Kugel Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I'm really annoyed with my PC, and now I have to deal with this "printer spooling" thing that doesn't allow me to print anything. Staying up all night to type a paper only to have the printer say, "no", was really infuriating. So should I get a Mac? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wicky Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Yes - get an intel mac so you can still boot into windows, *spit*, and play Combat Mission, 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YankeeDog Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Well, I personally went back to Mac about 2 years ago for our home computer and haven't regretted it in the slightest. I still drive a Windows-based PC at work and I use both on a daily basis. I definitely prefer the Mac, especially for anything graphics/multimedia related, and find myself doing work on the home computer now that I used to do at the office because it's so much easier on the Mac. But single biggest reason I like the Mac is that I don't get daily calls from my wife asking me to help her figure out how to do something on the computer and/or fix a problem etc. Now with the Mac, these calls are down to less than once a week. But Macs certainly aren't for everyone... whether one is right for you depends on a wide range of factors. In general, I think PCs are better for people who like to futz with their computer, have a broad range of components to choose from, and don't mind having to spend time doing regular maintenance to keep the computer running properly. Macs are better for people who don't want to be bothered with the under-the-hood stuff, and would rather just turn the thing on and use it. This is not to say Mac are completely maintenance/problem free. But in my experience, they require far less maintenance/upkeep time and knowledge than PCs. The cost issue is also complex. Any way you count it, Macs are more expensive. But in my case, at least, paying a few extra bucks is well worth it for the time I get back from not having to regularly fix all those minor issues that pop up with PCs (such as your print problem). And if you're not particularly computer savvy and/or don't have the time to do regular maintenance yourself, the additional upfront cost of a Mac is partially offset by lower maintenance expenses -- no need to buy an anti-virus subscription, for one. The Mac also comes with some very useful software right out of the box for no additional charge. Cheers, Nick 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwolf Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Shut up and reinstall windoze. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tero Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 By YankeeDog This is not to say Mac are completely maintenance/problem free. But in my experience, they require far less maintenance/upkeep time and knowledge than PCs. In other words if you do get problems you have to use professional help which way more expensive and in addition to that harder to come by than help for PC. the additional upfront cost of a Mac is partially offset by lower maintenance expenses Excluding having to use outside help to solve bigger problems. The Mac also comes with some very useful software right out of the box for no additional charge. Not being a charity Apple has factored in these expenses in the cost of the machine. Mind you, the last truly user friendly MS OS was W2K, XP was a step towards Vista. And Vista sucks through a garden hose. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 In other words if you do get problems you have to use professional help which way more expensive and in addition to that harder to come by than help for PC. My own experience, and those I've heard reported by others, would be in direct variance to that statement. I've owned Macs exclusively for almost 17 years now and the only time I had to seek professional help that I paid for out of pocket was once when my hard drive crashed. I replaced it right enough, but couldn't get the new one to work, which was puzzling. Turned out that the new one wouldn't work unless the old one was also in its bay. Weird, but that was actually a Mac clone, back in the day when Apple was licensing the OS to other builders. I've never had any problem like that with an Apple Mac. BTW, Apple tech support has gotten the highest ratings every year in Consumer Report for years now. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YankeeDog Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 (1) In other words if you do get problems you have to use professional help which way more expensive and in addition to that harder to come by than help for PC. (2) Not being a charity Apple has factored in these expenses in the cost of the machine. (1) Not here in New York City, at least. Here, Mac tech help costs about the same, and is about equally available as PC help, ranging from full-service house call from large tech-service companies ($$$), to college students who put up flyers at the bus stop, looking to make an extra buck or two fixing your Mac ($). I think it's pretty similar in other large US population centers, and pretty much anywhere in the US with a decent-sized university nearby. But I will concede that in some areas, esp. rural areas and/or outside the US, Mac help may be harder to come by. (2) Well, yeah; that's my point. Macs cost more partially because they come with more useful software. You have to consider this factor when comparing prices with a PC, which may come with little or no useful software other than the OS. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Other Means Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 I like to play games. And Windows 7 rocks. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dietrich Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 I'm really annoyed with my PC, and now I have to deal with this "printer spooling" thing that doesn't allow me to print anything. Staying up all night to type a paper only to have the printer say, "no", was really infuriating. So should I get a Mac? First of all, I must admit that I don't know what you mean by "printer spooling". On the face of it, it sounds like yours is a printer problem rather than a PC-versus-Mac problem. However, the fact that you say "I'm really annoyed with my PC" and then mention your printer-spooling problem suggests that there's more going wrong here than your printer seemingly refusing to work. For further info, consider what a certain Briton has to say about computers and printers: The posts in this thread confirm the impressions I've gotten over the years about PC users vis-a-vis Mac users. PC users tend to be fairly "meh" about Macs. Mac users tend to express views like (exaggerated for comedic effect): "I used PCs up until ten years ago, and it was problem after problem, blue screen of death after blue screen of death. Ten years ago I bought a Mac, and I have not had one single solitary problem since!" My two cents: The one key aspect of Mac users' pro-Mac assertions is that using a Mac frees one from slavery to the Microsoft monopoly. However, Macs are of a single brand, whereas PCs come in numerous brands, and it's easy to frankenbuild a PC from separately purchased, custom-selected components, and there are several PC OS alternatives to Windows. I like my Franken-PC. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wicky Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Here's a fun PC problem. I have CMSF on my PC laptop and Vista's Data Execution Prevention won't let me open the game's manuals in Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.2 (it seems because potentially they are riddled with lurgy bugs) Seems it's been a problem for a few years.... http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/itprovistasecurity/thread/e7fe7ce0-f575-4485-aa1d-98b845c10944 Solution: seek expensive professional help or simply copy them over to the mac to open 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stalins Organ Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Aparently Win 7 will require XP users to wipe their HD & reinstall everything :mad: Apple are laughing - another reason to get a Mac 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwolf Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Aparently Win 7 will require XP users to wipe their HD & reinstall everything :mad: Apple are laughing - another reason to get a Mac "[...]although Windows 7 demands at least one gigabyte of memory while Vista Home Basics needs only 512 megabytes. " Bwahahaha. Seriously, aren't you ashamed to link to complete morons like those guys? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stalins Organ Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Which bit do you have a problem with? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Other Means Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I'm on Windows 7 64bit and it's brilliant. Fast, slick, zero driver problems, good performance boost from 32bit etc. CM:SF runs brilliantly, CM:AK still runs - it's been well worth it so far. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stikkypixie Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Here's a fun PC problem. I have CMSF on my PC laptop and Vista's Data Execution Prevention won't let me open the game's manuals in Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.2 (it seems because potentially they are riddled with lurgy bugs) Seems it's been a problem for a few years.... http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/itprovistasecurity/thread/e7fe7ce0-f575-4485-aa1d-98b845c10944 Solution: seek expensive professional help or simply copy them over to the mac to open Or download foxit reader for windows. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomm Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 What I do not get about Windows is that they seem to be incapable of implementing something as simple as the virtual 3 x 3 desktop of Unix/fvwm. I need to open many folders/programs at one time and hate to deal with the mess at the task bar. If there is a solution similar to fvwm for Windows, please let me know!! I also do not understand what the harddisk is doing all the time when the machine is idle ... and has 3 GB of RAM??!? Best regards, Thomm 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I also do not understand what the harddisk is doing all the time when the machine is idle ... and has 3 GB of RAM??!? Probably processing all the viruses you've picked up from pron sites that are going through your address book and replicating themselves to all your contacts. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomm Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Probably processing all the viruses you've picked up from pron sites that are going through your address book and replicating themselves to all your contacts. Oh, well, I guess that is okay then ... Best regards, Thomm 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Other Means Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 What I do not get about Windows is that they seem to be incapable of implementing something as simple as the virtual 3 x 3 desktop of Unix/fvwm. I need to open many folders/programs at one time and hate to deal with the mess at the task bar. If there is a solution similar to fvwm for Windows, please let me know!! I also do not understand what the harddisk is doing all the time when the machine is idle ... and has 3 GB of RAM??!? Best regards, Thomm In Window 7 you press Windows P and select "extend". For XP use Virtual Desktop Manager. The hard-drive is usually being de-fragged as it does that when idle. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomm Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Other Means, Thank you very much! In Window 7 you press Windows P and select "extend". For XP use Virtual Desktop Manager. "PowerToys only work with U.S. English regional settings." ... Hmmm, what does the language have to do with a virtual desktop manager?! The hard-drive is usually being de-fragged as it does that when idle. Wow, that sounds interesting! Certainly did not know that! Is there any way to turn this feature off to have a silent PC and/or save laptop battery energy? Best regards, Thomm 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Other Means Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Other Means, Thank you very much! "PowerToys only work with U.S. English regional settings." ... Hmmm, what does the language have to do with a virtual desktop manager?! There's other things there not just the VDM. I've used it in the past with no issues. Wow, that sounds interesting! Certainly did not know that! Is there any way to turn this feature off to have a silent PC and/or save laptop battery energy? Best regards, Thomm You'd think so wouldn't you? I think in the power options set the "turn off hard-disks" for 2 mins or sumfink it'll stop it. Bit of a sledgehammer to crack a nut though. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tero Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I need to open many folders/programs at one time and hate to deal with the mess at the task bar. How do you navigate between VM screens ? KB shortcuts or taskbar ? Which BTW both work under most Win systems 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomm Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Just installed "Semik's desktop", a program that is 10 years old and makes windows behave just like the good old fvwm! It is also just a simple .exe that does not install anyhing, just starts! I AM IN HEAVEN!!! http://www.tomasek.cz/stary_soft/sdesk/index.html Best regards, Thomm 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwolf Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Just installed "Semik's desktop", a program that is 10 years old and makes windows behave just like the good old fvwm! It is also just a simple .exe that does not install anyhing, just starts! I AM IN HEAVEN!!! http://www.tomasek.cz/stary_soft/sdesk/index.html Best regards, Thomm Not bad. At this rate Windows will keep up with Linux' usefulness in about 10 years 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__Yossarian0815[jby] Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I also do not understand what the harddisk is doing all the time when the machine is idle ... and has 3 GB of RAM??!? Best regards, Thomm IIRC in Vista it´s indexing, it stops indexing if you do something, so you´re not losing any horsepower. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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