Buying a New Computer
@computerlove Favor de decirle a su madre que le mando saludos.
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davidred wrote...
I installed Ubuntu once and it completely destroyed my paying relationship with Microsoft.
Good to hear that, the disk performance of Linux has been pretty disappointing in the last year or so.
I will rather call those fragmentation reduction measures. (all but extent is/can be done at OS level without file system support) Besides, all the features of ext4 except delayed allocation has been available on OSX and Windows for quite some time.
I think if the swap file is set large enough so there's never the need to grow then it should not affect fragmentation.
Thanks for the replies to my questions. I'm thinking about buying a Mac but I'm not going to make any decisions right now, I'm still thinking about it.
I have a couple of more questions:
1. I'm more of a desktop person than a laptop person. If I buy a Mac I'm focusing on either a Imac or a Mini Mac. I know the decision is up to me but in your opinion which one is more reliable and strudy?
2. From what I'm reading here Macs are not that great with gaming. I'm not a big gamer but I do play a number of on-line games on the web which I like to continue playing. Do you think Macs can handle on-line games? Games such a bookworm, Full Count baseball, Bullpen Blast, games on Facebook...?
3. From what I see it's mostly recommended here that I should not consider a Internet Security program for a Mac but since I'm a little paranoid and as I always say "my luck it'll happen to me" which Internet Security Program would be good for Mac? I ask this because I am a little paranoid that something might happen, my luck.
4. Do you think programs such a MSN premimum, MSN messenger, AOL Messenger, Yahoo Messenger would work on a Mac? I think they would but I figure I check since people here are pretty knowledgable.
My apologies for the questions and such but I really want to make sure I have my bases covered if I do decide to purchase a Mac. I just don't want to make any mistakes or get into any problems. Thanks again and thanks for your patience!
Thanks again!
The iMac is the standard Mac desktop. The Mac Mini is of somewhat lower quality. Apple just released a new iMac that looks very nice. The Mac Mini is still a reasonably good computer, but the iMac will take longer to get obsolete.
Online stuff should mostly work, since it's running in your browser. Flash support in OS X is fine. I believe everything you listed works on a Mac.
Run Firefox with AdBlock Plus and NoScript, and be strict in who you add to your NoScript whitelist. In the "Security" pane in System Preferences, set your firewall to "Block all incoming connections" and "enable stealth mode." Disable auto-login, ssh, remote control, Location Services, use secure virtual memory, and require a password for everything (don't worry, it's still less intrusive than UAC). Turn on FileVault encryption if you're worried about someone stealing your computer and looking at your files.
Take all those steps, and your Mac is more secure than any Windows box can ever be made.
I use a program called Adium that replaces everything you just listed in one application. This way you only have to run one IM program, and you get a nice consistent interface whether you're talking on AIM, Yahoo, or even Facebook Chat (which is also supported by Adium).
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WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
I think if the swap file is set large enough so there's never the need to grow then it should not affect fragmentation.
Agreed. Just locking the size helps. To many people set it dynamic.
But swaps are becoming unimportant as ram exceeds use. Once those new memristors enter the ram market, swaps will vanish.
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davidred wrote...
I installed Ubuntu once and it completely destroyed my paying relationship with Microsoft.
OS X doesn't use a dedicated swap partition, and it still avoids (noticeable) fragmentation. It just creates swap files on the fly as needed, and does the same for virtual memory. Using swap files instead of a swap partition is actually currently the recommended way of doing things in Linux too- a separate partition for swap is so 1990s. It's from the days when RAM was a more serious limiting factor than it is now. I don't think I've ever dipped into Linux swap space even when I had it.
_________________
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
OS X doesn't use a dedicated swap partition, and it still avoids (noticeable) fragmentation. It just creates swap files on the fly as needed, and does the same for virtual memory. Using swap files instead of a swap partition is actually currently the recommended way of doing things in Linux too- a separate partition for swap is so 1990s. It's from the days when RAM was a more serious limiting factor than it is now. I don't think I've ever dipped into Linux swap space even when I had it.
I donno. I just dont like the idea of megalithic swap files. Plus logical partitions alleviate the problem of limited partitions.
I just dont use a swap at all. Currently, my brand new install of ubuntu 9.10 has three partitions though. /root, /usr and /home. I thought I would give that a try.
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davidred wrote...
I installed Ubuntu once and it completely destroyed my paying relationship with Microsoft.
Gee, I haven put this much pointless thought into buying the computer that I currently have now. I bought a Compaq Presario from HP's website that has an AMD Athlon X2 processor, 3 GB of memory, 320 GB hard drive, and Vista for 400 USD. I bought a 140 USD Acer 22" monitor, upgraded the power supply of the computer, installed an EVGA 9500GT, removed all of the bloatware, and the computer is performing great. I have used both Windows Vista and Linux Mint (much better than Ubuntu IMO) and I am very satisfied with my computer.
You can all go on and on and on and on about Macs and how great they are and how much better they are than PC's, or you can get your heads out of your asses for once and realize that it's all about the software that works on the operating systems. Problem is, too many idiots who played around with a defective Dell and wasted their money on a Mac thinking that it's so much better often have too much time on their hands to argue and try to get everyone to get a Mac.
If I wanted a Mac so badly, I would make a Hackintosh PC. Too bad my Compaq has an AMD processor, but I digress. I rather be on Windows anyday! That way, I don't have to miss out on anything software-related! That's my opinion.
Oh just look at me! Now I'm the same as you morons are! Arguing and fussing about what OS is better. Make up your minds and stop trying to manipulate people into joining your little "entity". I buy whatever computer has what I want for the lowest price and that's that! If your PC screws up, stop blaming Microsoft! Blame either the manufacture of your computer or blame yourself!
Or go back to DOS.
[rant/]
I often DO "go back to DOS" - and I like it there. ![]()
I personally prefer Debian/Ubuntu, but the Mac is a nice platform with a lot to offer, especially for non-technical users.
_________________
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
You can all go on and on and on and on about Macs and how great they are and how much better they are than PC's, or you can get your heads out of your asses for once and realize that it's all about the software that works on the operating systems. Problem is, too many idiots who played around with a defective Dell and wasted their money on a Mac thinking that it's so much better often have too much time on their hands to argue and try to get everyone to get a Mac.
If I wanted a Mac so badly, I would make a Hackintosh PC. Too bad my Compaq has an AMD processor, but I digress. I rather be on Windows anyday! That way, I don't have to miss out on anything software-related! That's my opinion.
Oh just look at me! Now I'm the same as you morons are! Arguing and fussing about what OS is better. Make up your minds and stop trying to manipulate people into joining your little "entity". I buy whatever computer has what I want for the lowest price and that's that! If your PC screws up, stop blaming Microsoft! Blame either the manufacture of your computer or blame yourself!
Or go back to DOS.
[rant/]
You sounds threatened when another person gets encouragement to switch away from your favourite operating system. Does your dad make his living from Windows products?
_________________
davidred wrote...
I installed Ubuntu once and it completely destroyed my paying relationship with Microsoft.
You can all go on and on and on and on about Macs and how great they are and how much better they are than PC's, or you can get your heads out of your asses for once and realize that it's all about the software that works on the operating systems. Problem is, too many idiots who played around with a defective Dell and wasted their money on a Mac thinking that it's so much better often have too much time on their hands to argue and try to get everyone to get a Mac.
If I wanted a Mac so badly, I would make a Hackintosh PC. Too bad my Compaq has an AMD processor, but I digress. I rather be on Windows anyday! That way, I don't have to miss out on anything software-related! That's my opinion.
Oh just look at me! Now I'm the same as you morons are! Arguing and fussing about what OS is better. Make up your minds and stop trying to manipulate people into joining your little "entity". I buy whatever computer has what I want for the lowest price and that's that! If your PC screws up, stop blaming Microsoft! Blame either the manufacture of your computer or blame yourself!
Or go back to DOS.
[rant/]
You sounds threatened when another person gets encouragement to switch away from your favourite operating system. Does your dad make his living from Windows products?
Well, I don't like it when people tell utter bullcrap about PC's and are pro-Mac when the only important difference between the two are the OS's and encourage someone to buy an expensive computer for no good reason. HELLO?!?
And you shouldn't try to bring up anyone's family members right out of the blue unless you want to start something personal with that person (me).
All I will say is a $2000 iMac w/ Core 2 Duo is easily beaten by a $1000 HP w/ a Core i7. That's the power of logic and that's why I am a PC.
The OS is a good reason for many people. Especially for the last few years, when MS was pushing the abomination known as Vista.
1) That's not the price difference. The new Core 2 Duo iMac (at 3.06GHz) is $1200, which is a far cry from $2000. Also, this is a complete system, unlike the HP where you have to buy keyboard, mouse, and monitor separately.
2) HP computers are shoddily put together crap with mismatched components. And HP is notorious for miserable to nonexistent customer support.
_________________
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
