What machine do you drive on the Internet?

Carrera Charlie · Carrera Charlie's Garage

On a related note to Wayne's post regarding the plug-in toolbar for your browser, I'm wondering how many Pelican Heads have Macs vs. Wintel boxes? A quick survey should be illustrative of whether we carry our pursuit of engineering excellence to other areas of our lives besides our automobiles (naturally assuming the Mac to be the superior machine!!) If you use something other than Mac or Wintel, let us know (and more importantly, WHY??)

Flame away!

Cheers!

pbs911 · pbs911's Garage

What's a Wintel box?

masraum · 08-07-2003, 07:42 AM

Wintel is a box with an Intel or Intel compatible processor and some flavor of Microsoft Windows.

The Apple/Windows debate is bogus. It's an apples and oranges comparison.

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

Using a MAC? Only when my wife (a teacher) needs help at school.
But everytime I use a MAC, I feel dirty and need to take a shower.

MACs are like Beta tapes: better quality, but hard to find components for it.

And since when does putting a CD in a trash can mean you're ejecting it? Illogical....

Besides, My mouse has more buttons than your mouse! (Wonder what MAC users do when they see: RIGHT CLICK and save as....)

1fastredsc · 08-07-2003, 08:26 AM

I built my computer using nvidia's new chipset on my motherboard, an amd athlon 2400, radeon agp 8x graphics, and an external sound card with dolby 6.1 abilities (can't afford to use it though). It's basically a hot rod gaming machine.

island911 · 08-07-2003, 08:34 AM

As it doesn't take much of a machine to be "on the internet" it really doesn't matter; does it?

"engineering excellence" hmm. . they all seem rather mediocre to me. These programers (oh, sorry "software engineers") . . . all they do is stack the code higher and higher. They're like kids playing with blocks. They count on the fact that true engineers are making hardware smaller and faster.

dc914guy · dc914guy's Garage

I have a Sony VAIO laptop, and can't wait until I have the money to buy a Powerbook, where you don't have to fiddle with things to make them work!

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

when I see right click and save as, that's what I do. I have an Orbit trackball. If I'm on a one button mouse, then I ctrl-click.

We run a little bit of everything, but I'm on a G4 w/23" cinema display now, Ti-book at home (w/airport network). I also play with windoze boxes, and while XP isn't too bad, it still isn't a Mac. I'm not going to be drawn into the useless Mac v. PC debate. If you don't see the advantage to using a Mac, then you shouldn't. If I have to explain it to you, you likely won't get it.

Kinda like trying to explain why we drive old p-cars...

Interesting articles at businessweek.com right now...bunch of stuff on Apple and why despite the fact that their market share is below 5%, they matter (and why BW bothers to cover them).

id10t · 08-07-2003, 09:07 AM

At home, dual athlon 1.2ghz running Slackware 8.1, at work Dell GX260 running Slackware 9.0

Intel/Mac - I don't care - you can install Linux on any of 'em

JavaBrewer · JavaBrewer's Garage

Dell laptop, serves as my work station and home computer. Plus the odd Linux machine to play with (build, compile, marvel at, tear down, repeat) at home. Kids share a P233 for kids games. PC vs. MAC - please, lets talk religion instead, it will be a shorter and way more rational.

targa911S · 08-07-2003, 12:33 PM

I use a Mac G4, it's silver, matches my car, and damn near as fast!

exc911ence · exc911ence's Garage

Another Mac user here! Replaced my old NEC laptop with it and said goodbye to Windows forever!

bell · bell's Garage

i'm using my P4 and xp pro...........with my cable modem this thing is stupid fast.......i can download por...... err i mean stuff VERY fast

jyl · jyl's Garage

Home-brew Intel workstation (dual-CPU P2s, all SCSI, 640MB RAM) is my main home machine. I like building PCs and I scrounged some of the bits from various dead servers at work. But I just like Macs better and the G5 is the first Mac that excites my power-lust. So Ol' Iron will be replaced by a dual-G5 PowerMac come Xmas, if Santa is flush enough. Not sure what to do w/ the workstation, maybe give it to my Dad.

Apple iBook is our second home machine. Like it so much, the household is converting over to Macs (see above).

Various PCs at work, standard Dell corporate desktop, Compaq TabletPC, and standard Dell notebook. We are unimaginative at work - I had to really fight for the Tablet.

911SC Pilot · 08-07-2003, 08:09 PM

I use 3 machines. All Intel, all Windows based, 98, 98 SE and XP. 2 450`s, 1 1.3 ghz, Top end Invidia cards, DVD` players, burners, loads of memory. High end gaming machines. Only have had 1 blue screen of death on my 98, my XP has ran flawless for 2 years.

I just dont like Mac`s, never have.

Moses · 08-08-2003, 09:57 AM

I use Mac's exclusively, for both my office and at home.

I force my kids to use Windows though. I want them to learn that life is a constant struggle and you shouldn't expect too much.

Aurel · Aurel's Garage

I hate windows, but I have to use it at work because of instruments that run only with it. I now have windows 2000, not much better than win95 or 98. Want examples?
My coworker tried to install a zip drive, and the driver conflicted with the printer driver. At restart, the system was dead. Had to reinstall, and then, it lost the video driver. How do you know which driver to install then, and where is it anyways? This is the kind of things that makes me want to put Bill Gates to the electric chair. Also, have you noticed how office 2000 programs mess up the legends in graphs imported from office 97...
Like I always say, it is not because 80% of people use it that it is better. At home, I have a G4 titanium powerbook. Muuuuch better. Apple vs Wintel is like Porsche vs Corvette, IMO.

Aurel

911SC Pilot · 08-08-2003, 01:52 PM

Windows 2000 is one of the worse Windows programs. XP is by far the best.

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by Aurel
. Apple vs Wintel is like Porsche vs Corvette, IMO.

Aurel

That is insulting to Corvette...maybe Chevette.

JavaBrewer · JavaBrewer's Garage

PCs are all about bang for the buck. Other than the slight improvement in quality of Mac vs. PC peripheral devices there is no REAL difference in OS - although OS X looks very nice. Bottom line is that the majority of PCs out there hum along running all the popular apps with no drama. PCs cannot protect idiots from themselves. Mess with drivers or system files and things go wrong. That's why newer versions hide these file types by default.

Microsoft has done a tremendous job trying to keep the masses happy. People want backward compatability and the ability to install any device they want. Then when they install a $39 CD burner and something goes wrong then all of a sudden its "Windows sucks" all over again.