I took a Windows Media PC for a spin today...

[Zech Marquis]

and I have to admit, I'm a Mac guy who's been using OS X since the Public Beta...Windows XP made me feel completely STUPID! Sure it's neat to watch cable tv and post here on DU, but...is that really amust have feature for me? No. Esecially when the full screen image lookslike shit. (and this was a Gateway Media PC with a 128 Mb nVidia card inside). The Tivo recording feature is cool though..but not enough.

The price for a Gateway Media PC with 17 inch monitor and the goods..about $1900 plus tax. 17 inch imac, $1800. I used one later i the day..ahhhh, it felt like home! I could learn XP, but I already know it would be a "don't fuck with me!" type of relationship :evilgrin: I'd even get the 15 inch iMac and be happy with that. But Windows XP...man, you gys can keep it.

[MALiberal]

1. I hope you're ok.....

I had to use a windex PC last week when a friend asked me sit in at her job.
They had cables attched to stuff all over the place and nothing seemed to work right. It made me appreciate my powermac G4 with OSX.2 running. XP is like one giant pop-up ad for stuff you don't need or want . :scared:

[Zech Marquis]

4. you are so right!

I've never seen so many pop up ads INSIDE the damn OS itself--upgrade media Player, buy this, buy that, go with MSN--and I had the stupid thing OFFLINE in the store :argh:

[Occulus]

2. heheh.

$1900? What else does it do, cook dinner?

Sheesh. $1900 is a huge ripoff. I built an AMD XP2000 machine (the CPU, the 'XP2000' part, actually runs at 1.6GHz, but is functionally equivalent to an Intel P4 2GHz) with an NVidia GEForce 4 TI 4200 vid card, onboard sound, 56x hard drive, builtin ethernet adapter, infrared capable motherboard, 256Mb of RAM... all for $840. I then took the parts home and built it myself. Think of it as... a really expensive Lego set.

I also have a 19" monitor, and I think that cost me about $250 when I got it almost a year ago. Moral of the story- you'll save money if you a) already have an OS and a monitor, and b) can put it together yourself.

[Zech Marquis]

3. but you can't buy the actual Media PC OS, could you?

If I built my own PC--which is what i would refer greatly--could you buy the Windows XP Media PC edition? That's the ONLY way I would even cosider it. Otherwise, it's iMac for me baby!

[liberalpress]

5. Don't need it..

plus it comes with all kinds of code to keep you from copying legitimate, boaught and paid for music files to CD, plus the video programs are unplayable any where else. sayu.. your laptop on vacation! Just get XP Home edition (unless you are running a multi-node etwork, you don't need xp pro) instead.

[Occulus]

7. I think you can

but I can already do basically everything the media OS does with XP Pro. I can even create my own comp anims, if I want.... I'm also running Maya PLE (www.aliaswavefront.com). :)

I must say, though, I'm considering a Mac for my next machine. If Sen. Hollings has his way, and DRM becomes hardwired into our PCs ala the "Fritz" chip, I'll never, ever, ever buy another Micro$oft product or DRM-compliant piece of hardware.

Apple has already committed itself to NOT supporting digital fascism.

[dpbrown]

6. Compare the restrictions in BuyMusic.com to iTunes

And you'll find more expensive music at BuyMusic, a more restrictive licensing structure, less music, fewer independent artists (Ben Folds EPs, only at Apple), and a restrictive "Windows Media" format that won't even work on the best and most popular portable digital music unit (iPod - nearly half the market).

If it has anything to do with Microsoft, I'll pass.