C'mon now. A good cause, of course, but how about all the children who get "infected" with spyware, porn and gambling websites using your Windows boxes?
tsk tsk.
People would rather spend $499 on a new dell with XP for email, internet and printing out their digital photos than buy a MAC with OS X. Why? Because its the norm and they haven't learned yet. Now there's a $499 mac...just supply VGA monitor, USB keyboard and mouse. To have one's machine be vulnerable right out of the box without applying 47 new security patches regularly is unacceptable. Hopefully the industry and users will realize this and more people will use OSX and not have to worry about it all anymore.
Firebird, Netscape, and avoid IE and Ms products when you can.
Need to run some Windows software? Run it under Virtual PC in an OSX Window. Its slower, but it beats ruining your machine with viruses, spyware and the like.
OS X is That Good (TM) for a reason. It's secure. It's Stable and its only running on a known set of hardware specified by Apple.
I switched about 2 years ago, from P4 machines to a Dual Proc 1.42G G4. Its heaven. I support Wintel boxes all day long and its so nice to get onto the Mac, because its just nice to work with. Is is 100%? No. Here are the highlights from someone who has been supporting Wintel boxes for 10 years:
1. Minimal security updates. Not weekly MS updates. 2. No lockups even when I have Final Cut Pro, Adobe Photoshop, DVD Studio 2/3, Safari, Mail, AIM, iTunes, Iphoto (with like 10,000 files) and Compressor working with 1G Ram. Sorry never had WinXP able to handle that workload without coughing and complaining and bogging down. 3. No more reloading your OS every 6-12 months. (I know you powerusers are out there, how often did you have to reload 98 back in the days, or XP for that matter?) W2k was my only stable OS I ran, which just might be luck. 4. Designed to be stable and the OS is thought out very well. Its Logical. I interact with all my USB devices from the Windows world, use Firewire well, Intel and linux servers connect fine. 5. Speed. Sorry, it just feels faster than my p4 2.x boxes ever were. 6. Unix goodies under the hood, and more. 7. No viruses! 8. No Popups or spyware. This is a big one, especially when you have to buy a MAC/PC for an inexperiences user - most support time is wasted on SPyware and telling them what to do what not to click on. BAH. WASTE OF TIME!
Im a happy owner of a PowerBook15 1.5Ghz and the aforementioned DP 1.42 G4. Yes, I paid a premium, and yes I could have gotten a slew of p4 boxes for the price I paid, but TIME is MONEY and if I can't get video out or DVDs burned, saving that money on unstable boxes is just not worth it.
The only problems I ever had were with airport extreme and expanding the airport wireless network, but that was about it. I picked up a two button mouse so I could wean myself over, and Ive been very happy. Everything else "Just Works" (TM).
Put it this way, I have to support Winboxes at work all the time, but at home - Im never going back. If I need to run anything on the Mac which is Windows, Ill just use VIRTUAL pc and run the dreaded XP monster in a Window, where it can be controlled and penned in.;)
I don't think there's an Honda Insight (even the automatic version gets 45mpg) owner who gets less than 40MPG. If you can find them, tell them to take the parking break off.
55MPG average lifetime mileage on this Insight.
Well, Ive had my 2000 Honda Insight which I bought used for about a year now, and love it. Normally, Id buy something like this new, but I found one for $10,000 in a Honda dealer in Nanuet, NY. So, with taxes and the honda extended warranty, let's call it $11,000. A good deal for someone who used to pay $40 a week in gas for a 4 runner SUV, which isnt big, but it sucks gas.
Now, for my commute which is paltry, I average 52MPG in town and the errands around the area of North NJ. If I drive it like it should be drive, I can get as high as 57MPG, but thats a lot of highway, not going faster than 55MPH ever, and very slow accelleration. Im sure if you get on a track with no water/snow/wind/other drivers you could get about 58-60MPG as well.
Honda states its 61/68 for the Insight, and thats without a passenger, headwind, groceries, extra weight, rain, air pressure being low in the tires, etc. Surprisingly, a coworker (who had to buy the exact car as me, color and everything, lol), travels about 25 miles to work and he gets 54-58 regularly now for a year. He's got a different driving style and he loves the car too.
Someone else at work got a 2004 Prius and he gets 45mph. Toyota did claim higher and that might be false advertising, but no one other than an all-electric can compare to the mileage of the Honda Insight. Shame Honda lost $8K per car they made since it was just so overly technical in the beginning. Only about 4K sold per year, I dont know if they'll make them for 04, 05, but I love it.
All this, with power windows, AC, 5 speed, and a comfortable, reliable ride from Honda. $17 fills my 10 gal tank and its 550 miles before I need another fillup - usually ONE MONTH.
The downsides? Low acceleration, bumpy ride, and not the most comfortable seats (I dont mind them, others have complained) and if you feel like saving yourself $25 a week in gas, a used one might be in order.
Ive been a desktop/server support person for 10-12 years and always was a Wintel user. At the end of 2002, I was sick of all the problems which had to be readily repaired on my 98/xp/2000 machines at home. Short of a w2k proliant server for storage, all required ENTIRELY too much upkeep, patching, cleaning and maintenance. I have since purchased a DP Macintosh G4 and although its a lot more expensive than a PC, its flawless, and it runs all I need it to run (Video editing, email, web, office apps) 24/7. I now, too, recommend iMacs or Powerbooks if people ask. For the record, my Dell p3 733 is still running fine, I have never had an issue with Dell's tech support. I just can't stand Microsoft's security holes and instability.
For the record, I still do have a 1 Pentium III class machine for whatever I cannot run on the max with OS X.
Ive been an IT admin/tech/whatnot for about 12 years and Ive stuggled through the first renditions of Windows and some were bearable, and some were quite annoying with their quirks. Add now, recently, with all the security and virus issues coming out of the woodwork, and the lockups and I no longer needed an excuse to switch.
I only have a few old Proliant I'll be switching over to UNIX (next learning project this winter) just for raid5 storage.
I bought a DP G4 1.42 and love it. I needed a pc to do video editing and titling, and was having issues getting the Windows version of the 1394 firewire working, let alone trying to make good DV out along with Quicktime and.MOV files for the website. I sold the P4 and just keep a Windows machine for gaming, but, like someone else commented, I havent used it in a month or so. The g4 with OSX connects to all my windows shares for the storage, works with my 802 wireless network if I want it beyond the ethernet cable's range, and its smooth and stable. Personally, I havent had a pc which I didnt have to reload the OS every 6 months due to one problem or another. I'm talking 95/98/2000 and XP. If you have a stable system with testing new hardware and pushing your machine to the limits and youre running a MS OS, you're a lucky one.
I wouldnt mind doing a "I switched" commercial, too, I'll tell you now, the only way Id go back is with virtual PC if I ABSOLUTELY needed to run something like Visio or just an app I couldn't find on the MAC. I am sure in the corporate workplace there are too many applications that would not work on the MAC, or are not written on the mac, for example, if you didn't want to use Virtual PC.
I support over 300 Windows clients and they're just high maintenance with patches, bugs, viruses, and such. Servers and Desktops. Now, if I had MACS at the workplace for clients, IM sure myself and possibly other tech people would be out of a job due to their stability.
A great little car. I bought mine used for $10K with 30K miles on it, and just sprung for the extended warranty. I love it. I was driving a 2000 4-Runner, which I have to keep for towing and transporting cargo - this was costing me $40 a week on gas. I drive a short commute daily, lots of stop and go, and on the weekends some 30-50 mile trips to friends and family.
Now, the cost of the tank fillup is $15 max, and that gets me 600 miles. In town and highway, I usually average about 55-61mpg, your mileage will vary depends how much of a hurry you are in. I enjoy driving the Insight since its like a game, of power - charging the batteries while coming to a stop, driving off without using the battery assist, its very enjoyable for me.
Pros: SUPER GEEK factor, I enjoy telling people about the car, and since hydrogen fuel-cell cars are years away from being affordable, I think its a good stop to take. Love the tech factor.
Interior nicely laid out, nicer than the Prius for sure, havent seen the new one yet, but to me it looks like a 4 seater Honda Insight.
CONS: Road noise is higher due to the low-rolling tires, but its not bad. SUVs have to deal with wind noise, and there's almost 0 of that for this car, so its a trade off.
A 2-seater, so no children in front of the airbag, which you cannot turn off. Passengers = 1.
WIND- sometimes on those really blustery days you can feel a little wind on the road, on some pavement the car can be a little "squirrely", but its minimal.
Tires - not meant to be used at the Indy 500, its not a car meant for tight turns. They have to have high air pressure in them (I run with 44psi) and they're cheap, $70 a tire when you need them replaced.
_______________________________________________
I have found that the storage space below deck to be adequate (about the size of two grocery bags full) but I usually put stuff on the back deck too, if they dont move around much.
Overall, its a great feeling to drive 600 miles and fill up ONCE A MONTH. The guy at the local gas station gets a kick out of when he sees me pull up. The Insights have A/C and all the usual power windows and such, I did replace the poor factory stereo and speakers and that did wonders. Snow is not great for the Insight 1) it sits low and can plow snow in about 4-5inches of snow, and 2) handling is not great. Change the tires and lose the great mileage. I have a 5 speed and it gets better mileage than the CVT, but its all your preference.
For more information, check out www.insightcentral.net - a great resource for those debating to buy or not. Overall, my best purchase in a long time. New they're $19K or so, so it might not give you the savings you want over time, but check for Insights on the internet on used car dealers and find a good deal for someone who traded it in for a 4 door and you're set.
....nice looking website, but it looks like they're just looking to create a new mailing list and hiding it as a Beta-test signup. Then they can sell it off to someone. Maybe the box is vaporware, since the business model of this unit couldn't possibly work. Buy the unit, download the games, company goes out of business and then what?
Also, how many beta-testers should have to give their CELL-PHONE on an application?
Slashdot Mirror
C'mon now. A good cause, of course, but how about all the children who get "infected" with spyware, porn and gambling websites using your Windows boxes? tsk tsk.
People would rather spend $499 on a new dell with XP for email, internet and printing out their digital photos than buy a MAC with OS X. Why? Because its the norm and they haven't learned yet. Now there's a $499 mac...just supply VGA monitor, USB keyboard and mouse. To have one's machine be vulnerable right out of the box without applying 47 new security patches regularly is unacceptable. Hopefully the industry and users will realize this and more people will use OSX and not have to worry about it all anymore.
Firebird, Netscape, and avoid IE and Ms products when you can.
Need to run some Windows software? Run it under Virtual PC in an OSX Window. Its slower, but it beats ruining your machine with viruses, spyware and the like.
OS X is That Good (TM) for a reason. It's secure. It's Stable and its only running on a known set of hardware specified by Apple.
;)
I switched about 2 years ago, from P4 machines to a Dual Proc 1.42G G4. Its heaven. I support Wintel boxes all day long and its so nice to get onto the Mac, because its just nice to work with. Is is 100%? No. Here are the highlights from someone who has been supporting Wintel boxes for 10 years:
1. Minimal security updates. Not weekly MS updates.
2. No lockups even when I have Final Cut Pro, Adobe Photoshop, DVD Studio 2/3, Safari, Mail, AIM, iTunes, Iphoto (with like 10,000 files) and Compressor working with 1G Ram. Sorry never had WinXP able to handle that workload without coughing and complaining and bogging down.
3. No more reloading your OS every 6-12 months. (I know you powerusers are out there, how often did you have to reload 98 back in the days, or XP for that matter?) W2k was my only stable OS I ran, which just might be luck.
4. Designed to be stable and the OS is thought out very well. Its Logical. I interact with all my USB devices from the Windows world, use Firewire well, Intel and linux servers connect fine.
5. Speed. Sorry, it just feels faster than my p4 2.x boxes ever were.
6. Unix goodies under the hood, and more.
7. No viruses!
8. No Popups or spyware. This is a big one, especially when you have to buy a MAC/PC for an inexperiences user - most support time is wasted on SPyware and telling them what to do what not to click on. BAH. WASTE OF TIME!
Im a happy owner of a PowerBook15 1.5Ghz and the aforementioned DP 1.42 G4. Yes, I paid a premium, and yes I could have gotten a slew of p4 boxes for the price I paid, but TIME is MONEY and if I can't get video out or DVDs burned, saving that money on unstable boxes is just not worth it.
The only problems I ever had were with airport extreme and expanding the airport wireless network, but that was about it. I picked up a two button mouse so I could wean myself over, and Ive been very happy. Everything else "Just Works" (TM).
Put it this way, I have to support Winboxes at work all the time, but at home - Im never going back. If I need to run anything on the Mac which is Windows, Ill just use VIRTUAL pc and run the dreaded XP monster in a Window, where it can be controlled and penned in.
Obligatory Mr. Mom quote:
"263, 264, whatever it takes."
(220, 221 whatever it takes.)
Now in Super High Definition Video:
"... help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're our only hope..."
I don't think there's an Honda Insight (even the automatic version gets 45mpg) owner who gets less than 40MPG. If you can find them, tell them to take the parking break off. 55MPG average lifetime mileage on this Insight.
Well, Ive had my 2000 Honda Insight which I bought used for about a year now, and love it. Normally, Id buy something like this new, but I found one for $10,000 in a Honda dealer in Nanuet, NY. So, with taxes and the honda extended warranty, let's call it $11,000. A good deal for someone who used to pay $40 a week in gas for a 4 runner SUV, which isnt big, but it sucks gas.
Now, for my commute which is paltry, I average 52MPG in town and the errands around the area of North NJ. If I drive it like it should be drive, I can get as high as 57MPG, but thats a lot of highway, not going faster than 55MPH ever, and very slow accelleration. Im sure if you get on a track with no water/snow/wind/other drivers you could get about 58-60MPG as well.
Honda states its 61/68 for the Insight, and thats without a passenger, headwind, groceries, extra weight, rain, air pressure being low in the tires, etc. Surprisingly, a coworker (who had to buy the exact car as me, color and everything, lol), travels about 25 miles to work and he gets 54-58 regularly now for a year. He's got a different driving style and he loves the car too.
Someone else at work got a 2004 Prius and he gets 45mph. Toyota did claim higher and that might be false advertising, but no one other than an all-electric can compare to the mileage of the Honda Insight. Shame Honda lost $8K per car they made since it was just so overly technical in the beginning. Only about 4K sold per year, I dont know if they'll make them for 04, 05, but I love it.
All this, with power windows, AC, 5 speed, and a comfortable, reliable ride from Honda. $17 fills my 10 gal tank and its 550 miles before I need another fillup - usually ONE MONTH.
The downsides? Low acceleration, bumpy ride, and not the most comfortable seats (I dont mind them, others have complained) and if you feel like saving yourself $25 a week in gas, a used one might be in order.
C'mon, no one said it yet? lol I figured someone would bring up the literal bad-translation from EAST to WEST games, text/language wise.
...you're going to see some serious $hit! -Doc Brown
(Sorry, couldnt refuse.)
(sorry, couldnt help myself.) lol
DECEPTIONWARE!
Announcer: It would take over two and a half million bowls of your oat bran cereal to equal the fiber content of one bowl of Super Colon Blow! -SNL
Ive been a desktop/server support person for 10-12 years and always was a Wintel user. At the end of 2002, I was sick of all the problems which had to be readily repaired on my 98/xp/2000 machines at home. Short of a w2k proliant server for storage, all required ENTIRELY too much upkeep, patching, cleaning and maintenance. I have since purchased a DP Macintosh G4 and although its a lot more expensive than a PC, its flawless, and it runs all I need it to run (Video editing, email, web, office apps) 24/7. I now, too, recommend iMacs or Powerbooks if people ask. For the record, my Dell p3 733 is still running fine, I have never had an issue with Dell's tech support. I just can't stand Microsoft's security holes and instability.
For the record, I still do have a 1 Pentium III class machine for whatever I cannot run on the max with OS X.
lol
Ive been an IT admin/tech/whatnot for about 12 years and Ive stuggled through the first renditions of Windows and some were bearable, and some were quite annoying with their quirks. Add now, recently, with all the security and virus issues coming out of the woodwork, and the lockups and I no longer needed an excuse to switch. I only have a few old Proliant I'll be switching over to UNIX (next learning project this winter) just for raid5 storage. I bought a DP G4 1.42 and love it. I needed a pc to do video editing and titling, and was having issues getting the Windows version of the 1394 firewire working, let alone trying to make good DV out along with Quicktime and .MOV files for the website. I sold the P4 and just keep a Windows machine for gaming, but, like someone else commented, I havent used it in a month or so. The g4 with OSX connects to all my windows shares for the storage, works with my 802 wireless network if I want it beyond the ethernet cable's range, and its smooth and stable. Personally, I havent had a pc which I didnt have to reload the OS every 6 months due to one problem or another. I'm talking 95/98/2000 and XP. If you have a stable system with testing new hardware and pushing your machine to the limits and youre running a MS OS, you're a lucky one.
I wouldnt mind doing a "I switched" commercial, too, I'll tell you now, the only way Id go back is with virtual PC if I ABSOLUTELY needed to run something like Visio or just an app I couldn't find on the MAC. I am sure in the corporate workplace there are too many applications that would not work on the MAC, or are not written on the mac, for example, if you didn't want to use Virtual PC.
I support over 300 Windows clients and they're just high maintenance with patches, bugs, viruses, and such. Servers and Desktops. Now, if I had MACS at the workplace for clients, IM sure myself and possibly other tech people would be out of a job due to their stability.
A great little car. I bought mine used for $10K with 30K miles on it, and just sprung for the extended warranty. I love it. I was driving a 2000 4-Runner, which I have to keep for towing and transporting cargo - this was costing me $40 a week on gas. I drive a short commute daily, lots of stop and go, and on the weekends some 30-50 mile trips to friends and family.
Now, the cost of the tank fillup is $15 max, and that gets me 600 miles. In town and highway, I usually average about 55-61mpg, your mileage will vary depends how much of a hurry you are in. I enjoy driving the Insight since its like a game, of power - charging the batteries while coming to a stop, driving off without using the battery assist, its very enjoyable for me.
Pros:
SUPER GEEK factor, I enjoy telling people about the car, and since hydrogen fuel-cell cars are years away from being affordable, I think its a good stop to take. Love the tech factor.
Interior nicely laid out, nicer than the Prius for sure, havent seen the new one yet, but to me it looks like a 4 seater Honda Insight.
CONS:
Road noise is higher due to the low-rolling tires, but its not bad. SUVs have to deal with wind noise, and there's almost 0 of that for this car, so its a trade off.
A 2-seater, so no children in front of the airbag, which you cannot turn off. Passengers = 1.
WIND- sometimes on those really blustery days you can feel a little wind on the road, on some pavement the car can be a little "squirrely", but its minimal.
Tires - not meant to be used at the Indy 500, its not a car meant for tight turns. They have to have high air pressure in them (I run with 44psi) and they're cheap, $70 a tire when you need them replaced.
_______________________________________________
I have found that the storage space below deck to be adequate (about the size of two grocery bags full) but I usually put stuff on the back deck too, if they dont move around much.
Overall, its a great feeling to drive 600 miles and fill up ONCE A MONTH. The guy at the local gas station gets a kick out of when he sees me pull up. The Insights have A/C and all the usual power windows and such, I did replace the poor factory stereo and speakers and that did wonders. Snow is not great for the Insight 1) it sits low and can plow snow in about 4-5inches of snow, and 2) handling is not great. Change the tires and lose the great mileage. I have a 5 speed and it gets better mileage than the CVT, but its all your preference.
For more information, check out www.insightcentral.net - a great resource for those debating to buy or not. Overall, my best purchase in a long time. New they're $19K or so, so it might not give you the savings you want over time, but check for Insights on the internet on used car dealers and find a good deal for someone who traded it in for a 4 door and you're set.
www.sharkdefense.com
....nice looking website, but it looks like they're just looking to create a new mailing list and hiding it as a Beta-test signup. Then they can sell it off to someone. Maybe the box is vaporware, since the business model of this unit couldn't possibly work. Buy the unit, download the games, company goes out of business and then what?
Also, how many beta-testers should have to give their CELL-PHONE on an application?
Shesh.
www.sharkdefense.com