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Post by Swamp Gas on Apr 4, 2007 22:00:42 GMT -5
macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/13203/Windows expert dumps Windows, switches to Apple’s Mac OS X, finds software plentiful Monday, March 12, 2007 - 10:41 AM EDT "There are a lot of misconceptions about the Mac. What's absolutely the worst one, though, is that there's no software for it," Scot Finnie reports for Computerworld. "Before I bought a Mac mini in 2005 (the first step in my current Mac odyssey), I hadn't used a Mac since 1996, when I owned several Macs and Windows machines." "The first thing I realized as I began to explore the Mac world in earnest was just how much more Mac software there is than the last time I used the Mac. The Mac shareware/freeware marketplace, while not as gargantuan as that for Windows, is filled with a rich selection of largely well-done products. There are many small commercial Mac software companies,"Finnie reports. "At the same time that Windows development companies appear to be consolidating, you have the sense of a renaissance among Mac software makers. The Mac market was reborn with OS X." Finnie reports, "That's the backdrop for my decision to create a continually updated list of the best applications for the Mac, called the A-List of Mac Software... My goals are to point out the best software products, improve the software available to Mac users and to make it easier for other new Mac users to locate solutions that will work for them." Full article covering, browsing options, screen-capture, antivirus software, HTML editors, corporate and personal email, and more here.
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Post by chickenlittle on Apr 5, 2007 20:43:49 GMT -5
I am a Mac-kie and there are also no virus attacks.Gotta like that
chicky
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Post by Swamp Gas on Apr 5, 2007 21:42:46 GMT -5
I remember back in the 90s, Bill Gates was one of the first to advocate Internet Surveillance on ISPs. If you read some of the reports on that link, some people are speculating the end of Vista and it's MS-DOS groundwork, and Gates will have to go with Unix or Linux, which of course is what OSX did in 2000. news.com.com/Homeland+Security+works+door+at+Gates'+party/2100-1029_3-5289240.html Homeland Security works door at Gates' party By Declan McCullagh Staff Writer, CNET News.com Published: July 29, 2004, 2:11 PM PDT A party at Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates' waterfront mansion recently became the focus of unusual police attention. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced a "temporary security zone" earlier this month around Gates' Lake Washington home, saying in a notice published in the Federal Register that the move was necessary to prevent "terrorism, sabotage or other subversive acts." Security zones prevent any person or watercraft from entering the area without explicit government permission. They're normally used to tighten security around military bases and naval facilities, and it's exceedingly rare for them to be erected around a private residence. The reason for the "Gates Residence Security Zone," which locked down all of Lake Washington south of the Highway 520 bridge and stayed in effect for two days, was a private party the Microsoft billionaire threw on July 18. Gates had invited over members of the National Governors Association, who were in Seattle for their annual conference. Microsoft also wrote a check for $150,000 to be an "emerald" sponsor of the NGA meeting, which about 30 governors attended. Among the NGA meeting attendees: Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, both former governors, as well as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and ex-White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta. Gates' homestead is approximately 48,000 square feet with a garage that reportedly accommodates 30 cars. The NGA is an influential lobby group that often takes positions on topics important to Microsoft, like antitrust, Internet taxes and voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) regulations. For instance, the NGA opposes extending a now-lapsed moratorium on Internet access taxes, which had prevented states from taxing services like MSN Broadband. The NGA also insists that states should have the power to tax and regulate VoIP services, an idea that Microsoft opposes. The Coast Guard, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, takes "temporary security zones" seriously. Last year, an appeals court upheld the convictions of two men for ignoring warnings from Coast Guard officials in an inflatable boat to stay out of a secure area near a Navy firing range. |
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Post by Swamp Gas on Apr 12, 2007 10:27:06 GMT -5
www.osnews.com/story.php/17677/Windows-XP-to-be-Phased-Out-by-Years-End-Despite-Strong-Demand/Windows XP to be Phased Out by Year's End Despite Strong DemandComputer makers have been told they'll no longer be able to get Windows XP OEM by the end of this year, despite strong ongoing demand for the OS. Analysts and computer makers are wondering if the move is premature given Vista's ongoing performance and compatibility issues. Dell recently said it would reintroduce XP on a range of machines due to customer demand but Microsoft will only allow this until the end of the year.
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Post by Swamp Gas on Apr 22, 2007 0:23:11 GMT -5
www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=39087Microsoft admits Vista failure Actions speak louder than PR By Charlie Demerjian in Beijing: Saturday 21 April 2007, 12:20 WITH TWO OVERLAPPING events, Microsoft admitted what we have been saying all along, Vista, aka Windows Me Two (Me II), is a joke that no one wants. It did two unprecedented things this week that frankly stunned us. Dell announced that it would be offering XP again on home PCs. The second that Vista came out, Microsoft makes it very hard for you to sell anything other than Me II. It can't do this on the business side because it would be laughed out the door, but for the walking sheep class, well, you take what you are shovelled. This is classic abusive monopoly behavior, Microsoft wrote the modern book on it. It pulled all the major OEMs in by twisting their arms with the usual methods, and they again all fell into line. Never before has anyone backpedalled on this, to do so would earn you the wrath of Microsoft. But Dell just did. This means that Me II sales are at least as bad as we think, the software and driver situation is just as miserable, and Dell had no choice but to buck the trend. If anyone thinks this is an act of atonement for foisting such a steaming pile on us, think again, it doesn't care about the consumer. What happened is the OEMs revolted in the background and forced Microsoft's hand. This is a big neon sign above Me II saying 'FAILURE'. Blink blink blink. OK, Me II won't fail, Microsoft has OEMs whipped and threatened into a corner, it will sell, but you can almost hear the defectors marching toward Linux. This is a watershed. The other equally monumental Me II failure? Gates in China launching a $3 version of bundled Me II. Why is this not altruism? Well, it goes back to piracy and how it helped enforce the MS monopoly. If you can easily pirate Windows, Linux has no price advantage, they both cost zero. With Me II, Microsoft made it very hard to pirate. It is do-able, you can use the BIOS hack and probably a host of others, but the point is, it raised the bar enough so lots of people have to buy it. Want to bet that in a country with $100 average monthly salary, people aren't going to shell out $299 for Me II Broken Edition? What did MS do? It dropped the price about 100x or so. I can't say this is unprecedented, when it made Office 2003 hard to pirate it had to backpedal with the student edition for about $150. This time though, things are much more desperate. If you fit Microsoft's somewhat convoluted definition of poor, it still wants to lock you in, you might get rich enough to afford the full-priced stuff someday. It is at a dangerous crossroads, if its software bumps up the price of a computer by 100 per cent, people might look to alternatives. That means no Me II DRM infection lock in, no mass migration to the newer Office obfuscated and patented file formats, and worse yet, people might utter the W word. Yes, you guessed it, 'why'. People might ask why it is sticking with the MS lock in, and at that point, it is in deep trouble. So, it did the unthinkable, and dropped the price. I won't bother to hunt down all the exec quotes saying how people can't afford clean water would be overjoyed to sell kidneys to upgrade to the new version of Office, but they are out there. This was a sacred cow, and it is now hamburger backed up against the wall. These two actions by Microsoft are proof of what I suggested three years ago. Microsoft has lost its ability to twist arms, and now it is going to die. It can't compete on level ground, so is left with backpedalling and discounts of almost 100 times. What we are seeing is an unprecedented shift of power. It is also an unprecedented admission of failure. And the funniest part about the moves made? They are the wrong things to do. Microsoft is in deep trouble. µ
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Post by DannyRock on Apr 22, 2007 1:22:35 GMT -5
My older systems operated on win2000 but my new beast uses XP. I took one look at Vista and wanted nothing to do with it...
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Post by Swamp Gas on Apr 22, 2007 11:00:21 GMT -5
My older systems operated on win2000 but my new beast uses XP. I took one look at Vista and wanted nothing to do with it... yep, the only PC we use is win2000, and all OSX is 10.4.9 in all machines. Looking at the new 8 processor MacPro. In VirtualPC, we run Windows XP, an application that runs inside of OSX, about the speed of a 1 GHZ Pentium 4, more than enough for 90% of Windows apps. Stay off the Internet with all Windows, as they are a security nightmage. |
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Post by chickenlittle on Apr 22, 2007 12:04:31 GMT -5
I love the commercials on t.v and at (Apple.com),I assume you have all seen them they are great.
If you have not you have got to,it is a crack up,it makes microsoft look so pathetic(which it is).
chicky
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Post by Swamp Gas on Apr 22, 2007 12:31:24 GMT -5
I talked with my cousin's husband last week, who is the system admin for a huge graphics firm, that runs all Linux, Unix, and OSX, and the word that is out is that Microsoft has hit a brick wall with Vista and it's DOS underpinnings, and is talking.........DUH!!!......to possibly go with Linux or Unix, of course which Apple did in 2000 with OSX 10.0
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Post by DannyRock on Apr 22, 2007 17:55:46 GMT -5
Things kind of started going down hill after win98.  Out of all the operating systems besides win95, I had the least problems with 98 though I really haven't had any issues with XP... yet. Not sure if I could switch over to a Mac based system especially since I grew up using only PC's from the 8086 on up. I guess I'm just an old PC rat. |
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Post by Swamp Gas on Apr 22, 2007 18:13:10 GMT -5
I know some old Bell Labs people that have locked in at Win2000, and will not even upgrade to XP
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Post by DannyRock on Apr 25, 2007 21:26:07 GMT -5
I would of rather had 2000, but my new system came with XP so I'll leave it alone for now and see what it does.
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Out of all the operating systems besides win95, I had the least problems with 98 though I really haven't had any issues with XP... yet.