Home PC problem

[Alan B'Stard]

I have a home PC with Windows ( i know i know )

not sure what you mean by this.. if you have a PC, windows is your only choice, and as long as it is XP or Windows 7 it's a perfectly good operating system..

Windows is most definately not the only choice, I've been 95% Microsoft free for about 11 years.

 

[gdavies]

for 95% use how many pcs are windows and how many are others dude

 

[shoes]

AH lets not turn this into a microsoft v the world discussion, its a genuine problem and we've had some genuine solutions.

All is good.

 

[Alan B'Stard]

AH lets not turn this into a microsoft v the world discussion

That was certainly not my intention.

It was stated that windows is the only choice when clearly, it is not.

 

[dylanf]

The sad fact is we dont actually need any anti virus software. People are quite safe if they remain knowledgable on what they download and what emails they open.

We tried to run training courses a few years back but no one was willing to pay the £100 per seat fee.

 

[shoes]

Thats cool, I wasn't suggesting that was your intention but as soon as you mention microshaft vs something else the geeks all come to the battlefield lol

 

[dylanf]

Im going to defend Microsoft now.

If it wasnt for Microsoft, we wouldnt all be sitting in front of the computer now. Microsoft made it easy for everybody do use computers. They set standards on how computers should work, everybody used them, and everybody liked them.

They always strive for backwards compatibility. The other companies dont. Apple was the best for this. Along came OSX and nothing previously released would work on it. There response, tough shit.

 

[tek-monkey]

I personally feel its IBM that got us all using PCs. By opening up the architecture they allowed anyone to make PC hardware, leading to faster development and much cheaper prices.

 

[dylanf]

IBM never opened up the architecture. While they did patent all their electronics, the law said at that point in time is was ok to reverse engineer other peoples hardware. So thats what the other companies did.

 

[shoes]

I've got no real issue with MS, never really have, they're stuff works. I maintain a SBS server at work and its lovely to run, pretty much self maintaining, more stable than a mountain goat. Windows 7 is just superb.

Its no Snow Leopard though

 

[tek-monkey]

IBM never opened up the architecture. While they did patent all their electronics, the law said at that point in time is was ok to reverse engineer other peoples hardware. So thats what the other companies did.

Was not aware of this, how come nobody else made Apples then?

 

[dylanf]

Because IBM was more popular than Apple. IBM was already in the business market place.

They were winning and the other companies jumped on the band wagon. Apple and IBM have a long history.

http://bindapple.com/ibm-vs-apple/

 

[shoes]

lol i wonder how much he creamed from IBM, frankly I would have said $50m a year or sod off

 

[Wookie]

AIUI, what happened with Apple vs IBM is that Apple had a good foothold with either the Apple II or the Mac in the home market, while IBM had the business market sewn up. IBM wanted to enter the home market, but realised that by the time they'd designed something from the ground up, Apple would be well on the way to having an unassailable share of the market. So IBM had to get something to market quickly, which meant buying components from other manufacturers (Intel chips and whatnot) and only writing their own code for a small part of it. One session in the cleanroom later and someone (Compaq, IIRC) had a 100% compatible clone. A good supply of the off-the-shelf components and it's "Hallo clone!"
This means, of course, that all the hardware manufacturers designed for the PC, because it was relatively open. Apple wouldn't let anybody build a clone or compatible for *years* - I remember them suing a manufacturer in the late 90s for it. Consequently, the PC compatible market became flooded with product, leading to growth. Microsoft did a deal with IBM to get MSDOS on the IBM PCs (but that's another story ) and also made it available to the clone market. Hence, MS get a big foothold in the home OS market. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're the "best". The only MS software I run is Windows, and that's only because I'm too lazy to learn to work Linux. Open source software rocks, however.

Norton: I remember when I was a fledgling geek that you weren't worthy of the name unless you had Norton Utilities on floppy disk. IMO Norton's problems started c1995 when they sold to Symantec, who took Peter Norton off the box and replaced him with J Random Model. What was worse, however, was what they replaced the contents of the box with...

If it wasnt for Microsoft, we wouldnt all be sitting in front of the computer now. Microsoft made it easy for everybody do use computers. They set standards on how computers should work, everybody used them, and everybody liked them.

Wasn't the Windows Icons Mice Pointers interaction invented by Xerox at PARC?

 

[db]

I have a home PC with Windows ( i know i know )

not sure what you mean by this.. if you have a PC, windows is your only choice, and as long as it is XP or Windows 7 it's a perfectly good operating system..

Windows is most definately not the only choice, I've been 95% Microsoft free for about 11 years.

i knew someone was bound to post this.. you know what i mean - there is absolutely no point bringing up alternatives in a thread like this, it will only serve to confuse john marwood.. for the vast majority of users, certainly all your "average joes" like mr. marwood, people just want a PC that works in the way they are familiar with - i.e. the way their PC works in the office, at the library, round their friend's house, etc. this obviously means windows..

i was trying to make this as easy as possible to follow to help the OP.. obviously, there is not a single person in the "computer & tech chat" who isn't aware of linux and all the popular distros, so i assumed everyone would get what i meant and not feel the need to complicate matters in the pursuit of a solution..

anyway, everyone knows linux is for communists and hippies

AH lets not turn this into a microsoft v the world discussion, its a genuine problem and we've had some genuine solutions.

thanks shoes, that's exactly what i was hoping to achieve..

 

[John Marwood]

I have been confused since Play School could'nt decide which of their windows to go through

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAPjRWGhLeM