NYT: Bill Gates Shows Next Windows

[DeepModem Mom]

Bill Gates Shows Next Windows
By LAURIE J. FLYNN
Published: September 14, 2005


Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman and chief software architect, gave software developers a preview of the next version of the Windows operating system yesterday in an effort to build support and enthusiasm for the new program.

The commercial release of the program, known as Windows Vista, is not expected for another year, but Mr. Gates and legions of Microsoft employees are already working with developers to create software applications that will work with the new Windows.

"We want to make sure you're ready for the wave," Mr. Gates said, as he demonstrated Vista at a Microsoft-sponsored conference for commercial software developers in Los Angeles.

He promised attendees that Vista would usher in a "big wave" of sales when it was introduced.

Microsoft executives said Vista would have better connectivity with corporate servers, improved graphics and more advanced search capability to allow users to find files more easily on their hard drives....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/14/technology/14soft.html

[leveymg]

1. Effective today, MS drops technical support for XP and all earlier

operating systems. Better place your order for VISTA now!:sarcasm:

[Atman]

2. Pre-purchase now. Ships in 2009.

What did I miss? Did Apple update OSX again? That's the only time Gates slithers out to announce his next Vapor Ware release.

[SpiralHawk]

3. Got a Tiger in your CPE, Billy?

I'm sure his worker bees have been totally busy copying (as usual)

[SkipNewarkDE]

8. Tiger took the wind out of Vista's sails...

Many of the key features that are being touted for Vista were actually realized and delivered (on time) in Tiger. One of the most outstanding of these features is the metadata system that allows rapid, system-wide searches, even into documents. Tiger implemented something called Spotlight, which is unbelievably fast, and incredibly useful.

Taking a note from Apple's Dashboard widgets (a feature inspired by Konfabulator), Vista will also run Java, Javascript, and HTML applets on the Desktop, independent of the browser.

Other features, such as transparency in windows, etc. are also to be included - these have been a feature of the Aqua interface since OS X first debuted some five years ago.

I had a job interview with Microsoft a few months back... the hiring manager was looking for talent to specifically implement bundled applications and features that have the same gee-whiz, wow this is neat, exciting and useful, as found in Mac OS X. His words, not mine.

So Microsoft DOES really look to Apple for R&D inspiration.

[boredofeducation]

71. Actually both companies copy from each other.

Actually both companies copy from each other. If Ford "borrowed" the Steering Wheel, does that mean all other companies couldn't use it too? Right now MS has to play catch up with Apple, just like Apple had to play catch up with MS in the 90's and early 2000.

[DS1]

98. My XP install already has window transparency

:shrug:

[ToolTex]

102. You don't know history very well, it seems.

n/t

[boredofeducation]

110. I guess you don't either

I guess you were asleep during the 90's and early 2000. Apple did have to play catch up, why did you think they dropped their own OS for open source BSD?

[amber dog democrat]

103. Apple never had to play catch up with MS

but MS always was good at defending weak products. In my thesaurus, under MS, see :"lame". Having been forced to use MS applications in a number of jobs I concede its almost as good in many instances - but MS never innovates. It just copies

[JohnyCanuck]

4. Let me guess

Minimum 512MB ram required, 1GB recommended

[FlaGranny]

7. Who could operate with

less than 512mb and 1GB ram? I have that and it isn't enough at times, especially when I start working with photos. ;-)

[JohnyCanuck]

11. Actually after I posted that comment,

I thought to myself, you know 1GB not really outlandish at all these days as far as memory specs go for some applications. I'm running XP Home Edition quite comfortably on 256MB myself, but my PC is mostly just for surfing the net, email and keeping a resume up to date with Word.

[FlaGranny]

21. My computer only has room for 1GB

and more would help for working with photos, but a half or quarter of that works well for general use.

[kineneb]

34. w/o MS, one can get along with a lot less RAM

I am type this from an aging IBM 600E Thinkpad 366, w/234K RAM (yes, an oddish number). But I am running SUSE 9.0 Linux on it, and it does everything I need, if a bit slowly. Photo editing is no problem. The only thing I never got to work under Linux was the sound, and since I am using it in a office, lack of sound is not a problem.

[lateo]

17. Microsoft always aims low in its RAM estimates...

So "if" they say 1GB recommended you will probably need 4GB to get anything done.

[Halliburton]

47. they recommend 256mb for XP

yet, I have 512mb of RAM and my PC still goes into a funk sometimes.

[lateo]

50. Always us a factor of at least 4 against anything MS recommends.

Remember they said 5MB for Windows95. Hilarious.

[allalone]

54. mine too

[ShrewdLiberal]

109. I just bought a new Dell Dimension 2400 with 256mb & XP

It runs and works great. I think the key is to purchase a long-term subscription to McAfree Security Center with Virus Scan, Firewall, Privacy, and Spyware removal. My puter functions at top-rate speed without high-speed internet. I've not had any problems whatsoever with XP.

[William Seger]

38. .. and don't forget the 128 MB graphics card

[mccoyn]

69. I really doubt the new OS will use video memory.

[jayfish]

94. Actually, To Enable All The Bells And Whistles...

for the new GUI you will need a fairly modern 3D video card.

Jay

[Nomad559]

96. You need a DirectX 9 compatible

video card to use the 3D Graphical interface on Vista.

Here are the nVidia cards that support Vista.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_32_supported.html

My nVidia GeForce FX 5200 works fine on Vista.

:)

[jayfish]

97. My Card Will Work As Well.

Theory should hold that by the time Vista is released, a majority of video cards will support DX9 and beyond. It sounds like you are running a copy already. I going to get one myself for testing at work. I just need a box to run it on. I have a PIV MB lying around that I might make into a test-bed.

Jay

[boredofeducation]

72. 128MB Video card is for the games

128MB video card is for high end games, not the operating system. I am sure you could still use a standard 1MB video card with "longhorn". Just like you can with XP.

[420inTN]

89. No, you want 256 or 512 for video cards.

128 is low-midrange.

[William Seger]

100. Nope

M$ is saying that if you have a 3D GPU card (Longhorn doesn't use bitmap graphics; it uses vector graphics) with at least 128 MB, you'll be okay. But if you have a card with "only" 64 MB, you can still run the Aero display, which looks like XP, instead of the wizbang Aero Glass. And M$ says that AGP is really too puny for Vista to perform well: they're recommending a PCI x16 card with 256 MB. They also say you're probably gonna want 2 GB of DDR3 memory and a S-ATA 2 hard drive.

[BlueJazz]

5. As a Tech, the worst thing I hate about a new Operating system is..

...when folks bring in their screwed-up new computer (with the new O.S.) and don't have the drivers for their hardware on their computer.
Geez..What a Bitch! The drivers are impossible to find.
The manufactures are always about 4 months behind on the drivers...

[Nomad559]

6. You can view

Screen captures and videos of "Windows Vista Build 5219" here.

http://blog.uxevolutions.com/pdc05/entries/16

:)

[Occulus]

22. That looks a LOT like many of the linux desktops I've seen over the years

hhhhhhmmmmmmmmm.

[Nomad559]

33. looks a LOT like linux desktops

Vista and Linux do not look very much alike.
In some ways, Linux looks better.

But, Windows Vista will have a new 3D Graphical interface.
Vista videos
http://media.putfile.com/vistabeta1
http://media.putfile.com/Longhorn

Screen Captures

Mandriva Linux 2005
?click

SuSE Linux Pro 9.3
?click

Windows Vista - Beta 1
?click

All of my Desktops
http://www.geocities.com/nomad559/DeskTop.html

:)

[klook]

36. Looks like Linux, but

unlike Linux will a) cost a bundle and b) crash much more often.

[silverojo]

99. So true!

<<Looks like Linux, but unlike Linux will a) cost a bundle and b) crash much more often.>>

I'm already learning how to use Linux, b/c I am not going to buy a new PC every year just so I can run Windows' latest bloatware version. :mad:

[alcibiades_mystery]

43. You can do that and better with Object Desktop and WindowPanes

BFD.

[Bassic]

9. Did it Blue Screen this time too?

I like it when that asshole looks like a fool.

[Xenotime]

10. You get a red screen when it crashes....

Seriously, I think they changed the color of the crash.

[Nomad559]

13. That's not true

Somebody started that stupid rumor a few months ago.

:)

[Bassic]

14. Fiew! you scared me there

As a long time user of Windows, I'm a bit attached to the blue bugger :P

[The Revolution]

35. You can change the color of the BSOD

At least you used to be able to in older versions of windows. I forget exactly how it was done...either a registry key or a setting in some config file somewhere. Basically useless, especially since newer versions of windows are a lot more stable...I don't think I've seen one for a couple of years now :)

[ixion]

12. An OS I will never use

Vista, a.k.a. Longhorn will run ONLY M$ certified (read: developer paid money to M$), which means that a whole bunch of apps are probably not going to run on this new and 'improved' lame excuse for an OS.

Sorry, Bill, hope this falls flat on it's ass, I gotta say. :grr:

[ramapo]

16. A bit proprietary?

This just makes me howl. Years ago I worked with customers who couldn't wait to toss out their proprietary OS' (which worked exceptionally well) for the "open" WinTel systems.

In the years since, support costs exploded and likely eclipsed any savings gained from the "low" cost WinTel solutions.

I'm transitioning to Macs at home. I am just so sick of Microsoft's crappy software and attitude.

[mainegreen]

24. Will only run M$ certified apps? No way

I don't buy that for a second. So many applications that run the business world are made by specialized developers that is MS were to do this, they would sell about 0 copies of vista. Health care in the US would collapse overnight if we all had to switch to vista. It defies all laws of computing. You sure your not thinking of XBOX which DOES require MS certification? (not that that cant be broken :) )

[Nomad559]

26. I don't buy that for a second

It's not true, you can run ANY app that you want on Vista.

:)

[ixion]

48. that goes against everything I've read about it...

just saying...

[Nomad559]

52. I have been

beta testing Vista (Longhorn) for almost two years now, and I can assure you that any app you can Install on XP, can also be Installed on Vista.

Where did you read this?

[ixion]

61. It concerned Palladium... but it looks like they scrapped it

because the idea met with fierce resistance from their customer base, I imagine.

In any case, I still won't be running out to purchase a copy any time soon. ;-)

[mccoyn]

74. I read the same thing about Windows XP.

I read that WinXP would only allow certified drivers. It turns out that they just put up a warning dialog for non-certified drivers.

They also said it wouldn't let you run downloaded programs. Again, it just puts up a warning dialog. This is a pretty good idea for those who can't tell the difference between an image file and an executable file without opening it.

[boredofeducation]

66. I don't think so

Please don't pass mis-information here. If Microsoft wanted to the lose 90% of it's market share they would do that.

[ixion]

83. hey, it's not misinformation... it's what they were planning to do

and I still don't trust M$ one bit.

[short bus president]

15. Hey Mr Bill - Novell thinks they've got yer number on this one...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/13/linux_migration_opportunity/

[boredofeducation]

73. That's interesting

That's Interesting, I just think they are a little too "optimistic" changes take a long time to occur, not overnight. But I think they are on the right track.

[mccoyn]

76. MS is less popular in Europe.

I think American corperations are hated more than Americans. Thats why MS is really upset about the bad rap America has been getting overseas. It really affects thier sales.

[LeftHander]

18. Also enhancments to the already amazing MSVTP....

MSVTP = Microsoft Virus Transfer Protocol

[onehandle]

19. Read my sig!

[genieroze]

20. I wonder how much big bro spyware is in this one.

[mccoyn]

77. If we use past versions as a guide, none.

What makes you wonder that?

[boredofeducation]

79. Paranoid

I notice a common thrend with the zealots, they are paranoid.

[madmark]

23. (tech question) Im getting a Pentium 4 D 3.2 (2 3.2 processors) and a dual

nvidia 256 video card; will this handle graphics intensive games for at least the next 2 years? Follow up, is the the dual 3.2 better than say one 3.6? And does the dual video card matter? The single 256 is like $350 cheaper.

[digno dave]

28. Dual processors would be MUCH faster that single one, even if it's a fastr

one. If you envision going to tw omonitors then yes, get the dual graphics card. If you do a lot of graphics stuff then you will want two monitors. If not, then no.

[madmark]

60. thx for the info, we will see if doom3, rometotalwar, or c&c zero hour

look any better with this new hardware.

[EOTE]

31. Two video cards in SLI configuration?

If you're getting two identical PCI Express graphics cards to be put into a motherboard with two 16x PCI-E slots, then yes, your graphics processing ability will be much improved for most games. If you're just looking to run multiple monitors, most video cards today include both VGA and DVI out meaning that you can run multiple monitors with a single video card providing you have the correct adapter. As for the dual processors, it really depends on whether your OS and apps support dual processors if you expect to see a speed difference.

[madmark]

59. its the sli configuration (nvidia 256), thx for the info

[mccoyn]

80. Most PC games today will not improve with dual core CPUs.

Dual core requires very different programming techniques that most PC game developers aren't using. Almost all PC games today will only use one core at a time. The second one will help slightly since it will handle OS threads when they come up, but this is minor. This won't be near the advantage of getting the faster single core CPU.

Theoretically, the availability of dual core CPUs will encourage PC game developers to write multi-threaded games in the future that take advantage of multiple processors. Of course SMP (multi-processor computers) have been around for a long time and these developers haven't jumped on that opportunity. The cost of developing for multiple cores has never been met by market availability. My opinion is it won't be anytime soon. You can certainly find other opinions.

[boredofeducation]

82. I predict 3 years before games are written for dual core

I predict 3 years before games are written for dual core cpus, right now I still see games that require a PII or PIII CPUs, I am sure there are a few that require a PIV, but I personally haven't seen them yet.

[reprobate]

25. MicroShaft will never get another penny of my money.

I started switching to Mac eight months ago and finished last month. My iMac G5 20", my wife's Mac Mini,and my iBook have completed the transition.

Computing is now so much more pleasant.No concerns about virus infections, spyware, malware, etc., etc., and so forth. No crashes. Mac OS X Tiger just works. I decided after just a day with it that this is the way computing should have been in the first place, if the Gates Conspiracy hadn't used their cheating ways on the industry.

Head to head and in a blind test, people will likely pick Tiger over M$ every time. It's so much easier to use and the learning curve is so much shorter. The only important thing to remember when switching is to forget everything you knew about Windoze. It's all unnecessary. Tiger is just intuitive, you'll pick it up in no time.

Switch now or forever hold your peace.

[klook]

37. Me too

I don't agree that everything about Mac is intuitive, but most of it is. Maybe it seems less intuitive to me sometimes because I know so many Wind'ohs shortcuts and workarounds and am used to its quirks.

I also really don't like the Mac's one-button mouse or non-ergonomic keyboard, but I got a M$ two-button wireless scrolling mouse and "natural" keyboard, and they work pretty nicely with Tiger.

I recently gave away a bunch of old PC software, and it was amazing all the programs I had that were just to deal with the flakiness of Windoze. I also came across a bunch of notes from painful hours-long sessions of trying to recover the M$ system because it suddenly had developed a memory conflict, or gotten a virus, or had a corrupted registry, or "couldn't find the hard drive," etc. etc. It was yet another one of those maddening experiences that was that the last straw that prompted me to switch.

Come to think of it, I agree with Bill Gates's 1984 assessment.

[reprobate]

46. Thanks for the laugh. Even gates saw it back then. But the Dark Side....

....got him eventually.

I, too, went thru the winnowing of windows programs when I gave my old windows laptop to my daughter. Amazing how many programs I no longer even need now that I'm no longer bound to XP. And not just utilities to keep the machine safe, but actual expensive programs that are either replaced by programs in the OS X system, or available as freeware or shareware.

And you are right that we aren't tethered to the Apple mouse. I use a M$ (ptoo) trackball explorer which has four buttons plus a scrollweel and comes with Mac software. I changed from a mouse to a trackball several years ago after advice from my doctor when I complained of shoulder pain. He went thru the same problem with a mouse and switched to the trackball.

[boredofeducation]

78. Why do zealots only try to convert people?

Why do zealots only try to convert people? I never understood the reason why if "I use it, than everyone has to use it" Mentality? It's almost like "I believe in God in a certain way, and everyone else has to also".

[arikara]

27. I will never buy another MS operating system

I bought a top of the line Win 2000 system 3 years ago and its still sufficient for my needs but it just infuriates me how they want their tentacles into every part of everything. I've heard that the new software only lets you install it once, so if you buy Office you can't install it on your computer and laptop... what a ripoff if that's true.

When I get a new one it'll either be Mac or Linux.

[Algorem]

29. Virus Flies Through Window,Eats Bill Gates Face

[livefrom]

30. How much does it cost to switch to Apple?

We've invested not only in Microsoft Windows, but in all the software that works on it - how much would it be to switch everything over to Apple? Like Office, Photoshop, those kinds of things? Is there a convenient or inexpensive way to do this?

[SkipNewarkDE]

32. Some software companies offer

"cross-grades", ie. reduced prices for upgrades is often done cross platform. If you have a Windows version of Photoshop and want to buy a Mac upgrade, the vendor may charge you an upgrade rather than full price, if you have a valid serial number.

[klook]

39. Depends on how much horsepower you need

If you can get by with a Mac Mini, you can get a Mac for around $500 (assuming you have a working VGA monitor you can hook up to it). iMacs and Power Macs cost more, but maybe not when you consider the value of your time.

[livefrom]

40. Yes would pretty much want to recreate my PC power

with Apple, will explore the "upgrade" options. Thanks!

[digitstatic]

58. We did some upgrades of Adobe software at work

(Photoshop, After Effects) for Windows to Mac with no problem.

As a side note, we have several Macs that have outlasted every Windows PC in the office at least three times over. Very few problems. All the Macs I've personally owned have been rock solid as well.

[IDemo]

41. Mac vs. Linux vs. Windows:

I was very close to purchasing a G5 iMac several months back, before I discovered many of them were experiencing severe problems due to blown electrolytic capacitors on the motherboard, and that Apple's response to service requests varied widely. That, and Apple's general insistence on bringing your unit to a "genius bar" (their term) for anything from repair work to installation of memory dimms. Sorry, but I'm an electronics tech, built the machine I'm typing this on, and prefer to have the option of troubleshooting and upgrading my machines as I see fit.

Linux. I have a dual-boot Win/Linux machine here and at work, but almost never boot the Linux partition. ATT/Worldnet makes it extremely difficult if not impossible to connect via dialup, and DSL is not yet available in my area. Plus, in spite of all the improvements made by several distributions lately (I'm using SuSe and Mandrake both), the user must resign himself to spending a great deal of time in terminal mode, editing configuration files in the vi editor or extracting/compiling/configuring files and programs.

Maybe later on a 'nix OS, but not now.

[klook]

42. Install your own RAM

in an iMac. It's a snap. Just open up the back. You can probably do most other repairs yourself also.

Linux is way too difficult for the average user, so for most folks without your technical experience, Mac is a good option.

[IDemo]

45. I'm aware it's a snap, but apparently Apple feels it requires a 'genius'

- "It's a snap. Just open up the back. You can probably do most other repairs yourself also."

They prefer you purchase "Apple Certified" memory to keep your warranty happy, and have it installed at the "Genius Bar" (sheesh). The price listed on my pre-purchase worksheet for a stick of Crucial (Micron) memory was almost double the price at crucial.com.

[reprobate]

49. "purchase "Apple Certified" memory to keep your warranty happy", Not True.

You can install your own memory. If you do, they won't cover the memory you installed under the factory warrantee, but it will not effect your machines warrantee.

I just installed a 1 gig stick of crucial memory that I bought online for about $110. I also had a slightly loud cpu fan. Apple has an extended replacement program on them, so they sent me both upper fans for the iMac G5 free of charge as a user replaceable item. Took maybe a whole five minutes between power down, replace the fans and power up. I may have bitched about their service in the past, but when push came to shove, they came thru for me. Without hassle.


Open windows? No thanks. The A/C is on.

[Rob H.]

84. They sent you just the fans?

I thought they usually just sent out the complete motherboard because the fans weren't user-replaceable. Mine has a slightly loud fan, too, and if they'll just send me the fans I'll replace 'em myself!

I should mention that mine is a first-gen 20". Is yours first or second generation?

[reprobate]

87. The upper fans (cpu and system) are user replacable.

Mine is also a first generation 20"which means we can replace the upper fans but not the lower. There's a confusion in nomenclature in that in the 17" the lower fan is called the cpu fan while in the 20" the upper right fan is called the cpu fan.

Go to this page to order the fans. If you are still under warrantee it's a free replacement as a user replacable part.

http://depot.info.apple.com/imac/

I have to say that the new fan is not completely silent, but it is quiet enough in comparison that even my wife commented about the difference.

[Rob H.]

91. Excellent! Thanks, reprobate!

I'm not irritated that the fan isn't completely silent, it's just that the noise is at a certain pitch that's irritating. I usually have to fire up iTunes and listen to some music to drown it out. As I'm facing the screen, if I block the rear vent slot with my right hand about five or six inches from the right edge of the machine the noise disappears, so I'm thinking it has to be the larger upper fan. I think the iMacs at the local Apple Store have been quieter than mine (even first-gen iMacs, not just the latest ones), but honestly it's hard to tell since there are usually people walking around, music playing, etc.

Anyway, thanks again! That was a big help.

:yourock:

[amber dog democrat]

104. You can install memory your self

and ANY reputable memory vendor's memory will work. As a former Apple account executive I never suggested that my customers buy RAM from Apple. Maybe I could get an upgrade bundled in at no cost as part of a negotiated deal, but I'd always say any reputable vendor is just fine. Don't listen to Apple without getting some outside opinion.

[SkipNewarkDE]

44. Apple Repair

Actually Apple service and repair is the best in the industry, in my experience. I got one of the iMac G5's and it blew up a couple of months after I had it, due to that capacitor problem. They replaced the board while I waited. They THEN extended the warranty of the machines out to replace this problematic board (for a range of serial numbers) for two years!

I had a laptop of theirs that had some issues, as well. It died shortly AFTER warranty was up, and they replaced it. Wonderful!

It's a sweet machine, this iMac G5, by the way. Just an amazingly wonderful experience.

[boredofeducation]

65. Horrible

Apple is the worst company to deal with, in my experience. Their whole attitude is that the computer never breaks, it's the users. The elitist attitude that they have has turned me off from them. I have purchased 110K worth of Apple iBooks for my department in 2002. About every single one has had major problems, like motherboard problems, LCD issues, battery issues all major components. The motherboard were even part of a replacement "recall". And the ones they replaced, they even went bad. I wanted them to take them back and give us all new ones, Apple refused, their answer was "buy new ones". I did, but they were Dells this time, so far no problems. OSX is nice, but the hardware is horrible and unreliable and the company does not even stand behing their products.

[RovianNightmare]

88. Do you just make stuff up?

Almost every sentence in that post is BS. Apple has routinely placed at the top of customer service studies by Consumer Reports, PC Magazine (that's right), and many others. Statistically, Apple's rate of hardware flaws is better than average, but when they do have a problem it tends to get a lot of publicity. AND they have an amazing record of fixing design problems for free, long after warranties expire. Like a poster above, I have had them do expensive repairs on at least 2 machines out of warranty, overnight. And as far as longevity and cost goes, I run a lab full of machines - Dells running Linux,Sonys and Dells running WinXP, and a dozen Macs (including my main and development servers). I have developed hard numbers (for my bosses, who also didn't believe me) showing that the Macs cost us 20-40 percent less to own over the life of the machine, and most of our creative pro people are also much more productive on them, which is where the real cost savings is. I have 5 year old Macs working as database and web servers. I never keep a PC that long.

Replacing your own RAM (and various other user replaceable parts) does not void an Apple warranty.

Apple is not perfect, but I love how Apple-bashers just make stuff up. There are hard numbers to refute all of that bull.

[boise1]

92. Yeah, Win-bashers never make shit up, either

I have to laugh when I read the inevitable "Windows crashes all the time" posts from both Linux and Mac camps. Linus Torvalds has been pushing this pure BS for years. I have run a number of 98SE, 2000, and XP machines both at home and work, and not once have I experienced the infamous 'blue screen of death'.

The source I found the electrolytic cap issue with G5 iMacs was none other than the Apple discussion board. There were a very large number of complaints about Apple's widely varying responses to service requests. It does appear they have finally put in place a program to deal with the first generation lemons. Too late for me, however. I will build and maintain all of my machines from here out and leave the Unix platforms for work, where I have no choice.

[boredofeducation]

111. Why would anyone do that?

We purchased, under my recomendation, Apple iBooks for some of our portable users. They were the G3 700 models, every single one had major repairs done at least once. I had one that had a motherboard replaced at least 5 times. After a while, we had more machines in the repair center, then I did in the hands of our users. After two years of "hell", having to send back machines, wait a week or so for it's return, I wanted them replaced, Apple response was buy new ones. So I nearly lost my job because I recommended a hardware manufacturer that sold us lemons. So what was I suppose to do? Keep buying Apple hardware like a mindless drone?

I took a chance with Apple. I felt Apple abandoned me, let me hung out to dry. They had their money, so why should they care? I remember an old saying from back in the day "No one has never been fired for picking IBM" and I have a feeling it still holds true today.

The Dells have been better, they are not perfect, and so far only three have been sent out for major repairs. We get corporate tech support, so we end up with a guy who is in the U.S. And responses have been good. I am also able to service our own machines, all I do is call into Dell and they will send out the replacement part overnite. That way a machine can be fixed within a 24 hour period or sometimes even less. Not bad.

Apple's tech support is also good. They are also responsive, however they do not allow us to fix them ourselves. So repairs take a week or so (sometimes upto a month). It's OK, but I like my machines up and running as soon as possible.

So I am glad your computers work out for you, that's good. If you like your Macs, good, use them. I am just stating what happened to me. I have one too, a desktop.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

93. I also had Apple nightmares-the I-Books were Defective-bad video chips

the video chips in the ibook 700/800 would go bad if the user installed extra ram because of the "heat".
It would crack and then you'd send it in, they'd replace it, and it would crack again because of the heat.
Apple never admited a problem even though there are miles of threads online about these sorts of issues in the ibook.
I upgraded my video chip through a company called Wegener Media that has udated video chips with a stronger coating--No more problem--But couldn't Apple do this??? and for free?
No.

[boredofeducation]

112. How long does that take

A Apple rep told me that the problem was the way people would pick up the laptop. I thought it was bogus since I had a few that were stationary. That is problem with Apple, they don't ever admit mistakes, they blame the users.

How long does it take to replace the video chip? Is it a Ziff socket or are they soldered on?

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

114. it's a custom job

try googling Wegener Media-these guys had these chips specially made through a third party--you can call them for info regarding the chip and for turnaround time.
By the way, my ibook was ALWAYS stationary and never travelled--it was the heat from the extra Ram...and apple won't admit it.
No problems at all since the repair--only they swapped my battery out when they repaired it for a dead one--they say always remove the battery before you send it in.

[amber dog democrat]

105. I think you are better off with DELL

Just the kind of customer they like.

[boredofeducation]

113. So what does that mean?

Does that mean I am a smart financially aware person who believes a company should stand behind what they sell? How many times should I have to send back machines for the same problem, before I get mad? Is replacing the motherboard 5 times normal? Am I being unreasonable for wanting working machines?

[Massacure]

51. Electrolytic capacitors effected a lot of mother boards.

Not just Macs, but many PC ones as well. I'm not a mac fan, but fair is fair.

[boredofeducation]

62. Some of the cheap ones from way back when

Some of the cheap motherboards from way back when had those problems too.

[kineneb]

55. Gee, few problems installing Linux here

I had a total hard drive failure (DOA) and had to install a new one. Yes, I, the (true) blond, built my own computer and can fix it. I just loaded SUSE 9.1 on and it found everything. No external drivers to load. And no shell scripts needed; just a bit of tweeking around the edges to make me happy and downloading of new versions of OpenOffice.org and other software. On my present salary, I can hardly afford food and gas, much less a Mac or anything with MS windows on it. The internet connection stays as a priority.

Linux has a place for those of us on extremely limited budgets. We can afford better hardware, or keep aging hardware running well. My work laptop, the venerable IBM Thinkpad 600E (366, 234k ram)runs just fine with Linux, whereas it could only run 98SE and a few old programs using Windows.

[alcibiades_mystery]

107. I agree re: terminal mode

I dual boot XP and Mandriva, and I use another computer for SuSe.

I also tend to fall back on the XP because of all the vi editing stuff I have to do on the GNU/Linux. Oh well. Open code in principle, at least. ;-) Now I've taken to customizing my XP look and feel as some kind of compensation device for the obvious nrainwashing that prevents me from really going over to my GNU/Linux OSs full time....

Never had a Mac, and, like you, I like doing my own hardware repairs and upgrades.

[allalone]

53. I'd be more impressed

if this so-called bunch of geniuses would work on a product that actually works so that we customers didn't have to spend all our time dodging viruses and installing fixes.

[ladylibertee]

56. We want to make sure you're ready for the wave.........

Do we really care what he's doing?

[The_Casual_Observer]

57. One more shitty product demo from that irritating little bastard

As if he was some kind of god or something. The whole microsoft thing was a fucking accident for christ sakes.

[BiggJawn]

63. Not impressed.

I remember Windows Millenium Edition....

[boredofeducation]

68. Windows ME

Now that was a POS. It was like Windows 98se, except worse. I still have windows 98 for older DOS based programs, used in expensive HVAC controls, so it's not like it can or will be replaced anytime soon.

[Redstone]

64. Will you still have to click on a button labeled "Start" to shut off

your computer?

Redstone

[boredofeducation]

67. Or you could press the power button?

Or you could press the power button?

[B3Nut]

75. Actually, you can configure the power options properties

in 2000 and XP to shut the computer down if the power switch is pressed briefly (press and release quickly). Pressing and holding a power button on an ATX-powered PC will hard-power-down, bad thing to do unless Windows is locked up solid (or OS X, modern Macs have ATX-type supplies...I don't have to hard-kick the Macs I support very often...used to have to kick my OS 9 machines a lot back in the day though).

In a way I think Windows has gone downhill since 2000 Professional...XP has some nice extras but I don't think it's quite as solid as 2000. I have one XP box, a couple 2K workstations (one being dual-boot with Fedora Core 2), a 2K server, and a 2K laptop on my home network...2K has been really solid.

Todd in Beerbratistan

[boredofeducation]

81. XP is only on Service Pack 2

XP is only on Service Pack 2 right now. I think 2K is on 4. NT made it to 6. OSX (can't really compare, they release versions, not service packs) but they are on Version 4 (everything below 2 was unuseable).

[bitchkitty]

70. Great, more virus bait!

I wish I wasn't so poor so I could buy a Mac.

[boredofeducation]

85. What Viruses?

I never understood how people get them? I have been using many platforms over the years and never got one. Are people that dumb to believe the email that they just won a million dollars?

[mccoyn]

86. In 10 years I've gotten two.

They exploited bugs in the OS or some MS component. They both could have been avoided by keeping my system up to date, using a firewall or using a virus scanner. In WinXP SP2 two of those three things are automatically on.

[jayfish]

90. Right On.

In 13 Years I've Gotten None. To me, it's kind of like bitching to Goodyear for having to keep your tires properly inflated. I just don't get OS bashing. It reminds me of fanboydom in the world of video games. If you don't like Windows or can't seem to keep it running correctly; great, move on to something that suits your needs or skill level.

Jay

[bitchkitty]

95. I haven't had one in a while -

but you must admit that it's true that 99.99% or similar percentage of viri are written to exploit Windows. Thus my comment, virus bait.

And no, sweetie, I am not so dumb to believe the million dollar emails. But thanks for your comment!

;)

[LeftyMom]

106. I don't get it either

I've had one virus and I've had windows based computers since sometime in the eighties when I couldn't get enough software for my Commedore 64 anymore and made the switch. I've had one virus, caught it fast and got rid of it with no trouble.

Now spyware/adware was another story. My old ME machine was lousy with it until I cleaned it out for the thousandth time and gave LeftyDad the "no lookin' at nekkid pictures on the internets" lecture. It was mostly a user problem. In ten months or so I've used Firefox, I've had no spyware/adware infections.

[kostya]

101. Is it possible to get the video online of Gates and Jon Heder (aka...

Napoleon Dynamite?? That would be like,... sweeeet.

[Nomad559]

108. It's on iFilm

http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2679657?htv=12

:)