TomM

Hey pletcgm, maybe I'll use this as my signature:

279 Buck Run Drive
Nashville, TN 37214
US
615-889-****

(isn't whois great)

UmneyDurak

Indeed. Well this post got way of topic.

pletcgm

That's exactly right! And if you want to know my fax number and exact position, go to my site. I have my GPS coordinates posted there....if that will help you!

spang621

just think of stock bikes/computers as tools for people who just want to ride/compute, and don't know or care about being an expert. it's ok to not be a whiz at everything.

HaagenDas

you should add sheilas to the list Spangers

operator

How'd you guess

TomM

Been there done that.

pletcgm

Awesome!

Doctor Morbius

Blasphemy!! Sacrilege!! You shall be fined 2000 quatloos.

CdCf

Hehe, how misguided!
It's common, but quite incorrect, to assume that the hardware is the important part.
It is in fact software that matters. And unless you want to limit yourself in the software department by running a Unix variant, you're pretty much stuck with Microsoft's Windows as a PC user.
If you happen to like their range of operating systems, then fine, but I surely don't!

And my PowerMac is pretty configurable. I have a free choice of graphics card, RAM, HD, optical drive and I can use a large number of cards that fit in the PCI slots. PSU, MoBo and CPUs are fixed, but I don't see that as a huge limitation.
In a bigger perspective, most people have no interest at all in putting their own system together, so that argument only applies to a fraction of the market.

Macs are no longer overpriced to any significant extent, if systems are compared, not in terms of raw numbers in an abstract test, but in a real, productive working environment, with equal tasks and equal (but not necessarily identical) software. The time not spent upgrading, virus hunting, crashing and waiting, is probably enough to pay for the slightly higher prices many times over.

The software limitations are really only in the games. Productive software (business/office apps, graphics/DTP apps and such) is available to virtually the same extent on the Mac.

Educate yourself, "Doctor". Get a Mac!

rockmuncher

No we don't. We have flying foxes tho, if that helps. I'd explain more, but I have to reboot my CP/M machine now... back in 35 mins

Blackberry

Every graphic designer and pro photographer I know (which is a lot after 20 years in the biz) uses a Mac--including those at PC World magazine.
https://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114464,00.asp

Moistfly

This thread was just a way to brag about your Benz wasn't it

Black Bud

OH YES IT IS!!

I'm RUNNING 'FIREFOX'!!! Ain't it grand???

Also...just tell jerks like that...eh..."driver"....."You must spend your WHOLE PAYCHECK on GASOLINE (PETROL)...and I DON'T!!!"

pletcgm

No, it was for a good laugh at stupid drivers! A "one-up" for cyclists!

Doctor Morbius

Yes, I'm aware of those particular uses for the MAC. I worked at a small publishing firm while I lived in Atlanta. That was the only place I'd ever worked that even used them. However, the number of PC's at that pubilishing firm still outnumbered MAC's at least 2 to 1. I used to get pissed because I had to support 80 some computers and the other tech only had to support about 35 MACS and he got paid the same.

Even though Photoshop seems to be MAC's forte, that doesn't mean that it can't run just dandy on a PC. I have Photoshop CS 8.0 on the one I'm using right now and it does a decent job according to a friend of mine that is a graphic designer. He uses a MAC at his work and a PC at home. He's now shopping for a new PC for home use. I'm sure he's in the minority though.

Doctor Morbius

Yes, the virus hunting is a major pain in the arse, granted. However, if MAC OS were the dominate OS in the world then the same would be said of it. The hackers and naughty people who write viruses do it for Windows as they are able achieve the greatest amount of damage with the least amount of work. The only reason that MAC OS and Linux don't get them as often is because there are fewer viruses written specifically for them. It's simply a numbers game for the virus coders.

And MAC's do crash. It's not as though they are immune to such things. The MAC tech that I worked with at the publisher's was always busy fixing somebody's mess. I was plenty busy myself too though with screen freezes and BSOD's. As I recall he had a lot of problems getting fonts to work. It was probably him though as he was a real tard.

The last I read, MAC OS had less than 5% of the total market share of the entire computer market in the U.S. and that's on desktops only. I know MAC had a server a while back but I don't know of anyone that used it except for the U.S. Government. That isn't a very successful track record in my book. Linux is already that far along in the desktop market and is actually gaining support. Linux is taking on MS toe to toe in the server market. Not bad for a free OS really.

I think many people are sick to death of MS, self included. They've gone too far.

jjmolyet

I work in the editorial dept. of a newspaper, we all use macs, but the IT guys all use PCs......hmmm, makes you wonder.

CdCf

Another common belief, but incorrect nevertheless.
It's certainly possible to write a virus for OS X, but it would only be able to spread if the user is unusually incompetent and incredibly gullible. It can't really be made to spread on its own.
The low density of suitable "hosts" (see above) would be too low to cause any major problems.
(There are other, more in-depth, technical reasons for why viruses are unlikely, but it's not my area of expertise - the information is available online for everyone.)

The small market argument keeps popping up, but it's simply not the real reason.
Other things, such as PDAs, certain versions of modern mobile phones (the PDA-like models) and recently, even car computers, have had viruses written for them.
These markets are smaller (or were when the first viruses showed up) than the Mac market is.
Simply not a valid argument.

Trojans are a higher risk. Still not a major problem, though.

Yes, Macs certainly do crash, but it's very rare, and usually with no side effects to speak of.
It's happened to me maybe 3-4 times over the past three years.
Compared to my brother's WinXP machine, which needs to be restarted at least weekly, due to various problems. It's pretty much the same for all my friends with Wintel machines. Fair enough, it's often avoidable if the user takes good care of the system and keeps bad software out. But a Mac will not be affected by user stupidity in the same way. So, while crashes do happen, they're not a big deal, and very little time is lost.

True, the Mac market share is around, or slightly less than, 5%. But Apple is the second (or maybe third) largest computer manufacturer, in terms of units sold!
Macs tend to be used for longer than PCs. 7-8 years is not uncommon, while I doubt many Wintel machines see more than 3-4 years on average. This isn't due to anything inherently bad in the design, just a difference in user behaviour. And this has an effect on the market for new Macs.

JBar

Oh, please, no picking on the Aussies!

I love the original post. Most people shxt when they realise how much a good road bike costs and the Lexus driving simp probably has a payment and credit card debt out the wazoo. I know that's a generalization, but it seems that folks who want to rub their success in your face are stretching to make the payments on their bling. People with really deep pockets tend to keep it to themselves.

jeff-o

Nice one, CdCf.

By the way, Doctor, it's written Mac, not MAC. It's not an acronym, it's short for Macintosh.

CdCf

MAC - Mean Aerodynamic Chord.

Roody

Magic Arithmetic Calculator

Mental Augmentation and Communication

Maximum Annoying Comments

Mean, Angry and Cranky

Mine Ain't Crashing

Machine for Arty Crackpots

soda

Loved the first post! That's a great story and a wonderful comeback. I would have loved to see his face.

Dahon.Steve

PC's are designed to fail with 3-4 years. The last two PC's I've had did not make to to year 5 before the hard drive failed. This weekend, I purchased a new PC because the last one lasted only 3 years and looks new!

This not only happens to PC's but televisons, cell phones and other electronic equiptment. My flat screne tv lasted two years and failed almost on the exact date the warranty expired! My cell phone works but the screne is no longer visible because it broke down two weeks after the warranty expired! This is why cell phone companies and retail outlets offer "protection" plans because they know the unit is designed to fail right after the warranty expires.