[brainout]

Since I want Mr. Spector to make LOTS of money writing articles, this little topic furnishes some ideas for a whole series of articles.. maybe.

Core idea is that each computer user has different overall goals for a machine. Now with the advent of Windows 8, the differences are even greater, and seem to break now into two camps:

Media/data consumption user: what machine works best for surfing, emailing, social-networking, watching videos, playing games? Tablet, netbook, ultrabook? And why, with what specs?

Data creation user: how to conquer the problem of the Win8 interface, how to tweak the desktop to make better use of it, problems of compatibility with older hardware and software, what desktops or workstations and their configurations, would be most useful? Subset topics: DOSBOX versus Tao Computing's emulator versus XP Mode. Linux versus Windows also, maybe. Here, the focus is not cost, but utility.

I guess you could posit a third main category, the do-it-yourselfers, those who will build their own machines or would go to an ODM (?) and get a machine built to spec; but they already know the jargon. Most of the rest of us do other stuff for a living, and don't have time to LEARN the jargon.

Finally, another subcategory, how hard it is to FIND information to answer these questions, or find the configurations in the usual places, like at ASUS, Dell, Acer; for what's sold through the outlets, is often a too-small configuration versus what helps. Example: often the RAM on a retail machine is the bare minimum, far less than the machine can have; that if you buy it and then increase the RAM, you invalidate the warranty. So really the cheaper machines are not worth buying. So too, for desktops. Maybe the slump in PC sales is more due to it being too complicated to buy? Sure has been the problem for me. I can't be the only one in this position. (I spent all day trying to figure out what retail laptop to buy, could never get all the info I needed online, to make a decision. So, I didn't buy anything.)

Hope this topic helps brainstorming ideas for future articles. If not, then just ignore me. Thank you for your time!

This post has been edited by brainout: 19 September 2012 - 01:23 PM

[LincolnSpector]

brainout, on 19 September 2012 - 01:12 PM, said:

Since I want Mr. Spector to make LOTS of money writing articles

Yeah, I wish!

About your ideas: They seem good, and it wouldn't surprise me if someone at PC World is working on them. But I don't really do much in the way of buying hardware articles. There are other PC Worlders who are better at that sort of thing than I am.

Lincoln

[smax013]

brainout, on 19 September 2012 - 01:12 PM, said:

Example: often the RAM on a retail machine is the bare minimum, far less than the machine can have; that if you buy it and then increase the RAM, you invalidate the warranty.

First, your selection of the font size made reading your post REALLY difficult...way too small.

As to the above, not sure what you are talking about. I have yet to encounter a computer where upgrading the RAM will void the warranty (except for possibly my MacBook Air and the new MacBook Pro Retina...but then since the RAM in a MacBook Air is soldered to the motherboard, it is nominally not upgradable at all). RAM on every computer (with the exception of the MBA) is a user upgradable item, even on Macs (and Apple likes to make their hardware non-user upgradable).

FWIW, most computers (including laptops) have user upgradable hard drives (i.e. won't void the warranty).

This post has been edited by smax013: 20 September 2012 - 04:40 PM

[brainout]

smax013, on 20 September 2012 - 04:39 PM, said:

brainout, on 19 September 2012 - 01:12 PM, said:

Example: often the RAM on a retail machine is the bare minimum, far less than the machine can have; that if you buy it and then increase the RAM, you invalidate the warranty.

First, your selection of the font size made reading your post REALLY difficult...way too small.

As to the above, not sure what you are talking about. I have yet to encounter a computer where upgrading the RAM will void the warranty (except for possibly my MacBook Air and the new MacBook Pro Retina...but then since the RAM in a MacBook Air is soldered to the motherboard, it is nominally not upgradable at all). RAM on every computer (with the exception of the MBA) is a user upgradable item, even on Macs (and Apple likes to make their hardware non-user upgradable).

FWIW, most computers (including laptops) have user upgradable hard drives (i.e. won't void the warranty).

I'm sorry about the font size. It didn't look too small on my machine. Wish I could edit it now. I apologize. As for voiding the warranty, I was told that by Acer in live chat with them yesterday, when asking if I could get them to sell me various models, but maxed out with the RAMM, since adding RAM to a netbook or laptop afterwards, is harder to do. They told me they wouldn't customize it, and that if I did so it would void the warranty. So, that influenced what Acer I might buy, and might influence me not to get Acer at all, much as I've enjoyed its performance over the last four years.

I didn't ask Dell about this same problem; am thinking of getting its 6530, which is also compatible with Linux. I tried surfing the ASUS site, but it was so problemmatic (almost as bad as Acer's site) that I gave up.

This post has been edited by brainout: 20 September 2012 - 07:22 PM

[smax013]

brainout, on 20 September 2012 - 07:22 PM, said:

I'm sorry about the font size. It didn't look too small on my machine. Wish I could edit it now. I apologize. As for voiding the warranty, I was told that by Acer in live chat with them yesterday, when asking if I could get them to sell me various models, but maxed out with the RAMM, since adding RAM to a netbook or laptop afterwards, is harder to do. They told me they wouldn't customize it, and that if I did so it would void the warranty. So, that influenced what Acer I might buy, and might influence me not to get Acer at all, much as I've enjoyed its performance over the last four years.

I didn't ask Dell about this same problem; am thinking of getting its 6530, which is also compatible with Linux. I tried surfing the ASUS site, but it was so problemmatic (almost as bad as Acer's site) that I gave up.

If that is true about Acer, then that would be a reason to no buy one of their computers...but I somewhat suspect that that Acer rep might be mistaken. I know that Dell does not void a warranty if you upgrade your RAM.

Now, I should note that "void warranty" is a relative term. I say this because if you upgrade the RAM on a computer and the RAM that YOU bought and YOU installed causes damage to your machine, then warranty will not cover that...and of course, they won't cover the new RAM under that warranty. But, if it is due to something other than the RAM, then they should cover it. The point is that they are warranting what THEY originally sold you.

I will also mention that Apple is not the only one making computers harder for users to upgrade. Many so-called "ultrabooks" can be just as user upgrade "unfriendly" as some of Apple's recent products. This is at least partly due to how thin and light some of these computers are getting...in order to get stuff crammed into such small spaces, they end up using methods that make it tough for users to upgrade/service their own computers. But, it is still doable many times, although you might void the warranty (for example, you can buy after market SSDs for the MBA to upgrade your storage).

[brainout]

smax013, on 20 September 2012 - 08:10 PM, said:

brainout, on 20 September 2012 - 07:22 PM, said:

I'm sorry about the font size. It didn't look too small on my machine. Wish I could edit it now. I apologize. As for voiding the warranty, I was told that by Acer in live chat with them yesterday, when asking if I could get them to sell me various models, but maxed out with the RAMM, since adding RAM to a netbook or laptop afterwards, is harder to do. They told me they wouldn't customize it, and that if I did so it would void the warranty. So, that influenced what Acer I might buy, and might influence me not to get Acer at all, much as I've enjoyed its performance over the last four years.

I didn't ask Dell about this same problem; am thinking of getting its 6530, which is also compatible with Linux. I tried surfing the ASUS site, but it was so problemmatic (almost as bad as Acer's site) that I gave up.

If that is true about Acer, then that would be a reason to no buy one of their computers...but I somewhat suspect that that Acer rep might be mistaken. I know that Dell does not void a warranty if you upgrade your RAM.

Now, I should note that "void warranty" is a relative term. I say this because if you upgrade the RAM on a computer and the RAM that YOU bought and YOU installed causes damage to your machine, then warranty will not cover that...and of course, they won't cover the new RAM under that warranty. But, if it is due to something other than the RAM, then they should cover it. The point is that they are warranting what THEY originally sold you.

I will also mention that Apple is not the only one making computers harder for users to upgrade. Many so-called "ultrabooks" can be just as user upgrade "unfriendly" as some of Apple's recent products. This is at least partly due to how thin and light some of these computers are getting...in order to get stuff crammed into such small spaces, they end up using methods that make it tough for users to upgrade/service their own computers. But, it is still doable many times, although you might void the warranty (for example, you can buy after market SSDs for the MBA to upgrade your storage).

Look, he wasn't mistaken. It's also in the warranty in writing, even on my own Acer's warranty. That's one reason I wanted THEM to do it.

Understood, about the rest of your post. FYI, I'm not pro- or con- Apple, though right now I think they are making serious mistakes to go suing everyone. I'm just not an Apple fan. They don't offer the applications I need for my business, so I never wanted to use their products.

Again, thank you for your time!

[smax013]

brainout, on 20 September 2012 - 09:00 PM, said:

Look, he wasn't mistaken. It's also in the warranty in writing, even on my own Acer's warranty. That's one reason I wanted THEM to do it.

Understood, about the rest of your post. FYI, I'm not pro- or con- Apple, though right now I think they are making serious mistakes to go suing everyone. I'm just not an Apple fan. They don't offer the applications I need for my business, so I never wanted to use their products.

Again, thank you for your time!

Just to be clear, I was not really suggesting an Apple computer. I only mentioned Apple as the illustrative point about how more computers are becoming "unfriendly" in terms of user upgrades.

Having said that, you mention that Apple doesn't offer the applications that you need for your business. If you are seriously considering Linux, then you may find that getting Linux programs for your business is even tougher than for the Mac OS. And if you can find a Linux program for your needs, then more than likely there is a Mac version of that program. Keep in mind that the current "generation" of the Mac OS (i.e. all Mac OS X versions) trace their ancestry back to UNIX, much like Linux does. Thus, it is typically much easier to make a Mac version of a program if there is a Linux program. Again, I am not suggesting a Mac, more pointing out that if you think finding specific programs for the Mac OS is tough, then you may find it just as tough, if not tougher, to find them for Linux. Windows definitely has the widest variety of programs out there.

As a case in point, I do structural engineering for a living (this computer stuff is more of a hobby, although I do some minor computer support stuff on the side). All my structural engineering applications are Windows only programs. It is VERY tough to find structural engineering applications for the Mac (and I assume Linux, but have never really looked). Thus, the reason why I run Windows XP/7 in a VM on my Macs and also have Windows desktops. For all the other "general" stuff (i.e. word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, etc), there is generally a Mac equivalent. It is the more "specialized" programs that are tougher to find...and that is the same for Linux.

[brainout]

smax013, on 21 September 2012 - 04:47 AM, said:

Just to be clear, I was not really suggesting an Apple computer. I only mentioned Apple as the illustrative point about how more computers are becoming "unfriendly" in terms of user upgrades.

Having said that, you mention that Apple doesn't offer the applications that you need for your business. If you are seriously considering Linux, then you may find that getting Linux programs for your business is even tougher than for the Mac OS. And if you can find a Linux program for your needs, then more than likely there is a Mac version of that program. Keep in mind that the current "generation" of the Mac OS (i.e. all Mac OS X versions) trace their ancestry back to UNIX, much like Linux does. Thus, it is typically much easier to make a Mac version of a program if there is a Linux program. Again, I am not suggesting a Mac, more pointing out that if you think finding specific programs for the Mac OS is tough, then you may find it just as tough, if not tougher, to find them for Linux. Windows definitely has the widest variety of programs out there.

As a case in point, I do structural engineering for a living (this computer stuff is more of a hobby, although I do some minor computer support stuff on the side). All my structural engineering applications are Windows only programs. It is VERY tough to find structural engineering applications for the Mac (and I assume Linux, but have never really looked). Thus, the reason why I run Windows XP/7 in a VM on my Macs and also have Windows desktops. For all the other "general" stuff (i.e. word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, etc), there is generally a Mac equivalent. It is the more "specialized" programs that are tougher to find...and that is the same for Linux.

Yes, and most of the older structural engineering and other programs I've been told about are written in Fortran or COBOL, so are 16-bit. The newer ones are indeed better in a GUI, so that makes sense. DOS emulators will run in Linux, so can run those programs. DOSBOX is cross-platform, whether Win7 or prior, or Linux. So that might keep Win7 in the game for me.

CNC controllers' software is a related topic, and that stuff is either on DOS or XP (since XP can run DOS windows). The proprietors are reluctant to upgrade to Win7, given the many problems, esp. with 64-bit not being able to read 16-bit programs. So then DOSBOX or Tao Computing's DOS emulator are perhaps helpful. Tao, as I wrote in another post, estimates the DOS emulator market at 25-35 million users.

I too need DOS. Wrote my own DOS programs for the business. IBM told me DOS might not run well in XP Mode in Win7; their SmartSuite runs everything I need, because it can read my old DOS 1-2-3 templates and all my old Multimate, Word, WordPerfect files from the 1980's forward. I do actuarial work and accounting for pension plans, so have to always have backwards-compatibility, just like a lawyer or accountant or other financial firm needs to have. Government is still 50% on XP, with no quick change, per a white paper from Dell which I read last week. So they are in the same bind as I am.

See: it's cheaper to the customer if we can use the old stuff that still works well. It's much cheaper and faster to run stuff in DOS than to run it in an ever-changing-interface that requires retooling thousands of employee machines; and at the end, you can do less; and at the end, what you can do, takes longer. Versus my competition, I save my clients about 30% or more on my fees and offer 24/7 phone support to boot; because I don't have to mess with the constantly dysfunctional upgrades. And I'm but a one-person (well, two plus 19 computers) firm. How much bigger the savings, then, for a larger business?

I don't understand why MS is so short-sighted. Point is, Linux does have a DOS portal, so many business applications can be run. The Linux 'ethic' is kinda annoying to put up with, but it is a mainstay in enterprise market already, so I'm sure someone will figure out how to port over applications which still are needed; especially, IBM.

We need 'open' only in the sense of knowing how the program works so we can tailor it. We don't need 'free' as in no charge. IBM specializes in servicing software, and makes its money on that. And we are glad to pay. Wish MS would understand that's the market, instead of banking all on a childish interface and the product of the OS. No, it's the SERVICING of the OS which could make them money, but they won't cater to that. Instead, they base their marketing on the SALE of the OS, and its 'support', which forces them to change the interface to make it look 'new'. So they alienate customers.

This post has been edited by brainout: 21 September 2012 - 09:51 AM