98SE why must you hate me so fucking much?

[Ghastly]

Those new Mac Minis seem kind of neat, but unfortunately it would mean getting all new hardware.

[Surprise Chibi Inside!]

Those new Mac Minis seem kind of neat, but unfortunately it would mean getting all new hardware.

I understand how much that royally sucks. Meh...updates are necessary when talking about computers and all the little goodies that come inside them. Think about it this way...we'd never have been able to download decent porn if broadband wasn't invented. The '95 Packard Bell my parents are using sounds like a dying Yeti...*GRRRRRR* even on cable. *le sigh* Oh well, thems the breaks of technology. Curse you Bill Gates...curse you in your skinny rich ass.

[Ghastly]

Well I'd at least be able to keep my new printer since it is USB.

I'd have to buy a new audio interface (digital/analogue audio I/O).
I'd have to buy a new MIDI interface.
I'd have to buy a new scanner.
I'd have to buy a new keyboard.
I'd have to buy a new tablet.
I'd have to buy a new analogue video capture/TV card.

On top of all that I'd have to pay almost $800 CND for the Mac Mini.

For only $500 CND I could probably get a computer that's faster than the Mac (with more memory and bigger hard drive too) and the only thing I'd have to replace might possibly be the scanner and the analogue video capture card because I don't know if they're XP compatable.

Although I think the next computer I buy is going to be a laptop. Any laptop really. Even a P-166 running 98SE. As long as it has a USB port that's all I need. All I want it for is to have a portable system for text processing so I can head out of the house, away from distractions, and get to work on writing the GGC graphic novels as well as the scripts for the new comic series I'd like to start. There used to be a place near my house that sold cheap used laptops (like a P-II-233 for $100) but they're not around anymore and everywhere else in town seems to want rediculously high prices for shitty laptops.

Maybe what I'll get is one of those PDAs that have keyboard attachments. All I need is to be able to write ASCII text files. Nothing fancy.

I have an old Toshiba 286 laptop. I'd use it but it doesn't run off batteries (old Gas Plasma display circa 1987). Not quite as portable as I'd like since I'd still need an outlet wherever I go.

[Ghastly]

Speaking of which, anyone have any recommendations for a good yet inexpensive PDA that has a keyboard for text processing?

[WhatMeWorry?]

ME sucks balls In my not so humble 98 se is more stable most of the time

Windows ME was horrible. My sister had that on her computer for two years before I finally convinced her to upgrade to XP.

My first comp has 98SE, which I liked, except it would freeze occasionally.

I have found that in the long run, under fairly consistent internet use but infrequent hardware/software modifications/installs/uninstalls, ME is actually the more stable.
The entire Win9x line, when put under consistant, regular use, has a half-life stability point, after which it just about needs to be reformatted/reinstalled. For Win98, in my experience, this is about every 6-8 months, maybe a full year before it becomes too unstable and resorts to crashing nearly daily. Win98se is a little better, able to push the envelope to a full year, maybe a year and a half, so long as it gets a reboot every day or 3. WinME, I have been able to get just over 2 years out of a clean install (it starts to get a bit wonky after a year, so you have to keep an eye on it - my parents have had it for 4 years, I did a reinstall on that once since I originally gave it to them. We got my dad an iMac this year so I wouldn't have to do it again.), and reboot intervals stretch to a week or more at times if usage isn't exceptionally heavy.
I have yet to test out WinXP on older hardware (currently running it on a newer homebuilt PVR computer and my Oqo handtop), though I am considering convering my main internet desktop into a WinXP fileserver, provided I can get the Soundblaster Platinum and tv-tuner video card to work properly in it. Else I may have to scavenge and rebuild another system from somewhere for filestorage (hoping to do a Raid 5 SATA setup, just undecided on the total amount of space needed at this time).

WinMe made my record of instability when it crashed within four hours of its first install on a brand new computer. That same computer has never crashed since on WinXP.

[WhatMeWorry?]

"The box said 'Requires Windows 98 or better", so I installed Linux"

Good call!

[Surprise Chibi Inside!]

"The box said 'Requires Windows 98 or better", so I installed Linux"

Good call!

...*rips that little penguin's head off* DIIIIIE!

[RantinAn]

I know you have to be into S&M if you are willing to put yourself through this!

Please, I beg of you. I'm on hands and knees. Pleaseeeeeee Just try it out(A mac).

Because i'm the DOMME not the subbie.

I can make any flavour of microsoft OS from dos 3.1 to XP sp 2 whine and beg like my little bitch. I am conversent in Solaris, Debian, Red hat and OSF (all flavours of unix, 100 geek points to someone who knows what system OSF runs on)


The absolute worst experience I have EVER EVER had with a computer was with a baulky macintosh power pc 5200 running mac os 8.3. That thing eventualy not only drove me insane, it also drove 3 different mac specialsts insane. This is considering I was able to make my LC III with os 7 my little bitch. Yes I've been a mac user. I switched.

Finaly, As I keep having to tell mac lovers, $500 us for a mini mac is not a bargin. Not when for the same $500 us I could have a new wootier AMD based PC or upgrade my current one again to something obscenely powerful. Not when i live in a place where the tempreture regularly climbs over 45 degreees centigrade. Compressing a G4 processor and a Raedon 9200, neither of which aproach cool chips, into that sort of space and putting it in the australian summer is a recipie for smelling the magic smoke associated with computer components burning themselves out. In fact, the current I mac has a similar sort of problem in Aus. And I dont know ANYONE willing to use a G5 all in wonder out of an airconditioned environment in the summer.

So tell me again why a mac would be tempting? cause it uses OS X? If I want to run OS X I can run FREE bsd with some nice skins. Note the emphasis on FREE. If I want to play games that dont royaly suck i need a windows box. You can only replay marathon so often before it begins to wear on you. Graphically, Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro and Quark work at least as well on my old shitty celeron based spare PC as they did on my old LC III which is about 100% better than they ran on the "upgraded" power pc. Oh if i was to put my XP2000 aginst a minimac G4, the minimac would probalby be better. But the difference in price is obscene.
I could throw together a duplicate of my current system for well under $500 australian. That's a saving of at LEAST $150.

I've tried macs. They suck ass. Give me one good reason that I cannot refute to switch.
Remember you are talking to someone who isint afraid to use unix and sourceforge.net to find free equivelents to expensive software, so any software based reasons you throw up will be automaticaly rejected.
I also am completly familiar with the hardware differences between the two. That's not a reason except in Steve Jobs ferbile immagination.

That said, try me. I dare ya.


Sorry but pleading "join us" mac users realy piss me off. I started on an apple II+ then i went to a colour IIe. then i went to a IBM PC XT, then an amd 486. Then to an LCIII then to the 5200. Then to an intel celeron based win 98 job, then back to AMD for my current box. Of them all, I have gotten the best performance and longest life spans out of the AMD's. Every single one of my apples is a paperweight.

As for pda's ghastly get a 2nd hand palm III. Thye have decent text parsing capabilities, a reasonable word processor and a nifty fold out keyboard is an easily obtained accessorey. The backlit screen makes it a good e book reader too. Avoid the sony ones with intergrated keyboard, they are horrible gimicky. With my meaty fingers, i need to use the damn stylus to type. And I prefer the palms to the casios, palm os is a lot nicer and has more free software than windows CE. In fact any palm should have a compatable fold out keyboard acessory, it's just that palm III's and IV's are usualy obtainable quite cheaply, the III espicaly so since it is black n white.

[Squidflakes]

The good lady Straps will now kindly let us know what OS the Machintosh runs these days.

[Tellner]

"The box said 'Requires Windows 98 or better", so I installed Linux"

Good call!

...*rips that little penguin's head off* DIIIIIE!

OK, if you don't like the penguin, try the daemon. With any luck he's Tentaclax's first cousin.

[Tha_Pig]

I've heard tell that Macs are awesome for graphics.

That is true...

...If you somehow got stuck around 1995.

[RantinAn]

The good lady Straps will now kindly let us know what OS the Machintosh runs these days.

OS X jaguar. AKA Free BSD with a pritty pritty face and #$%^& stupid mac securities.

[Surprise Chibi Inside!]

The good lady Straps will now kindly let us know what OS the Machintosh runs these days.

OS X jaguar. AKA Free BSD with a pritty pritty face and #$%^& stupid mac securities.

By that you mean the overall security on the computer? I heard that Mac's don't really get viruses since those are all Windows based. Was I misinformed?

[RantinAn]

yes i meen the mac os security which sometimes arbatiraly locks individual files and file types as being "to important" to share, while opening its self to all sorts of mischief in the name of "music sharing"

the only reason there are not to many mac viruses is noone cares enough to crash em.

[Surprise Chibi Inside!]

yes i meen the mac os security which sometimes arbatiraly locks individual files and file types as being "to important" to share, while opening its self to all sorts of mischief in the name of "music sharing"

the only reason there are not to many mac viruses is noone cares enough to crash em.

Ugh, I HATE when that happens to files even on Windows. Can you like um...unlock them on a Mac?

[WhatMeWorry?]

The good lady Straps will now kindly let us know what OS the Machintosh runs these days.

OS X jaguar. AKA Free BSD with a pritty pritty face and #$%^& stupid mac securities.

By that you mean the overall security on the computer? I heard that Mac's don't really get viruses since those are all Windows based. Was I misinformed?

For any OS there will be viruses made. The day that hackers make viruses for the mac often enough to make news we will all know that mac has finally arrived. Of course it doesn't help that microbrains gives them so many many holes to exploit...

and I agree with straps on this one, Mac is completely INFURIATING to anyone who actually knows how to use an OS, (i.e. more than merely operate it as told) because they lock so many many silly things. Is like going to someone's home where they don't lock the back door, but even the pencil in the kitchen is chained down, "just in case". Grrrrrrrrr.

[Surprise Chibi Inside!]

OS X jaguar. AKA Free BSD with a pritty pritty face and #$%^& stupid mac securities.

By that you mean the overall security on the computer? I heard that Mac's don't really get viruses since those are all Windows based. Was I misinformed?

For any OS there will be viruses made. The day that hackers make viruses for the mac often enough to make news we will all know that mac has finally arrived. Of course it doesn't help that microbrains gives them so many many holes to exploit...

and I agree with straps on this one, Mac is completely INFURIATING to anyone who actually knows how to use an OS, (i.e. more than merely operate it as told) because they lock so many many silly things. Is like going to someone's home where they don't lock the back door, but even the pencil in the kitchen is chained down, "just in case". Grrrrrrrrr.

Well, they chain down the pens in banks and post offices...so I guess someone's got a fetish.

[WhatMeWorry?]

By that you mean the overall security on the computer? I heard that Mac's don't really get viruses since those are all Windows based. Was I misinformed?

For any OS there will be viruses made. The day that hackers make viruses for the mac often enough to make news we will all know that mac has finally arrived. Of course it doesn't help that microbrains gives them so many many holes to exploit...

and I agree with straps on this one, Mac is completely INFURIATING to anyone who actually knows how to use an OS, (i.e. more than merely operate it as told) because they lock so many many silly things. Is like going to someone's home where they don't lock the back door, but even the pencil in the kitchen is chained down, "just in case". Grrrrrrrrr.

Well, they chain down the pens in banks and post offices...so I guess someone's got a fetish.

Well I will be the first to admit that if you are going use writing implements as sexual devices, having a "fishing line" attached is simply wise thinking...

[Captain Tylor]

I'm a bit of a mac head myself, but I have to admit it's been a love/hate relationship.

I also have had windows boxes since 98, and tried a few linux installs.

My windows box boots into 98se and 2000. I had XP, but this setup seems more stable. 98 is just for some old games I have, so it doesn't get re-installed very often. 98se/ME installs seem to vary by machine. 2000/XP less so, but if you don't have a lot of resources to throw at it, 2000 is much more frugal.

I'd probably keep the old computer around myself, with the old hardware on it as needed, and minimal software. I have several old computers around with "special" hardware in them.

This all being said, especially running OSX, once you set up a mac 95% of the time, they just keep going. Sometimes you hit a flaky sonabitch. I know I have. But I keep my Macs on for weeks at a time, switching users, installing, uninstalling, etc. Things that bother all but the most well-behaved windows installs.

Linux - well, I've used it in labs very well, but it always seems to go wonky on my home computers. If it installs right, it works. Well. But installing new programs is a new lesson in geekdom.

I miss BeOS.

I think a lot more people could benefit from going Mac. For the majority, it doesn't matter, as long as it's setup right, and has proper protection installed. (Especially a good linux setup, by a nice guru; email/web/word processor crowd.) Gamers gotta have windows. XP. Big-ass video card. Lotsa Gigs and Hertzes and K's.

Ok, I miss my IIgs too. Best damn machine I ever used. Maybe I'd feel differently if I had an Amiga.

Hey, you gotta go with what you like, or what you dislike least.

Anyway, hardware upgrades to USB will happen sooner or later, and there are some nice adapters for serial out there. Talk to a Mac guru somewhere, get an idea, borrow a laptop for a few days. While you're at it try a new XP box.

See about Linux on the old box if you can. Great for squeezing life out of an old system I'm told, just needs RAM.

Aaw, hell, I bet I didn't help at all. 'Tis ok. I like to hear myself talk.

[Jackalope]

We just bit the bullet and upgraded everything here. I have a new G5 iMac, a 9"x12" Intuos3 graphics tablet and an Epson RX500 photo printer/scanner/copier. And the Griffin iMic USB audio interface and their XLR-to-minijack microphone cable. So I'm set to do both artwork and recording. I already have three good microphones, so the real snag was waiting for the damn adapter cable to show up in the mail.

Terminal is your friend if you're running MacOSX. That stupid locked file you can't remove? "sudo rm -rf" will end that problem. Yes, it's annoying but not nearly as annoying as the stupid Blue Screen of Death. And I've yet to crash this system (hey, crashing systems used to be my job, I'm good at it).

Anyway, I just finally got Photoshop and Illustrator installed on this machine last night and my big LaCie harddrive reformatted and partitioned to use as backups and scratchdisk. And since I was being smart I checked LaCie's website and updated the firewire bridge firmware. We'll see how long my spurt of being responsible lasts...

The amusing part of last week was banging on the old G3 so that my husband can use it to do technical drawing because both his windows machine and the Suns are suckola for that. I had to upgrade the G3's firmware before I could transfer files from one machine to the other (firewire problems). And it also fixed a display problem along the way, which was a bonus. Taking the USB hub and all the extra devices off that machine made it stop crashing every 5 minutes, which explains a few things. And reminds me why I had orignally decided that USB really stands for "U Suckhole Bastards." It still runs slower than snot, but at least it runs reliably now.

And I love being able to just plug a microphone into the iMic and start recording. This rocks. If I were using a MIDI driver, I wouldn't even need the iMic, I could just plug it into the line in. The only thing the iMic does is boost the signal from my low impedence mics up to line level.