I'm filing a class-action suit against Ms Spears. These viruseses have caused untold billions of dollars worth of damage and lost production, and she must be held accountable!
The sad thing is... you'd probably win. Or atleast get her to settle for an undisclosed sum of money.
These people are the reason why I only recommend Macs--because their system offers a lot more built-in protection between the keyboard and chair
My guess is that if and when malware starts showing up for the Mac, the computer-types are going screw up OSX just as easily as they screw up Windows. Telling them to buy Macs is not a solution, just a temporary fix.
There's a difference between doing something, and doing it well enough that it's worth doing. In fact, most of the things you mention were done so poorly in Windows 95 that they were effectively worthless. Hell, the very instability of the operating system made it difficult if not impossible to "functionally network", "play sound and video" and anything else with any degree of success.
I was comparing Windows 95 to the Macs available at the time. The Apple computers of that time so were so terrible you could barely do anything without the damn thing giving some generic error message or simply locking up. Atleast once a day, I had to give the Performa the ol' reach around to hit the power switch cause that damn thing had locked hard yet again. Atleast with Windows 95, I could go a couple of days between reboots. Maybe even a week if I didn't push the system hard. Not to mention the x86 hardware of the time was considerably faster, less propriety, and cost a hell of a lot less, and could run a lot more useful software. I consider it a miracle that Apple was able to survive the 1990's.
I should also mention that I did everything I listed in Windows 95OSR2 (granted, some with 3rd party support). Sure, there were lots of crashes, the occasional blue screens, driver issues, and the ever so frustrating random registry corruptions. But my Windows PC was still a far superior system than the Mac Performa.
It's not just "PPC is dead" that's scaring away potential Mac buyers. It's pretty clear that the switch to Intel means in the next year or two there are going to be new Macs that are significantly faster than today's Macs (especially the aging G4 based notebook line), and quite likely they are going to cost less than today's Macs. So, unless you need the new computer right now, you'd be crazy not to wait.
There hasn't been a major release of Linux since 2.4. Everything since has just been tweaks and new (i.e., old but repackaged) UIs.
That would be like saying there hasn't been a major release of Windows since Windows 95. In other words, just plain wrong.
Linux is not like Windows or OSX in the sense that changes trickle in bit by bit so they don't seem as big. You generally don't get a huge number changes dumped on you at once, which is what happens when Microsoft and Apple deliver a new version of their operating systems.
And the PC never crashes, doesn't get viruses, and doesn't need reformatting unless I do something stupid. And it's not like OSX is some magical elixor that increases productivity. Productivity is about the same in Windows, OSX, or Linux for anyone who has computer knowledge.
Sounds like he has one of those old AT style boards in one of those mini-tower cases that were popular about the time the Pentium MMX was the top of the line processor. Those were a total pain in the ass to do anything with.
I don't know about IDE - the current G5s come with only SATA support. From what i've heard, you have to buy an IDE card to use any IDE devices in the machine.
The best that I can tell, the optical drive is still PATA. But you probably need an IDE card if you want to run any other PATA devices.
Back in that day, if you wanted to buy boxed software, you had to read the minimum system requirement very very carefully because there were so many different platforms and configurations. You couldn't just buy a piece of software at some shithole like Wal-Mart and be sure that it was going to work on your PC.
Maybe the future is going to be web-based applications, and it really won't matter what your computer runs, so long as it has a decent web browser?
Microsoft's marketing team managed to convince untold millions of lusers that that fifth-rate DOS shell called "Windows 3.1" was functionally competitive with a Macintosh. They did it again with Windows 95, and then again with Windows 98. Mindblowing.
That's an interesting assertion. How exactly was the Windows of yesteryear not functionally competitive of the Macs of yesteryear? While Windows 3.1 certainly lacked things like functional networking, Microsoft had things pretty well figured out by 95. They both could network, get on the internet, play sound and video, run MS Office, manipulate files, print documents, run Photoshop, share files and printers, etc.
When I decided to switch to Dvorak, I went all the way and converted all my computers. Needless to say, after a couple of months whenever I encountered a QWERTY computer I was very slow at typing. So, I left my main machine as Dvorak, and converted the lesser used machines back to Qwerty (and the laptop is Qwerty, as I have found no good way to change the keycaps). Now, while I still do most of my typing on a Dvorak board, I can switch to Qwerty and type just as well. It's like languages, just because you learn a new one doesn't mean you have to forget your old one.
Another methed that will defeat hardware keyloggers is to use the "On Screen Keyboard" accessibility option found in Windows XP (and 2000 too, I believe). It's basic little program that lets you type with a mouse.
But with the UHF/VHF channels gone off the air, people will start filling it up with DVD broadcasts. Maybe even porn broadcasts. Unregulated, and without commercials. All illegal.
I would be tempted to get satellite TV or something and rebroadcast the channels exactly as they were. I bet they would never see that coming!
I got one of those. Doesn't work completely right in Linux (Mandrake 10) or Windows, though sort of works in both. The Soundblaster Live is a piece of crap.
To be fair XP is only a mess with SATA if you're doing RAID, otherwise it's straightforward.
I've never been able to install Windows XP on a computer running a SATA (as the boot drive) without having to use one of those blasted F6 floppies. Seriously, how come the Windows installer can't read the files off a CD, harddisk, USB thumbdrive, or even a floppy disk in the B: drive? Seriously, this has to be one of the most irritating things about Windows (this coming from someone who had it install Windows XP on a laptop that seemed to use SATA internally and had no floppy drive. And Windows set up would not properly detect the USB floppy drive. Needless to say, I now know a lot more about slipstreaming than I ever wanted to know.)
My hint to anyone doing a fresh install of a dual booting Linux-Windows computer is to install Windows first. That way, you have the least amount of problems.
However, if you want to dual boot multiple versions of Windows, you're probably just screwed.
Slashdot Mirror
Meanwhile Fark, a comedy site, had the newsflash up while the tsunami warning was still in effect.
What, you don't think slashdot is a comedy site? I'm *still* laughing over the Apple switching to Intel story.
I'm filing a class-action suit against Ms Spears. These viruseses have caused untold billions of dollars worth of damage and lost production, and she must be held accountable!
The sad thing is... you'd probably win. Or atleast get her to settle for an undisclosed sum of money.
These people are the reason why I only recommend Macs--because their system offers a lot more built-in protection between the keyboard and chair
My guess is that if and when malware starts showing up for the Mac, the computer-types are going screw up OSX just as easily as they screw up Windows. Telling them to buy Macs is not a solution, just a temporary fix.
Heck, even Steve Jobs can't understand why people on OS X 10.2 and previous have not upgraded yet.
$129?
What perf issues? especially with SP2? XP for the most part works better than Win2k on the same hardware.
Try upgrading a machine with 256MB of memory from Windows 2000 to XPSP2, and watch it go from fast to continuos disk grinding.
There's a difference between doing something, and doing it well enough that it's worth doing. In fact, most of the things you mention were done so poorly in Windows 95 that they were effectively worthless. Hell, the very instability of the operating system made it difficult if not impossible to "functionally network", "play sound and video" and anything else with any degree of success.
I was comparing Windows 95 to the Macs available at the time. The Apple computers of that time so were so terrible you could barely do anything without the damn thing giving some generic error message or simply locking up. Atleast once a day, I had to give the Performa the ol' reach around to hit the power switch cause that damn thing had locked hard yet again. Atleast with Windows 95, I could go a couple of days between reboots. Maybe even a week if I didn't push the system hard. Not to mention the x86 hardware of the time was considerably faster, less propriety, and cost a hell of a lot less, and could run a lot more useful software. I consider it a miracle that Apple was able to survive the 1990's.
I should also mention that I did everything I listed in Windows 95OSR2 (granted, some with 3rd party support). Sure, there were lots of crashes, the occasional blue screens, driver issues, and the ever so frustrating random registry corruptions. But my Windows PC was still a far superior system than the Mac Performa.
Dell
Dell is a hardware company. Why should they care about the BSA?
I'm the opposite. I have a 19" CRT that I picked up when my employer replaced CRTs with LCDs. I also have a 14" TV. Guess which one I watch movies on?
:)
The TV, because it's kind of hard to hook up a VCR to a 19" monitor?
It's not just "PPC is dead" that's scaring away potential Mac buyers. It's pretty clear that the switch to Intel means in the next year or two there are going to be new Macs that are significantly faster than today's Macs (especially the aging G4 based notebook line), and quite likely they are going to cost less than today's Macs. So, unless you need the new computer right now, you'd be crazy not to wait.
There hasn't been a major release of Linux since 2.4. Everything since has just been tweaks and new (i.e., old but repackaged) UIs.
That would be like saying there hasn't been a major release of Windows since Windows 95. In other words, just plain wrong.
Linux is not like Windows or OSX in the sense that changes trickle in bit by bit so they don't seem as big. You generally don't get a huge number changes dumped on you at once, which is what happens when Microsoft and Apple deliver a new version of their operating systems.
And the PC never crashes, doesn't get viruses, and doesn't need reformatting unless I do something stupid. And it's not like OSX is some magical elixor that increases productivity. Productivity is about the same in Windows, OSX, or Linux for anyone who has computer knowledge.
Sounds like he has one of those old AT style boards in one of those mini-tower cases that were popular about the time the Pentium MMX was the top of the line processor. Those were a total pain in the ass to do anything with.
Just like idiots living in the past are the reason Slashdot does so well?
What do you mean? Apple has done nothing to fix the iPod battery problem other than to offer to replace it for you for $99+S&H.
I don't know about IDE - the current G5s come with only SATA support. From what i've heard, you have to buy an IDE card to use any IDE devices in the machine.
The best that I can tell, the optical drive is still PATA. But you probably need an IDE card if you want to run any other PATA devices.
Back in that day, if you wanted to buy boxed software, you had to read the minimum system requirement very very carefully because there were so many different platforms and configurations. You couldn't just buy a piece of software at some shithole like Wal-Mart and be sure that it was going to work on your PC.
Maybe the future is going to be web-based applications, and it really won't matter what your computer runs, so long as it has a decent web browser?
Microsoft's marketing team managed to convince untold millions of lusers that that fifth-rate DOS shell called "Windows 3.1" was functionally competitive with a Macintosh. They did it again with Windows 95, and then again with Windows 98. Mindblowing.
That's an interesting assertion. How exactly was the Windows of yesteryear not functionally competitive of the Macs of yesteryear? While Windows 3.1 certainly lacked things like functional networking, Microsoft had things pretty well figured out by 95. They both could network, get on the internet, play sound and video, run MS Office, manipulate files, print documents, run Photoshop, share files and printers, etc.
When I decided to switch to Dvorak, I went all the way and converted all my computers. Needless to say, after a couple of months whenever I encountered a QWERTY computer I was very slow at typing. So, I left my main machine as Dvorak, and converted the lesser used machines back to Qwerty (and the laptop is Qwerty, as I have found no good way to change the keycaps). Now, while I still do most of my typing on a Dvorak board, I can switch to Qwerty and type just as well. It's like languages, just because you learn a new one doesn't mean you have to forget your old one.
How do you measure success? Take a look at the NBA...quite a few successful drop out there, wouldn't you say?
How many players in the NBA? A couple thousand, tops? Need more data than that.
Are you certain that sensory deprevation is safer than LSD?
It may or may not be, but I'm pretty damn sure that sensory deprevation is harmless.
If his dorm is like any other I have seen, window air conditioners are banned.
Another methed that will defeat hardware keyloggers is to use the "On Screen Keyboard" accessibility option found in Windows XP (and 2000 too, I believe). It's basic little program that lets you type with a mouse.
But with the UHF/VHF channels gone off the air, people will start filling it up with DVD broadcasts. Maybe even porn broadcasts. Unregulated, and without commercials. All illegal.
I would be tempted to get satellite TV or something and rebroadcast the channels exactly as they were. I bet they would never see that coming!
(the extremely rare Soundblaster Live! card)
I got one of those. Doesn't work completely right in Linux (Mandrake 10) or Windows, though sort of works in both. The Soundblaster Live is a piece of crap.
To be fair XP is only a mess with SATA if you're doing RAID, otherwise it's straightforward.
I've never been able to install Windows XP on a computer running a SATA (as the boot drive) without having to use one of those blasted F6 floppies. Seriously, how come the Windows installer can't read the files off a CD, harddisk, USB thumbdrive, or even a floppy disk in the B: drive? Seriously, this has to be one of the most irritating things about Windows (this coming from someone who had it install Windows XP on a laptop that seemed to use SATA internally and had no floppy drive. And Windows set up would not properly detect the USB floppy drive. Needless to say, I now know a lot more about slipstreaming than I ever wanted to know.)
My hint to anyone doing a fresh install of a dual booting Linux-Windows computer is to install Windows first. That way, you have the least amount of problems.
However, if you want to dual boot multiple versions of Windows, you're probably just screwed.