What Type of Computer and Operating System Are You Using?

[Karl]

I have just two words, (actually, one word and a number) which brings the common man to his knees: "Windows 8". How I hate this operating system.

What was going on at Microsoft when this thing happened? Bill Gates, where are you? Do you see what happened after you left, Bill? Is anyone in charge...?

OK, enough of my ranting.

My experience with computers goes way, way back. I'm old enough to remember punch cards, the Sinclair Z88 (with thermal printing paper), Apple CMOS 8 bit processers, the IBM PC with dual floppy disks and the Intel 8086 chip (16 bits -Wow!). Then DOS (actually I like it), Windows 95, Windows 98 (my fav), Windows Me (2000), "Bob" (another deranged operating system), Windows XP (most engineering friendly), Vista, Windows 7....finally, this, this thing, the most poor excuse for an operating system that ever existed: Windows 8.

(Side Note: I also remember reading George Orwell's, "1984", and how we were actually concerned about "Big Brother" watching our lives. Who could have ever predicted the situation today, where people willing share their personal information, posting it for the world to see, and services such as Google collecting our every keystroke!)

OK, I'm really done now. That felt good.

So, what computer and operating system are you using? Any Linux users out there?

 

[Markku]

Karl,

I'm a Mac. You are a PC. (I liked those ads, of course they didn't show them in Finland but I've seen them on the web).

I was a hardcore Windows guy for the better part of my life. About four years ago I converted to MacBook Pro/iPhone. Last year I changed my Pro to Air and love it. So easy to carry around. And it's fast with the SSD/Flash drive.

I'm using Mountain Lion and I dig this setup. Besides some hardware problems with my first Mac, the experience has been smooth. I still use Windows machines here and there (who doesn't, they're everywhere!), and I find Windows 7 quite operable, it's a good system. About Win 8, yeah, I agree with you.

 

[Karl]

Markku -
My daughter bought an Apple, which she seems to love. In my line of work, Apple really isn't an option, because we use specialized software that has always been IBM based.

In college, we wrote programs in Fortran, using punchcards, which was very frustrating. When the IBM PC came along, I learned QuickBasic and assembly language. Now I write programs in Visual Basic. IBM computers were always an open system, which is what I liked.

All that has changed, because the purpose of computers has shifted from number crunching to Internet/Cloud computer usage. It seems that Microsoft made a decision to concentrate on "Apps" for phones, abandoning older systems. This has left a lot of businesses, which use proprietary software they have specially written, in the lurch. In my opinion, Microsoft's decision to come out with Window 8 - which is like a phone operating system - was absolutely irresponsible.

 

[erik]

I use both Apple and PC. I do all my basic work on the Apple. I am typing this on a 27" Imac right now, but right beside me is PC that I switch to when I need to do some real work LOL.

 

[Karl]

erik -
I remember reading your profile, that you write music...with the computer? Please explain. Need more input (in the words of the robot, "Johnny Five").

Apples are the best for music software.

 

[Fish]

I use mostly a Samsung notebook with my deskstop PC for work-related things.

I use the dreaded Windows 8 which in my opinion is just Windows 7 with a silly-looking Start menu which you can thankfully customize to your needs. I don't really see what else is different. I like it myself.

 

[DezDog]

Alienware + Windows 7, Samsung S2. I'm a Windows / Android kind of minion.

Windows 8 is an excellent study in how to confuse your tablet market with your desktop market. It adds exactly nothing to the desktop experience (it actually slows you down), while clearly being designed for tablets/phones.

 

[daedalus]

I use a PC: Antec p182 tower with an ASUS P5C motherboard, 4 gigs of kingston DDR2, a GTX 560 GPU i use mainly for distributed computing and a core2quad 9550 processor overclocked to 3.4 Ghz.

My OS is Xubuntu 12.10 64 bits. It's linux. I use the lightweight XFCE desktop environment now. I like it. I used gnome 2 before and KDE 3.5 before. I use linux since 2004. Contrary to what most people think, i didn't need to fiddle much with the system and learn a lot. It's very easy to use.

My first computer was a commodore 64 with a floppy disk drive. 5.25" disks which contained 160 kb of data. Data transfer rate: .25 kb/sec. It used the CRT TV as monitor.

Later i wanted commodore amiga but never got enough money to buy it. 32 bits processor, 4096 colors, 3D coprocessor, 7.4 mhz clock rate. a beast.

I knew the shneider joyce computer (green and black screen) and we stayed with this dinosaur for 10 years until my father bought a mac performa 630 with a 68EC040 processor (think 486SX). A machine with an OS vastly superior to anything microsoft could do. System 7.6 it was called. It still works. Later i assembled a P4 with windows 2000, soon replaced by win XP and shortly replaced by ubuntu 5.04. Then, in late 2009 my actual machine.

 

[Lord of the Ring]

I use a Mac. Since 1989.

 

[Eddie]

I use Linux Mint with XFCE, it just works. The days of having to endlessly fine tune and tweak a linux system just to get it working are no more. There are such distros of course but it's come a very long way
Gave up Windows after it complained that Windows2000 was not suitable for certian versions of software etc. Never looked back.

 

[oatsey]

using ubuntu 12.10 on a i5 3750 rig with a 7850 Gigabyte card.

 

[James]

I'm still using Windows XP home edition, service pack 3. with an intel mother bd, at home on the desktop. I've put together all my PC's, so when they crash, I am able to replace parts like the power supply or hard-drive, which I have done. One time I think I had a virus, I erased/formated the whole hard drive, and reloaded the operating system, restored files and I was back at it. It's good to back up important files.

 

[frohike]

I went windows > linux > OS X. Same with hardware, from buying a PC, to make it myself, to buy a Mac. The breakthrough was to focus more on actual work and less on the tools I use.

 

[Sven]

Laptop with Windows 7 Pro and Core i5 processor. I sometimes read this forum using my Android phone as well.

 

[Markku]

Laptop with Windows 7 Pro and Core i5 processor. I sometimes read this forum using my Android phone as well.

When you browse TT on the Android phone, do you use Tapatalk or Forum Runner (both of which we support) or the normal view? If you browse the site normally without those apps, does TT look okay on the Android's browser?
Have you happened to notice any bugs?

The next big update that's coming to this forum is going to include - amongst others - responsive layout. Meaning that the layout will nicely accommodate any screen size (phone, tablet, laptop, monitor, tv, etc).

 

[Sven]

I just use if for reading, with Chrome or Firefox. I've only written using my computer. The text is perfectly readable, but I can't say anything about other features. If I try later, I'll let you know. Anything in particular you want me to check, just let me know.

 

[MT09]

I'm late to the game.... But I'm the fruit lover too; 'Apple fanboy' in today's terms. Barely knew what a Mac was a few years ago.. Until I got myself an iPhone. I fell in love with it and then started exploring other products from Apple and ended up with an iMac. Best thing I ever did! Of course, a PC-dude would argue against it with many points, but I use the computer mainly for multimedia editing and medium level gaming, the iMac's got everything I need. But hey, it's real hard to NOT use Windows at all. There are so many situations where I gotta use Windows, so I use both OSX Lion and Windows 7 , 64 bit(running via Bootcamp)[NOT upgrading to Windows 8!]

 

[frohike]

Of course, a PC-dude would argue against it with many points

Why?

it's real hard to NOT use Windows at all

Gaming?

 

[MT09]

Why?

Gaming?

I told that because every time I've talked something good about a Mac, a PC lover always counters with the point that the PC is much more customizable than the Mac. He also starts a big discussion on it, so I said that. But having tested both, I found a Mac to be more suitable for 'me'. And about the second part, yes, Gaming is also a reason, but not the only reason. There are so many companies out there that don't support softwares for the OSX. A simple example would be my cousin's mp3 player. It's made by 'Creative' but lacks OSX support. And it is not recognized as a USB storage device. To transfer media unto it, I've to use the software provided by Creative, however, it's only for Windows. I face similar problems sometimes, so it's advantageous to have windows running.

 

[frohike]

That MP3 player may be using NTFS file system, which OS X can read but not write. To write NTFS you would need a commercial product like Paragon NTFS. There are also open source alternatives. With that, probably you would be able to mount as USB drive. But I wouldn't recommend anyone else to waste more time in IT than the strictly needed. If your mp3 only supports Windows, then boot Windows and get done with it.

Mac is less customizable. PC is the supermarket with 200 bottles of shampoo in the shelves, I look at them like a chimpanzee trying to make the right choice. I customized my Linux kernel 3948578493 times. Did I get any shit done with it? nope, just playing. Here is an excerpt from an article:

http://mattgemmell.com/2013/07/15/constraints/

Generally, the best products demonstrate choice rather than offering it. Wise choices made on your behalf before you were even aware of them. Good compromises, made so that you wouldn't ever have to make bad ones.

I only know of one company that gives me options for the choices I want to make, and eliminates the rest. As a creative person who values my time, money and sanity, it doesn't make sense for me to buy from anyone else.

Every user interface option has a cognitive cost. Something as simple as a hyperlink decreases comprehension (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_comprehension#Reading_comprehension_and_hyperlinks). So the idea is, simplify your tools, so you can focus on your real life job, and don't switch your attention to anything foreign.

The reply is that once you get used to it, you ignore all other options. This is the equivalent of your house being full of objects, and knowing where each thing is. Yet, I rather have some empty space around if I can choose.

 

[MT09]

That MP3 player may be using NTFS file system, which OS X can read but not write. To write NTFS you would need a commercial product like Paragon NTFS. There are also open source alternatives. With that, probably you would be able to mount as USB drive. But I wouldn't recommend anyone else to waste more time in IT than the strictly needed. If your mp3 only supports Windows, then boot Windows and get done with it.

Mac is less customizable. PC is the supermarket with 200 bottles of shampoo in the shelves, I look at them like a chimpanzee trying to make the right choice. I customized my Linux kernel 3948578493 times. Did I get any shit done with it? nope, just playing. Here is an excerpt from an article:


Every user interface option has a cognitive cost. Something as simple as a hyperlink decreases comprehension (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_comprehension#Reading_comprehension_and_hyperlinks). So the idea is, simplify your tools, so you can focus on your real life job, and don't switch your attention to anything foreign.

The reply is that once you get used to it, you ignore all other options. This is the equivalent of your house being full of objects, and knowing where each thing is. Yet, I rather have some empty space around if I can choose.

Exactly what I'd assumed too, but the mp3 player's already in FAT32 format. It does not get recognized in Mac OS. I tried it on a friend's Mac too, just in case there was a problem with my Mac. The player doesn't allow the storage to be read as a regular USB storage. However, it allows me in settings(the settings menu within the player) to partition the storage into two parts if I want; one for the mp3 player and the other part to be read as a USB. That partition can be read on the Mac. However, the files written on that part will not be accessed by the player. I don't use it anymore though. 98% of my time I spend on the Mac osx. Very rarely I've to switch to Windows. It's no problem for me though, Bootcamp's a great thing. It's good that Apple allows the user to install Windows, we get the best of both worlds! Which Mac are you using and which version are you on? I'm still on Lion, still deciding whether to switch for Mountain Lion or not. I know there are lots n lots of new features, but I was thinking I could just wait it out till they release Mavericks and directly update to that instead.

 

[frohike]

Mac Pro 2008 ML. I don't remember the differences between ML and the previous one. I have a beta of Mavericks around but didn't try it. With enough memory you could start windows using VMWare or Parallels.

 

[Champ]

using ubuntu 12.10 on a i5 3750 rig with a 7850 Gigabyte card.

And you still can only run Blizz games and a couple Valve titles

 

[Dhaval]

When you browse TT on the Android phone, do you use Tapatalk or Forum Runner (both of which we support) or the normal view? If you browse the site normally without those apps, does TT look okay on the Android's browser?
Have you happened to notice any bugs?

The next big update that's coming to this forum is going to include - amongst others - responsive layout. Meaning that the layout will nicely accommodate any screen size (phone, tablet, laptop, monitor, tv, etc).

Hey markku

I use the site via android and chrome. The site runs fine no problem only when you try to edit the post or click in the avatars the popup opens up outside the screen if its zoomed in. Rest the site is perfect. Oh and the box for writing the posts sure could be slightly bigger right now it just accommodates 2 lines to view. So it's difficult to review the post before posting. That's about it rest is great.

 

[Luca]

I use Windows 8. I think the new explorer and the new taskmanager is rather neat. It also boots really fast.

However on my 24" Display the live tile Metro interface just doesn't make sense. It feels rather bloated. Also I dont really need fancy looking apps for stuff I can do in a regular browser Chrome, Firefox....

So what I do is I use a program called Classicshell which brings back a regular start menu.

I think the tiles make sense on Windows Phones and on tablets but not on a desktop PC. And I think Windows should first and foremost be a desktop OS.

 

[5htp]

Macs are more practical for the average user, but they are overpriced and much less upgradable. I also hate Apple's lack of support for open source software. iTunes is a piece of crap.

 

[Erlend]

A mac is easier and prettier.

A PC gives you more control, if you're into that. And gaming.

Myself, I have a "geek"-setup now with two monitors and a PC, I used to play a lot of games.

When I move into my own apartment I will buy an iMac because it looks a lot better.

But at the moment I'm on a PC with Windows7, works great.

When it comes to Phones and tables Apple has the best products in my opinion, but the same goes here. If you like to tweak your phone, buy some android device!

 

[daedalus]

About macs, i used to love them in the nineties. The times of DOS and VGA on PC. I could barely have 256 colours in 320X200 while a mac had a splendid interface and tens of thousands (32768) colours in high resolution. When Win95 appeared we used to joke that win95 was nearly as good as mac84.

When the powerPC came i slobbered. The MAC clones were cheaper, more tweakable and more performing than the original macs. Who remembers them ? Then the boss apple quickly renamed macOS 7.7 in macsOS8 to stop the clones and i began to like apple a bit less.

Then i assembled my first own PC and quickly discovered linux. I had no money for macs anyway. Linux fills nearly all my needs.

About phones not only i dislike both apple and microsoft but android is the sole phone OS with maxima and octave on them. I can use my xperia mini pro as a powerful calculator ! Very handy. I discoverd by doing benchmarks with collaborative calculation software (BOINC) that clock for clock my cheap little ARMV7 @1ghz was as efficient as my old pentium 4 !

 

[frohike]

I also hate Apple's lack of support for open source software.

Almost everything that runs in Linux runs in Mac too, including desktops like KDE and Gnome, that you can find in packaged format in macports or homebrew (similar to apt-get an the like). Many Apple employees contribute there, and releasing open source like webkit, and LLVM/Clang.

Value is not determined by those who set the price, but by those who choose to pay it, and Apple is doing fine in that area. Not to say that people chooses to waste their money, Macs are quite popular between techies. They are however, more expensive than PCs.

#holywar lol

 

[Scubadude]

I built my own i5 3570k (@ stock speeds) Gigabyte GAZ77X 3DH mobo Arctic cooler Freezer 13 cooler
8 gig corsair vengeance ddr3 ram @ 1600mhz Intel 120 gig 320 SSD
X 2 old Sata 2's (yeah I know) corsair CX600 PSU and HD 6770 asus GPU

My first PC I used was my neighbours RadioShack TRS80 level 2 16k machine circa 1977!