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Subject: 
Re: OS advocacy (was: Re: Perl rules!)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate, lugnet.off-topic.geek
Date: 
Tue, 27 Jul 1999 00:31:19 GMT
Reply-To: 
cjc@newsguy.&Spamcake&com
Viewed: 
1420 times
  
Christopher L. Weeks <c576653@cclabs.missouri.edu> wrote:
Right, I think it's a bad argument tactic to suggest that Macs are
cheaper than Intel hardware.  It just ain't so.  But, they are faster,
more reliable, easier to use, easier to maintain, less reliant on MS
(which matters to some), and home to more and better graphics and
multimedia software (still (NT was supposed to turn dig-vid industry but
it's mostly not happening)).  But you have to pay a little bit for it.

Faster?  In what way, running what apps?  Sorry, but having used
everything from the original lunchbox to the latest blue+white G3 on
the Mac side and everything from the 8086 to a fully tripped-out
P3-550, it ain't so.  Maybe at various times over the years running
certain apps, but certainly not now, not by a long shot.

For $2811 I can buy a G3 450 128mb/9gb SCSI (nice that the mac hasn't
forgotten the main thing that used to set them apart - too bad you
still have to spend $3k to get it), etc.

For $2800 I can put together a P3 system that will perform as well, if
not better, than anything you can do on that G3.

Reliable?  Maybe.

Easier in any respect?  Maybe, although it isn't like using Windows is
rocket science.

As for less reliant on MS, I'd say Apple-apologists won't be able to
claim that until everyone forgets the $100M old Billie-boy poured into
the company.

As for "home to more and better graphics and multimedia software" -
again, maybe.  Certainly not the case with lots of the mainstream
stuff.  Adobe made more off PC products than Apple products last year
from what I read.

You are also more limited in your hardware expansion options.

Well, limited is a bit of an understatement.

I disagree.  On the limited occasions that I have worked to upgrade my
Windows OS 95 ->98 and a service patch to 98, it wasn't that easy.
Maybe it's that easy once you know what you're doing...and thus a
sysadmin.  I personally find the MacOS easier to upgrade and undo the
upgrade if I do it wrong.

Going from 95 -> 98 is a bit more than patching the OS.  And I'm not
sure what you did with 98, but since "Windows Update" has appeared
I've used it to keep dozens of 98 machines up to date - no real
thought or work required.

No arguments about the Mac being easy to upgrade, though.

I'm the first to admit that the Mac is probably a lot easier (in some
ways) for a novice to use, but I honestly don't know where you get
this impression that PC users spend some large percentage (or even any
percentage) of their time "fixing" their computers.

The people I talk to do.  I'm surrounded by them.  Of course, many of
them are running multi-boot boxes with linux, WinNT, BSD, OS/2, etc and
goof things up almost on purpose like you admitted to.

Then those people aren't spending time "fixing" their computers -
they're spending time playing with their computers.  Normal PC users,
like normal Mac users, buy a PC with one OS on it and keep on using it
for the life of the machine, with maybe some sort of minimal upgrades.
Those people don't spend huge amounts of time "fixing" their machines
- I know because *I'm* surrounded by them.

to say they could, if they use the built-in Apple-provided connection
(earthlink or something), but God help them if they choose another ISP
and don't have any experience setting that stuff up, especially if

OK, everyone I know has done it before.  It certainly seems easier than
when I have to help my in-laws with their win98 machine to get and stay networked.

Well, I've probably configured a thousand PC's for dial-up access and
at least half that number of Macs.  Neither are really hard when you
get right down to it.

You can have my iBook when you pry it out of my cold dead fingers :-)

You can have it.  If I want a toy I'll buy some more Lego sets.  If I
want a kickass Apple notebook I'll stick with the high-end 400mhz G3.
The only Macintosh I've seen that can keep up with my Tecra
feature-wise and performance-wise - all that and it costs less.  Now
if Apple could make their desktop machines do the same.

--
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Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: OS advocacy (was: Re: Perl rules!)
 
(...) I frankly don't know all the specs of all the machines around, but WRT the machines that I have around, I can count on the Macs being ~30% more expensive and a variable amount faster in ways that I find important. I've been using SETI@home as (...) (25 years ago, 27-Jul-99, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, lugnet.off-topic.geek)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Perl rules!
 
(...) Ok, so asking for a cheaper machine than a hand-me-down is a bit misleading, don't you think? I could just as easily say that Rachael's P2-350 was a hand-me-down for her (since it was) because it used to be my machine. In fact, since it hasn't (...) (25 years ago, 25-Jul-99, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, lugnet.off-topic.geek)

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