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OS (without the flame war...hopefully)

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jab

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What OS and version to you all run?

I run Gentoo Linux for my main machine. I also have an old machine running WinXP, one running FreeBSD 5.something, a firewall running Devil Linux, a C64 running the standard Commodore ROM, and an crappy old Mac running OSX very poorly.
 

Oskaar

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I have XP Pro on two machines, Win2K Pro on one, Win 98, WinXP Home on my Dell Laptop, and Win2K on my Toshiba laptop. I'm going to build another machine to mount Linux, but haven't decided what flavor yet.

Cheers,

Oskaar
 

Talon

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On one machine, I run XP Pro, on the other I run Win2K.

Talon.
 

pain

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Just got the one Dell laptop, running Win2K. I'll have XP Pro on the new one that I'll hopefully be able to buy later this year. Got to soon, I'm maxxing out this old one!

Vicky
 
F

ftc

Guest
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I only admit to my Slackware Linux laptop!

(WinXP is the first version of Windows that makes me need to ask for help to use it, even though I've used Linux as my main OS since Windows 98 was the hot new stable release from Microsoft.)
 
R

Ranna

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A laptop running OS X, and a tower running DragonFly BSD 1.1. The tower has a hard drive in it running Win2k, but after a brief bout with a program that got installed with my printer driver, I can no longer log in. As soon as I get stuff backed up onto the DFBSD drive (a pain, mount_ntfs doesn't work so hot :eek:), I'll reload windows.
 

jab

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I don't even want to imagine what a printer manufacturer would install that would lock someone out of their entire computer. Scary.
 

Oskaar

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That would be like installing A-OH-HELL on a perfectly good installation of windows and watching it trash all the drivers. LOL

Cheers,

Oskaar
 
R

Ranna

Guest
Guest
I don't even know what it was supposed to actually do, but it was something that started on login, and when I tried to remove it, all sorts of funky stuff happened, and now I can log in maaaayyybe one in ten times, which is a pain :eek:)

Anyway, I've been through AOHell once a long time ago, and I must say.. well.. it's all been said.
 
R

Ranna

Guest
Guest
Hehe, no.. just something I picked up a at a local art fair and really, really like.

I haven't been on AOHell since.. well, forever ago. Like, AOL 4.0 or so.
 

WRATHWILDE

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OS Opinions

I realize this post is very late on the subject, and somewhat off subject.
I'm on a dual G5 with OS X, and I'll never go back to Microsoft for anything. Safari, "the Apple browser" was codeveloped by one of the founders of the firefox browser.
It does have a variety of spell checkers, including spell checking as you type.

Just to let you know, I'm a recent Mac convert. My Father worked for IBM when the first PCs came out, and we had one in the 1st year. I learned on a mainframe when he used to take me to work with him... before Pong was a video game. I had to be dragged kicking and screaming from DOS.

I never liked Apple OS's, and their computers were way too expensive especially since the hardware was usually 2 years behind the Intel/AMD platforms. My first awakening was when my brother switched over from OS 9 to OS X, he'd always loved Apple. He showed me OS X on his dual G4 and did things I didn't think were possible on a home computer.

He proceeded to Play a DVD, play about 6 or 7 separate quicktime & mpg movies, work on photoshop, have mail and safari going ALL AT THE SAME TIME and the system didn't even hiccup. All of the videos were running smooth, no stuttering. He proceeded to open several other applications and the system never crashed or even hesitated.

Right then I knew this was the most incredible OS I'd ever seen. Even with a processor faster than the combined total of his two 1GHz G4s I had never even been able to pull of more than 2 videos without the system hiccuping, and hell, it seemed like every time I tried to multitask... windows XP would lock or crash. But I still couldn't justify the $ for the hardware. Then the G5 Power Macs came out, and I knew I had to have one and more importantly it was worth every penny.

It took me 20 years to make the switch. I will never go back to Wintel.

If you haven't seen OS X in action, you have no Idea how behind the times Microsoft is. Personally I do not think MS will be able to match OS X's stability, security and features for another 10 years, IF EVER!!!!

I used to look forward to new Versions of Windows with great anticipation, and would always be one of the first to purchase. Not because of features, but in the hope it wouldn't lock up or crash as often.

I am looking forward to my upgrade to OS X Tiger, for all the new features. I've only had OS X lock up on me once, and that was my fault. I accidently launched two different versions of mail from my 2 hard drives and it couldn't reconcile the library files.

If anybody is in the market for a new computer and are tired of lockups. crashes, viruses, Trojans , worms, spy-ware, and all those awful MS apps, make the switch' you won't believe how much better OS X is. If 20 years from now Apple is defunct and Wintel is the the only option... I'll be paying $10K for a Mac mini circa 2005 if I have to just to continue running OS X.

We even bought a imac for my Mom, who seems to comfortable with it, I'm not getting questions ever other day like I did when she was using Windows.

The only family member that hasn't converted yet is my youngest brother, but He's a Linux junky, who salvages used computers to use as basically single task machines. A server, a games machine and who knows what else, he had five last I knew, all in the same room. He seems unwilling to spend ANY money on a computer or software.

Full disclosure - I do not work for Apple or any affiliated firms, nor do I own stock in Apple. Just trying to share my new found enthusiasm for Apple & OS X.

I did not intend such a long post I guess I just got carried away, Sorry!
This is the machine that completed my conversion.
http://www.apple.com/powermac/
 

WRATHWILDE

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Thanks Oskaar,

Hadn't run across this thread. Sorry for the inconvience. :-[

It was originally just going to be a quick note that Safari has a spell checker for those using Macs, like I said, I got carried away.

Oh yes, I do have a second computer that may or may not run XP depending on the alignment of planets, prevailing winds, Bill Gates personal Whims, whether or not I'm on a deadline or in the middle of something important, always assuming I turn it on, which I haven't done since I purchased my G5.

Wrathwilde
 

jab

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Re: OS Opinions

WRATHWILDE said:
He showed me OS X on his dual G4 and did things I didn't think were possible on a home computer.

He proceeded to Play a DVD, play about 6 or 7 separate quicktime & mpg movies, work on photoshop, have mail and safari going ALL AT THE SAME TIME and the system didn't even hiccup. All of the videos were running smooth, no stuttering. He proceeded to open several other applications and the system never crashed or even hesitated.

Actually have you ever heard of BeOS? BeOS was originally written by a bunch of ex-Apple employees. It could do everything (not sure about DVD's) you mentioned above back in the PIII days. In fact one of the great demos of how good BeOS was had 6 movies (2 streaming from the internet in real time if I remember right) playing at the same time, but each movie was being played on a side of a real time rendered 3D cube! BeOS ran on PPC hardware though like MacOS. In fact in the early days of BeOS rumor has it Apple was going to buy BeOS and *that* was going to become the new OSX but something fell through in the deal and SJ and friends went with the FreeBSD/MACH amalgamation you have today.

For those of you looking to install 10.4 and use Safari you may want to read this: http://reptide.radiofreeomaha.net:8080/archives/2005/05/09/mac-attack-2/

Shameless plug for my blog but something all Safari users should be aware of.

Full disclosure? Why not. I used to own Apple stock. Bought it at $19 about 4 years ago and unloaded recently at around $80. Yay me. On the other hand I hate Apple. Yes I used the word hate. Actually the OS is fine it's the hardware/software monopoly they have that I hate. It's the marketing (iMarketing) that I hate. It's the way they repackage half the stuff they do as some 'new' and 'great breakthrough' and make a ton of money off of it when in reality that 'new' thing had been around on other OS's for years. Actually, and mostly, it's the fanatical fans the drive me nuts. You know the ones, the ones who believe that 2 buttons on a mouse is 'crazy' and 'overkill'. Explicitly my old college roommate. If I could run OSX on the hardware of my choosing and not be labeled by the zealots as a 'switcher' if I did then I probably would.

***DISCLAIMER***
I am not intending to be evil. All of the above, while true to how I believe, was typed with a snicker of sarcasm. I love getting under Apple users skin as much as they love trying to 'prove' to me they are right. :p
 

WRATHWILDE

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Re: OS Opinions

jab said:
Actually have you ever heard of BeOS? BeOS was originally written by a bunch of ex-Apple employees.

On the other hand I hate Apple. Yes I used the word hate. Actually the OS is fine it's the hardware/software monopoly they have that I hate. It's the marketing (iMarketing) that I hate. It's the way they repackage half the stuff they do as some 'new' and 'great breakthrough' and make a ton of money off of it when in reality that 'new' thing had been around on other OS's for years. Actually, and mostly, it's the fanatical fans the drive me nuts. You know the ones, the ones who believe that 2 buttons on a mouse is 'crazy' and 'overkill'. Explicitly my old college roommate. If I could run OSX on the hardware of my choosing and not be labeled by the zealots as a 'switcher' if I did then I probably would.

I was really hoping Apple would buy BeOS. I had downloaded an very early version of BeOS but was disappointed by the lack of applications and eventually stopped waiting for anything useful to be programed for it. I had never tried running multiple video windows when I had it installed, it was merely a download to play around with until I realized it wasn't going to Kill off Windows. The reasons I was hoping Apple would buy it was it was
A. Apple OS's sucked up to and past that point.
B. It was already x86 compatible.
C. I figured if Apple adopted it, Adobe & others would program for it, Apple would
license BeOS to PC makers for x86 & Power PC platforms and hopefully Kill MS.

Failing that I was hoping Microsoft would buy it and scrap Windows.

If you wanted to know why Apple didn't buy BeOS the Mac OS history is here

http://www.kernelthread.com/mac/oshistory/1.html

BeOS makes an appearance on page 6

I agree whole heartedly about the fanatics, the monopoly, etc. The first thing I did was ditch the mouse. 2nd note - I got my dual processor G5 not from Apple, but used with an extra 512MB of memory at a $600 discount. My computer was one of the systems that made up the original Virginia Tech Supercomputer that ranked #3.

At the time I bought it the Dual 2GHz was still the fastest Apple offered. It was the Hardware that swayed me to finally purchase an Apple. It is the best engineered system I've ever seen.
I used to build my own and keep abreast on the latest Motherboards, Video Cards, cases, mods, power supplies, cable management tricks, cooling... on and on. And as much fun as that was, the only thing I would wish for in my Power Mac is a 2nd internal DVD writer. But I can live with my firewire external 16x +/- Dual Layer DVD writer. I can't even wish for more memory, I've got 4GB and could go to 8GB if I wanted. I've got dual LG L1920P 19" LCD Monitors running off a GeForce 6800 GT DDL with 256MB of DDR SDRAM. An Epson perfection 4870 scanner, a cheap Epson C86 printer, Logitec's THX certified surround system... and by a strange coincidence they all match. Metal, silver, black and chrome. ;D
Oh to the "hardware/software monopoly they have that I hate." 2.9% is hardly a monopoly ;) I hate the Windows monopoly propagated by PC manufactures, and I hate Apple for not doing something about it.

best regards,
by the way you failed to get under my skin :p

Wrathwilde
 

Brewbear

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I have been thru Win 95, 98, 98SE, Millenium, and now I have XP on my new Toshiba laptop.
I agree with WW, OS X is better, I have an old 8600/100 that I upgraded to G3, we call it IGOR. It runs Panther and it is more stable than the DELLs iI work with. In Panther/Tiger you can run Virtual PC, it allows you to load windows and it runs flawlessly ( as well as windows can run). This way, you can run Apple apps. and Win.apps. on the same machine. Go figure.

Have fun,
Ted
 

Oskaar

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Ran the TRS 80's, with single sided, single density floppies, actually had an Osborne, played with CP/M, QDOS, PC-DOS, MS-DOS, DR-DOS. I also started toying with Commodores and have been with Windows since Win286. Ran Mac IIe's, Mac's and Mac OS from the days of the SE (great little server by the way), II CX, CI ya da ya da ya da but became disenchanted with Apple when they boned me on three different occasions by short-shipping me product in a critical path project for a 911 installation I was working on.

What irritated me the most was the flippant way they told us there was no estimated shipping date for the rest of the boxes, and weren't even vaguely interested in taking any responsibility for their inability to deliver. I yanked their contract which was worth about a burrito shy of a million bucks from them and switched to PC's. Funny how apologetic they got after that.

I played with the Amiga during it's quick rise and fall and watched Agnus, Daphne and Portia go the way of the Dinosaur. I got addicted to the Sun Workstations in the 1980's at Hughes Aircraft, and watched with interest as the NeXT and Steve Jobs took a dive.

I think my favorite overall OS is still UNIX (AT, HP, DG, IBM, whatever), feature rich, rock steady and a great environment. But I also liked Xenix, SCO UNIX and some other flavors. Starting to cannibalize some of my boxes to build a Linux box.

Cheers,

Oskaar
 

WRATHWILDE

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I agree, that would have done me in w/Apple too. I remember reading several stories like yours over the years. Apple's attitude seemed to be the customers will wait, wait and wait some more.
I (almost) got burned by a PC company that had garnered several PC magazine Editors choice awards including outstanding customer service. Took me about about 4 months to resolve it. They kept telling me it shipped yesterday, today, will ship tomorrow, 4 months no system, dozens of phone calls. Finally got my money back. Unfortunately it was through a Employer purchase program (employer paid 20% of the system) and they were cut a check. No Card to dispute charges. Never again will I pay by check for an internet order! Several customers weren't so lucky as I recall... company went belly up within days of me getting my money.

Wrathwilde
 

Brewbear

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Oskaar,
You should love OS X to death, it is built on Unix! You can actually go to a console and work Unix all the way, even though it is on a Mac. I'm only learning this stuff, but it sure is fun.

Have fun,
Ted
 
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