Looking for a new bike!

Cab wrote

Define mainstream.

It is all to do with postscript and the need for marketing types to
produce documents in that format for taking directly to the printers.
In the early days you could only get print ready output from a Mac or
something even more expensive like HP.

For a very long time (20 years) the Mac has been every bit the PC that
the Intel based ones are, just three times the price.

 

<ding>

Actually, I don't really care what's better, I happen to have owned
systems that have been easier to upgrade and use by not going to a PC.

For one, I started off with an Atari 800XL in 1984. I got it simply
because it came with a good bundle, a rare 5-1/4 inch floppy drive too
[1]. I even did a year of college work on it. I then got an Atari ST.
That was because it was possible to connect them and transfer all my
files. Not only that, but they both had a compatible word processor
format.

From there the Mac was an obvious choice, the GEM GUI used by Atari was
very similar to the Mac OS GUI. Indeed they had related roots. So the
migration was so much easier. At the time the only alternative on PCs
was DOS or Windows 3.1.

Since then I have built up an extensive library of Mac software, and
files that I can only access by using Mac software.

So you see, it's not actually a simple mattter of which I think is
better, but what suits my needs.

 

Not really. If you buy a PC to match the Mac on build quality, and
features as well as performance, you don't come anywhere near the Mac.

If you look at quite a few customer satisfaction reviews they nearly all
put Apple up in the top two or three on reliability, which I always
equate to build quality. So you need to pick an equal level PC, perhaps
Dell and Packard Bell. Ignore special offers for now.

Now just go off and try matching specs.

I just did.

Go onto the Dell website, and match these specs.

Dual processor with 800MHZ frontside cache (you can't, 'cos there isn't
one), a 533 is the best you can get at Dell.
1.5GB of PC3200 RAM
Optical digital audio in and out.
Analogue audio in and out.
Two Firewire 400 ports
One Firewire 800 port.
Three USB 2.0 ports.
Two USB 1.1 ports.
One SuperDrive (DVD-/+R and CD RW).
USB keyboard and optical mouse.
64bit processor *and* bus.
17" TFT monitor (studio quality, not a cheapy) with digital interface.

I just did that, and got a final bottom line price of £4732.90 on a Dell
Precision.

I just paid £2800 for the Mac, and that included a new Epson printer
too.

 

You'll be pleased to know that a lot of the Internet is indeed served
from Macs, using Apache.

 

Packard Bell? You gotta be fuckin' joking. They are total pieces of
cost-shaven shit.
Perhaps Sir meant Hewlett Packard?

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6 DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#6 FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19

 

Quite so. Sorry bout that.

 

Andy Hewitt wrote

Closing down sale innit.

 

LOL, for who? ;-)

 

Andy Hewitt was seen penning the following ode to ... whatever:

Well, those and the Pans appear to be the bike of choice for high
mileage heros...

Well, I never needed a new engine, but I've seen too many traces of
muppetery on mine. They're fine when looked after by someone who
knows, but people who can't be arsed to read the shop manual can do
incredible damage to them.

I think they still make good buys *if* you get the right one.

 

what a load of old bollocks. Might have been true 15 years ago, but
it's not now.

 

"a lot".

heheh. You know "a lot" about the Internet, clearly.

 

The best bit is where he says "the Internet" is served, when clearly he
means "the world wide web". I love that part.

Andy, SAY IT AGAIN!

 

#Macs-huh!
#What are they good for?
#Absolutely nothing!
#SAY IT AGAIN!

 

good gawd

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l (Really) Sprint 1.7
Triumph Speed Triple: Black with extra black bits
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

So you're saying I could run Linux on Mac hardware?

 

dwb wrote

I think it is easier to compile a list of stuff linux won't run on these
days. There are a lot of nerds out there.

 

Yes, you have been able to for years. Although Mac OS X comes with Unix
(FreeBSD) already there (it's the core of the OS), so you can run many
hundreds of the freely available software on sourceforge. It's also
optimised to take full advantage of multiple processors and proper
pre-emptive multitasking and memory protection.

 

On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 18:48:25 -0000, "dwb" <>
bored us all completely to death with wittery prose along the lines
of:

dog does, IIRC.

 

dixit Cab:

i have mac os x, linux, and netbsd on this machine, a powermac g4:

mac os x: for managing the mp3 collection
linux: for gnu work and most everything else
netbsd: because i can