If I set up a radio and broadcast some signals of my own, their radio responds. If they don't like this, they should set up their radio so it doesn't respond to my signals. The neighbor's light analogy can still fit here: If they have one of those motion sensor lights and it responds to me moving way out in the street, it's not my fault - even if I purposely trigger it to light my way. If they don't like it, they can change how their light works.
Of course, cracking WEP or defeating MAC filtering is also just a matter of setting up my radio to broadcast the right signals, but I would consider any attempt to lock down the access point (no matter how weak) the equilivent of a "KEEP OUT" sign, and wouldn't have a problem with making that illegal in the same way tresspassing is illegal.
Well that "gimicky stuff" still costs money to put in, so you're still not going to get an 8 bit screen without either paying more, or sacrificing other features.
....
It's not like Apple's laptops are using high DPI displays. You would think that they could spend a few more dollars and give the users a better display for the money they are spending, but whatever. But if they don't that's fine too. They just shouldn't claim that they do.
By the way, I've seen PC to Mac comparisons more like this:
PC Fanboi: Macs are expensive!
Apple Fainboi: No they're not, they about the same as an equivalent PC.
PF: Well, I can get a PC with this W, X, Y, and Z for $xxxx. I'd pay hundreds more for the Mac that has that, and I'd still be giving up Z.
AF: But does that PC have useless features A, B, and C? The cheapest PC I see with useless features A, B, and C is more expensive than the Mac!
PF:
My biggest complaints is that every other file manager I have tried is slow. Explorer is fast and responsive, it can pull up local directories with thousands of files in less than a second on my machine, which means I can fly through the file system extremely fast. Everything else I have tried so far just seems slow and clunky in comparison.
Actually, you get 766 colors. The 0 shade of red, the 0 shade of green, and the 0 shade of blue are all actually the same color, better known as black.
From the Macnook specifications page at: ahref=http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs.htmlrel=u rl2html-3727http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs.htm l>
"Extended desktop and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 1920 by 1200 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors."
So it's not like their whining is unjustified.
Exactly. Just look at the higher quality screens that Apple puts in their laptops. Oh wait...
And if you haven't noticed, Apple laptops generally don't have more ram, CPU, etc. than their PC counterparts. The main justification for the higher price is gimmicky stuff like a built in camera, backlit keyboard, magnetic power connector, and stuff like that.
Yes, but now your back in propriety Apple-land. You can't have it both ways.
So how is that any different than dicking around with various other "solutions" that work on top of Windows and Linux, except that the solutions you propose run on top of OSX? I can run a BT client and add a TV tuner to a Windows box too.
On the other hand, you don't seem to understand the differences in power involved. Microwaves usually are in the low kW range, usually topping out at 1-2kW. A wifi router is usually down in the mW range, typically 10-200mW or so. Even if the microwave only allowed 0.01% of the energy to escape, it'd still easily wreak havoc on your wireless nerwork.
At the time, DOS only worked on the IBM PC platform with Intel chips. So, to use your logic, DOS was not "highly pirated" at all either.
Of course, that logic is plainly false
The reason why it was pirated so much is that it was (and still is) possible to buy/build a PC without an operating system. Hence you have a lot of people who buy the hardware and then pirate the software. With Apple and Amiga, it is not possible to buy the hardware without the software, so there was a lot less piracy as it was pretty much limited to people upgrading the OS on the machine.
And Joe Wiseman ends up with an expensive propriety Apple system, while while it may work a bit better than the expensive propriety Micsosoft system, it still only works at the whims of the media cartels and Apple Inc.
I've found the same thing, though not as frequent as you have found them. I'll usually take a look at any discarded PC I see to if I can make any use out of it. Even if I conclude it's purely junk I'll still pop the harddrive out to see what's on it (and usually take the CPU too because of the gold content). It's unbelievable the stuff I've found on the drives, including old emails, photos, old homework, resumes, tax returns, warez, porn, mp3s, viruses, etc. If I was into identify theft, or even blackmail I would be set.
So the lesson to be learned is if you are going to toss an old computer, you should wipe and/or destroy the harddrive - otherwise people will find it, and will go through it.
They are in it for the money, and little else. If it's profitable, they will recycle it. But what do you think they do with the stuff that isn't profitable to recycle? Most of that just gets dumped. And even when it comes to the recycling, a lot of that isn't done in the best way - things like using torches to get chips off of boards, burning stuff to seperate metals from plastics, smashing CRTs with hammers to break up the glass so it can be smelted, etc.
Well obviously. One is a gas, and one is a liquid.
Not quite, that's a call and recieve and beat someone to death phone.
On the other hand, a call uses more resources than a text message. You would think that the cell phone providers would encourage text messenging over a call, as that would release some of the burden on what is already an overstrained network. Not to mention they would also be able to save money by needing less infastructure. However, I guess that would just make too much sense.
However, unless someone was to pony up the money to pay tax on GPL, BSD, etc. software, it would fall into the public domain by default.
If this system was to be put into place, I would make the copyright tax free for a certain period of time. Perhaps the 14 years that copyright started with. If that was the case, current projects would enjoy copyright and the benefits of the GPL, and only the oldest versions of Linux would be public domain at this time.
Well, the Nascar trucks seem to be little more than the same stock cars with a different fiber glass shell. What would really need to happen is the Nascar SUVs would have to have a certain weight, tire size, and ground clearance. That way we can assure that they will flip more often.
I thought the Hummer H2 didn't even meet the safety requirements in the US for a passenger vehicle (for example, the H2's roof with an intact windsheild cannot support the vehicle's weight and will crumple). The reason why they can still sell H2's in the US is that the vehicle is so large and heavy it's not actually classed as a passenger vehicle.
That's not too surprising. I'm pissed at Bush for the last 6 years, and I'm currently pissed at Congress for not making any serious attempts to hold him accountable for it.
Sadly, in these days of universal default, outrageously high fees, predatory lenders, and jacking up of interest rates at the drop of a hat, all it takes is a missed payment or an unexpected expense to get yourself into a hole that just keeps getting deeper. Like the original poster said, it's just too easy.
I personally doubt most Mac owners will care too much about running the competition's OS.
Where have you been? The biggest thing in the Mac world for the past year or so is the fact that you can now run Windows.