It's too bad some of you guys are so ignorant about the entire industry!

I have been running various builds of Windows XP for several months... it absolutely rules and it's a great next step for anyone to move up too. I'm running in on several systems ranging from 200 mhz thru 1 ghz. Absolutley no problems at all.

The original MSNBC article was erroneous.... implied that systems before 2000 weren't capable of running it. Dead wrong.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jwfisher
[B]It's too bad some of you guys are so ignorant about the entire industry!

I have been running various builds of Windows XP for several months... it absolutely rules and it's a great next step for anyone to move up too. I'm running in on several systems ranging from 200 mhz thru 1 ghz. Absolutley no problems at all.

 

Althought I agree that Windows is bloated, expensive, and sometimes annoying; I don't think it's the worst OS (remembering OS2) out there. I have worked on machines running everything from OS9, Linux, Windows, HPUX, IRIX, etc. For a simplicity, Macs are the best. For power and customizations, Linux is the best. Windows is somewhere in between. No GUI system is completely stable. I can make Linux (GUI) and OS9 crash just as fast as Windows.

I think Netscape is crap. IE loads quicker, isn't as rough around the edges, and isn't as bloated. Then AOL got involved. If you were ever scared of Microsoft getting nosey, what do you think AOL does with all that information they require prior to downloading. I do hate that integration into the desktop.

It will come up. No, I have not used OSX. I have been using/developing on UNIX, Macs for 4 years. I have been developing on PCs for about 8. I have been using PCs since 1981 and Tandys prior. (Thanks Dad...I think)

I do wish Uncle Bill would fix the damn networking subsystem and open up the code a bit.

Bottom line it is all a personal preference. One thing is certain, we all know where most of the posters in this thread stand.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Sunchild
[B]I, personally, will continue using OS X.

 

IMO Windows is a great piece of software, it has made computing easy for hundreds of millions of people who previously had no idea how to use a computer. My parents can now e-mail me, while 2 years ago they wouldn't have even known how to switch on a computer. They use ALL Microsfot products, which means that they learn how to do something on one piece of software and it is basically the same for all the pieces that they use.

I agree that if you want to develop your own products etc. Windows is probably a crap system for you, but the huge majority of people just want something that is easy to use that will allow them to learn quickly and easily.

Nearly all of the software around is far more powerful and therefore bloated than probably 95% of the users need, but then again aren't cars, TV's, mobile phones etc. This is consumerism... they have to sell products to make money!!!!

 

Remember the Commodore 64? 64K of memory and 180k of storage on a floppy disk. With such a puny system to work from it was rather efficient. Ran a whole bunch of programs and games and was rock solid. That was such a fun computer. When I was a teenager I had a modem and got into those BBSs. Ah good ol' days.

When you try to integrate this, that and the other, you just left with bloated error prone software. Why don't they just make a bare minimum windows!

Im running a Pentium 4 1.4 GHZ system. I'm not blown away by performance as the Blue Man group would like me to believe.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Strike
[B]How much does Intel pay MS to write bloated code?

 

Exactly. What hardware would you need that Apple doesn't offer? If you have a problem with the price, then consider the price at which you are able to purchase "cheap" M$ products -- the loss of truly innovative and revolutionary products to M$'s predatory market dominance. People that are content with M$ products are to blame for the loss of competition in the OS market. I think most people have a hard time understanding the consequences of monopolistic practices because they think Windows is an amazing product. Most people eat at McDonalds, too, which is similar in that it is so clearly contrary to their best interests, but they do it with glee. I'll never understand obese McDonalds feeders, and I'll never understand M$ supporters. To me, they are essentially the same person.

Do you really think M$ has such a difficult task at hand? They need to make their junk run on two (or three?) CPU platforms. They don't effectively support any other hardware, because their whole driver scheme is a constant source of frustration for M$ users. Also, Mac OS X has been available since March and already a huge number of third party peripherals are supported, largely due to the ease of porting open source BSD drivers to OS X.

If using M$ software doesn't bother you, then great -- Have a nice day! It's like saying, "hey, my Saturn is fine -- the key turns on the engine, and the door handles work, so...what more could I ask for? It even has innovative™ dent-free panels." Meanwhile, you are being passed by a much nicer car, with a driver that revels in the glory of (instead of makes excuses for) its manufacturer.

 

all i can say to this all is who cares?

what i need to do on a pc is done relatively simple...i could do it on my 286/386/486/pentium it doesn't matter...i could care less what's going on in the background...

for the majority of the people who buy PCs they don't know shit about using a computer seriously...and those who do have their companies supply them with the proper OS or software...so who cares.

i never seen so many people get their panties in a bunch about one single manufacturer like their lives hindged on it.

my 2 cents

 

That would be like saying, "Hey, it's just Aluminium. Who cares where it comes from? Your average consumer doesn't care, as long as his soda is in a can."

You ought to care about markets controlled by a single player. At least two reasons you should care are: (1) the inevitable degradation of products/services in that market to trim overhead, and (2) artifical pricing (either too high for consumers or too low for competitors).

Bottom line...market competition is the blood of a free economy. I think that's worth caring about.