Brian

Heh, doesn't hold a candle to Final Cut Pro.

You funny tonight, Draikar.

[ 05-20-2003: Message edited by: Ðraikar ]

In that case... I find it quite humorous just how much value people put in the brand of computer. The marketing people have really done everyone a disservice on this point .

Most Windows PCs are made of the same components, with the same OS, and so on. The manufacturer just screws it together, designs the pretty case, and sells it to you. One manufacturer's computer with a 2.0GHz Pentium 4, 512MB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, 64MB video card, etc., is basically the same thing as the next one.

Shop on specification, and buy the cheapest "regular" brand (or, if you're adventurous, any brand) that has the speficiations you want.

The fact is, they don't all LOOK the same, but with the exception of a few things (e.g. Sony's excellent compatibility for their silly proprietary Memory Stick and the like), the only difference that could possibly matter is the price and the quality of technical support (which incidentally I have found to be quite sufficient from Gateway).

I can't say I'm a great fan of Dell. Yes, their computers are fine, but frankly, I don't see where they're better than anyone elses (as they're all made of the same bits and pieces). In my case, they were significantly more expensive than Gateway, so for me, it was a no-brainer. My Gateway is about a year old now, and has been fine.

And to give an example of how having a good or lousy computer is more luck than anything else, the worst computer of the dozen or so that I've been personally acquainted with was an IBM Aptiva made by Acer. (No, I'm not kidding.) That said, it was not the computer that was the problem, but Windows 98, which was new (and terrible) at the time. The only hardware failures I've ever seen are hard drive failures which have in turn happened to every single computer we've owned at the age of three or four. Hard drives are mechanical parts and do wear out. Aside from that, almost every problem you'll ever encounter is a software glitch.

If you're the open minded type, do look at a Mac. A year ago, they were drastically more money than PCs (which I'm used to, even though I'm a secret admirer of the Apple product ) so I sadly ruled them out. If I were buying a computer right now, I'd probably have one of the gorgeous new LCD iMacs. I've spent quite a lot of time playing with these, and I have to say, they're much too nice to ignore .

That said I have to say that for those of you who have been using Windows 9x or ME, then XP is a fantastic improvement. Ever since Windows NT came out (about a decade ago) Microsoft had been selling the general public a truly terrible product when they themselves had a fine one that they could have sold if they so wished. XP is the first consumer-level Microsoft OS not based on the much-hated DOS and WOW does it show. My previous computer (before this) ran on the "non-consumer" Windows 2000, which is basically the same as XP Professional, but without the prettier user interface. At any rate, I used that particular machine for about two years (coming from Windows 98) and at first it was utterly amazing. Right now my year-old XP machine has not once given major software trouble (amazing), I only reboot it about once a MONTH and yet everything runs WAY too smoothly for it to be a Microsoft product .

One more thing: whatever you do, buy a lot of RAM. It sounds silly, but it's a better investment than the latest whiz-bang processor; the processors of two years ago were far more than sufficient for just about any general-purpose use but there are companies still out there peddling machines with 128 or 256MB of RAM, and using XP, these computers WILL feel SLOW, all the time, even if you're using the fanciest of whatever Intel or AMD is putting out right now.

Sorry for the long post, but hope at least some part of it helps.

[ 05-21-2003: Message edited by: cruiseny ]

I've looked extensively at Mac's at the Apple store here in Atlanta and San Francisco. The 17" iMac is just too cool! I'm fairly certain I will "make the switch" when I'm ready for a new computer. I just hope all my programs run smoothly on a Mac. I would be especially concerned about the VPN with Delta Air Lines, in which I can access the Delta Intranet, reservations, operations, my schedule, etc. If the Delta VPN is not compatible with a Mac, that would pretty much exclude me from buying one.

I guess a DSL line makes no difference with a Mac or PC? Not sure about that, but it would be another concern.

Brian

quote:

---

Originally posted by Beezo:
I do not want an iMac, or anything like that....most schools use PCs, and I do homework at school on Microsoft Word. If I were to get a Mac, I would no longer be able to do that!

---

So many PeeCee users are under such false impressions about Macs. Office X works perfectly on Macs. I run Microsoft Word and Excel on my Mac every other day.

Eroller:
What program do you have to use to connect to your VPN? DSL, Cable, etc will all work perfectly with your new Mac. All Macs come with ethernet BUILT IN and no configuration or extra software is needed just plug it in and it works.

CGT

[ 05-21-2003: Message edited by: CGT ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by CGT:

Eroller:
What program do you have to use to connect to your VPN? DSL, Cable, etc will all work perfectly with your new Mac. All Macs come with ethernet BUILT IN and no configuration or extra software is needed just plug it in and it works.

CGT

---

I'm not really sure to be honest. It's a program that Delta gave employees, which had to be authenticated, and I think imprinted on one computer only. For instance, I can't take the disk and put it on another computer... well, maybe I can do that, but it won't authenticate.

The properties for the program list it as:
DeltaNet Contivity VPN Client

I'm not sure if Delta put out a version for Mac and PC?

Ernie

ps - forgot to ask... I have all my finances from 1996 on a Quicken Program. Would this be easily transferred over to a mac?

[ 05-21-2003: Message edited by: eroller ]

From personal experience I would most definitely recommend Acer. They still make them and sell them. I owned several and was always very happy with both value and quality.

If you are looking for something stylish, I really like two all-in-one machines Sony Vaio W20 (currently I am using Vaio desktop and am very happy with it) or Apple’s 17” iMac.

If you don’t have tight financial restrictions, I would most definitely recommend Apple’s 17” PowerBook which in my opinion is one of the best laptops ever made. I spent two years working for Apple and have nothing but highest respect for OSX (new version is coming out in Sept) and Mac products. With OSX and MS Office X you will have no compatibility issues whatsoever with day-to-day tasks.

You may also want to check PC World and Consumer Reports websites for additional comparisons, etc.

ps - forgot to ask... I have all my finances from 1996 on a Quicken Program. Would this be easily transferred over to a mac?

You would have to ask Delta's MIS dept. about that. My brother works for United, and accesses everthing that you have to access for Delta (but for United) through compuserve I think.

Your Quicken PC info will transfer into Quicken for Mac.

Click here for instructions on how to migrate from Quicken for Windows to Quicken for Mac

For General PC to Mac switching click the following link:

Guide to Switching

Also see this link:

Switch Effortlessly

And finally:

Apple - Make the Switch!

CGT

[ 05-21-2003: Message edited by: CGT ]