Posted on 11/30/2001 2:39:30 PM PST by ThinkDifferent
THE GREAT XP DEBATE: Well, none of you took any notice of my plea for no more emails. Not to worry. They've been fascinating. The bottom line is that the overwhelming majority of you guys back Apple. I could recite the dozens of stories I've gotten of similar wretched Microsoft experiences, but they're all essential paraphrases of my own sad little tale. But what really strikes me is the semi-religious enthusiasm of Mac-users. You'd think I'd just converted to Islam or something. It's really something to hear the sheer zeal with which Mac users speak of their computers. This is more than consumerism. It's something like a lifestyle, or at least an attitude. Of course, I'm now stricken with worries that if Apple comes along and offers us sponsorship or something, I'll be pillloried for conflicts of interest. You can almost hear David Talbot licking his chops now. But screw that. I'm shopping for an iBook tomorrow and if it sucks, I'll tell you. If I turn into as big an Apple fan as my correspondents, I'll tell you as well. And if Steve Jobs wants to advertize on a site with lots of Apple fans, my email address is easily found. ;-). Think different, eh?
- 11/30/2001
WINDOWS XP HELL: Just a quick word to urge y’all not to buy Microsoft’s new Windows XP. I’ve just wasted half the day trying to install it, and it’s just wiped out my DSL connection as a reward. It’s incompatible with loads of things that work perfectly well without it, and is also loaded up with all those creepy Microsoft gimmicks to make you buy more from the evil monopolist. God, I hate Microsoft. And don’t try calling support. The phone line is backed up for hours. A friend was basically screwed for three days trying to get it to work with his existing programs ... but of course it’s designed to screw with those products and get you to buy more Microsoft ones. Sorry for venting, but is there anything more irritating than computer screw-ups? OK, ok, there’s the Boston Globe, but this stuff is up there.
- 11/28/2001 07:56:15 PM
Cheers! CC :)
If Microsoft does makes NT untenable, then hello linux, or maybe even switch back to Mac. I hope for the latter, of course. My departmental IT administrator would like switching to Mac also, he says. Even though his Windows certificate gives him a large salary and guaranteed employment, he hates NT and likes Macs.
I agree totally, even though thankfully I'll never have to suffer through with XP. I'm a Mac user at home, and my company will never switch to XP (or even ME or 2000) because of the privacy concerns. If Microsoft does makes NT untenable, then hello linux, or maybe even switch back to Mac. Our government customers are saying the same thing, so its doubtfull that Gates will make that particular mistake. I hope for the latter, of course.
My departmental IT administrator would like switching to Mac also, he says. Even though his Windows certificate gives him a large salary and guaranteed employment, he hates NT and likes Macs.
Microsoft has issued guidelines about which computers are suitable for XP. Although they don't always say so, an additional useful rule is that anything built before 2000 is a bit of a risk. And unless you are upgrading from Windows 2000, it may be best to do a fresh install, which requires a certain amount of technical knowledge.
Apple has fewer glitches than Microsoft because the same company makes the software and hardware, so they are guaranteed compatible. The problem with that is that as a result your choice is pretty much Apple or nothing, and a very restricted list of application software and games you can use with it. I'd rather take my chances with Microsoft.
Very true. Out of curiosity, how did you end up spending $10k on a Mac? Hopefully you didn't pay Apple's >500% markup on RAM and hard drives.
This is from Mossberg's mailbox in WSJ.com the other day:
Q: I have a Dell Dimension purchased in March 1998. I upgraded to Windows 98 and increased my memory to 256 MB. I tried to load Windows XP and had an error, even though my machine meets the specs for XP. Dell says that this series of computer will not support Windows XP and that Dell won't be offering hardware and software changes to make it work with XP.
Why did Microsoft create an operating system that won't work even when the requirements are met?
A: Microsoft spokesmen have made it clear to journalists that the company doesn't recommend loading Windows XP on PCs built before the year 2000. They have explained that the new operating system is highly sensitive to the basic hardware in a PC, and that many older PCs won't work with XP, even if they have the right processor, memory and hard disk. I have mentioned that limitation in my columns, and so have other reviewers. Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn't stated this recommendation in every listing of system requirements, even on their Windows XP Web site. So they are misleading customers like you.
My Windows 98 crashes about once a day.
MS Word has become an impossible quagmire of opinions.
I recently found out the MS Excel can also be used to make spread sheets.
I would never install an upgraded MSOS on any machine being that I am not a masocist. If I want a new MSOS, I buy and new machine.
C Sharp is an just another attempt by MS to own the internet.
MS has put many fine companies out of business with its monopolistic practices.
Oh, and one more thing...
Microsoft Stock has made me wealthy. Bill Gates is my hero.
Cheers! CC :)
The Mac and Graphic Design: as it is the standard and 95% of your service providers are exclusively Mac (and most of those Quark), Mac is the only way to go. through the years i have experienced the same kind of headaches one would with any Windows based system. missing file extensions, crashes, incompatability, etc. still, there are relatively less of these problems on a Mac.
The PC and Business: if you require mostly business software, there are no happy mediums. you must use PC. some will tell you to buy some secondary software to mimic Windows (virtual PC), but this really isn't a legitimate option as your compatiblilty problems will skyrocket.
Speed: it's like comparing apples and oranges. if you're a photoshop junkie, a G4 will do in a pinch. if not, windows is AT LEAST as fast for comparable setups.
XP: recently, i upgraded to XP. if you're one of those masochists who enjoy loading operating systems on top of other operating systems, more power to you. "foolhearty" isn't the only word that comes to mind. i created a clean install on a separate partition and i am now more then pleased. compatability is an issue, however, but not for software as some will suggest... the compatibility issues reside in the hardware arena. first, you better have a decent motherboard... hopefully, one built specifically for XP. i went out and upgraded my motherboard to an MSI with a 266A chipset. i also bought a videocard which was specifically designed for XP. as far as software goes, i've never dealt with anything that was MORE compatible. i didn't have to load ANY of the drivers for any of the following: CD-Rom, CD-RW, video card, network card, PC Camera, scanner. my relatively new system has ran crash and even hiccup free since its inception a few weeks ago.
my advice: if you're having windows problems, but still prefer the windows format (as i do), invest a little money and time into some decent hardware. your mobo will ALL THE DIFFERENCE in the world. don't skip and buy some generic board that's going cause you rip your hair out. that's my 55 cents.
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