[Tfug] BOFH: You think you know a guy...

Tue Oct 2 01:58:44 MST 2007

Speaking of old macs, there is a youtube of an Apple 2 (1987 computer)
versus an HP laptop with a core 2 duo and all the bells and whistles you
could want. The test was to boot up, open a text document and shut down. The
20 year old computer won:) Obviously, the new one has millions and millions
more lines of code to crunch, but still, Vista takes forever to load.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0cxbstn2IZM
     Sean

On 10/1/07, Jude Nelson <judecn at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Indeed.  I actually have a Mac LC III (Performa 450 designed for the
> classroom) with System 7.5.5, and it *sucks*.  It's nothing short of
> divine intervention that its cooperative multitasking environment
> doesn't wipe the system out every time it boots due to
> trivially-handled but fatal memory addressing errors (not that the OS
> even bothered to use the Motorola 68K's MMU or ringed execution model
> to *trigger* such events :P), and even more of a miracle that the Mac
> population wasn't wiped out in the '90s by hackers and viruses which
> could oh-so-easily exploit such a system.  Heh--prior to OS X, MS was
> actually a small step ahead of Apple in the OS design department for
> actually making use of the x86 MMU, virtual memory, and Protected/Real
> modes (even though they did it mostly in user-space, making errors as
> trivial as segmentation faults terminally fatal in the form of a
> BSOD).  The whole lot of consumer OS's of the 90s were a sad, sad
> joke.
>
> On 10/1/07, Jim March <1.jim.march at gmail.com> wrote:
> > At the time that BOFH piece was written (mid-to-late 1990s) the Mac had,
> > briefly, turned into a steaming pile of doo doo.
> >
> > Does anybody else remember the OS8.x period?  Esp. around 8.5x?  It was
> > -=bad=-, m'kay?  Much less stable than Windows 95/98.  No, I'm not
> kidding -
> > I supported both professionally back then.  Frequent Apple updates would
> > slaughter major apps - like, say, MS-Word.  Ordinary screensavers would
> turn
> > into Chernobyl material.  Bleah.
> >
> > Those were grim days, kids.
> >
> > There's a reason Apple basically scrapped their entire OS direction in
> favor
> > of *nix.  It took guts, esp. the part about abandoning more or less all
> > existing applications.  But by then the developer community was ready to
> > play along because it was just so obviously necessary.
> >
> > NOW, yeah, we might as well call OSX a "Linux distro" of sorts...OK,
> > FreeBSD, whatever.  It's pretty good, NOW.
> >
> > But there was a time when Apple almost died out over OS issues.
> >
> > Jim
> >
> > On 10/1/07, William Stott <WStott at ventanamed.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > Uhm, I own multiple Macs. I missed the rest of this thread, but I
> would
> > > just leave this for thought:
> > >
> > > If your primary purpose is only available in a Windows environment, it
> > > does not make sense to use anything else. It is painful to see a few
> of
> > the
> > > people at my work that ordered a Mac for the 'cool factor' only to put
> > > Parallels / Windows on their Mac and never use the OS X environment.
> > >
> > > On the other hand, if you plan on using a portable array of
> applications
> > > that run in a Mac OS X environment, then why not? Cost?  It's a
> decision
> > you
> > > have to make on your own. Many people that purchase a system only look
> at
> > > what others SAY about operating systems, they rarely find the facts
> out on
> > > their own.
> > >
> > > Example:
> > >
> > > My wife had the need for a computer. Something portable, that could
> play
> > > movies for the kids, handle her photos, email, scheduling, and
> internet
> > > access for research were the requirements. Cost was a concern (because
> it
> > > was coming out of my pocket), and usability was a concern (becuase she
> is
> > a
> > > complete beginner with computers). In the above requirements, there is
> no
> > > reference to anything specific to windows, so the options were open. I
> > chose
> > > a Mac for her. Why? Here's why:
> > >
> > > 1) Macs do have a user friendly environment (and she does not have
> prior
> > > windows experience to transfer so that is not a set back)
> > > 2) It is true that Macs have a great chance to be compatible with the
> > > current (and future) USB devices that my wife has. // This was proven
> > after
> > > we bought it.
> > > 3) The Mac met all of the above requirements without any need for
> extra
> > > software (of course, I installed more, but it was not necessary).
> > > 4) The video display is great, and although they are limited in video
> > > options, they also make the choices easy and their hardware is stable.
> > > 5) Support is a one stop shop...hardware and software are supported at
> the
> > > same place (and we have had to use it). Although I would not call the
> > techs
> > > at the Apple Store 'genius,' they are very helpful once they
> understand
> > that
> > > I am not a beginner.
> > > 7) In the end, we have almost all Macs in the house now (just waiting
> for
> > > a good replacement to Media Center **NOTE: Myth was not an option for
> me
> > > this time***).
> > > 8) So, as a family we have --> iPods, iPhones, and Macs. They are so
> easy
> > > that the kids can use them (without destroying anything), and I can do
> > > anything the a windows / linux user can do or would want to...
> > >
> > > Say what you want about Macs, I do not mind, and I probably would not
> > > defend them. They work for me, in business and home, and for my
> family.
> > > Plus, I have FreeBSD, SUSE, and Windows running, and I am not missing
> > > anything that I can see.
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > >
> > > Will
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: tfug-bounces at tfug.org on behalf of Rich
> > > Sent: Mon 10/1/2007 1:07 PM
> > > To: Tucson Free Unix Group
> > > Subject: Re: [Tfug] BOFH: You think you know a guy...
> > >
> > >
> > > On Oct 1, 2007, at 12:37 pm, christopher floess wrote:
> > >
> > > > Ok, the only problem is that I don't get what's wrong
> > > > with Macs.
> > > >
> > > > I always thought that if I were face with no other choice
> > > > except windows or mac, I would go with mac.
> > > >
> > > > Should I reconsider this?
> > >
> > > Absolutely. After all, you wouldn't want to have to do *nothing* to a
> > > computer to make it work, right? What kind of reputation would we
> > > have among relatives and neighbors if "He does something in
> > > computers" were to mean "He knows where the power switch is"?
> > >
> > > Anyway, fingerpaints aren't all they're cracked up to be. Do you know
> > > how much effort it takes to get that stuff out of a Wacom tablet?
> > >
> > >
> > > Joking aside -- at the University where I used to work, a colleague
> > > found someone using an A3 sized Wacom tablet ($1k+) as a cutting mat.
> > > No, it *wasn't* a Mac lab.
> > >
> > > R.
> > >
> > >
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> > >
> > >
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> > >
> > >
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> >
>
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