> There REALLY are those of us who want....."different".......as tough as it > can be, I LIKE Linux over Windows.
Mac vs. PC is an old and tired discussion, resurrected every time somebody juices the hardware another notch. The Mac zealots (I used to be one) are the reason the prices of Apple products remain so high. If the collective Mac world simply looked at the G5s, sighed and said, "That's nice, Steve" -- instead of going ga-ga over them, they'd cost a thousand bucks less. But people don't seem to connect the dots on this. As long as we're willing to accept Apple's go-for-the-throat pricing -- and reward them for it -- we'll never see more reasonable costs on Mac boxes. In the current world Mac is clearly "different", along with Sony on the PC side. They've decided to let design touches drive their brand, and they're betting that by getting a better yield on each unit sold, they'll do better as a company. Volume business is not their thing. They want the high end or, at least, people who are willing to buy at high end prices. Unique design delivers the high end, regardless of whether performance matches the look and feel. Same with cars, houses and lots more. I use both Macs and my wife's PC (900 MHZ bare model). Her XP Pro OS is more stable than my OS 9.1, and I can operate in either environment. I like Macs better and my business is built on them, but PCs can do just about anything Macs can do today -- even with high end graphics apps. Macs are just my preference. That said, I will not buy into the current models as what I have now is sufficient. G4 upgrade cards have allowed me to stay current. Our strategy is to stay away from the leading edge, two to three upgrades behind. We consistently upgrade and make ourselves faster and better, but do so at a fraction of the cost of others who have to own the latest toys. Oh, may the Lord bless those with that kind of money and who just have to spend on stuff like this. Last point: the real news of the week has nothing to do with Macs or PCs, but with a company that is offering a $199 Linux box (without monitor), with a decent graphical interface. A 1-gig processor, 30GB HD and just a basic box, but the interface is a major jump for Linux. This has to give Gates some degree of indigestion as this opens a door he didn't want opened. www.linare.com Linux, made easy to deal with via a reasonably attractive desktop -- less than two hundred bucks -- signals a BIG CHANGE in the low end market. Companies can have 1-gig servers for $200; kids can have machines for school that feature reasonable (and free) alternatives to MS Office, from Open Office and Sun -- for $200. Linux is more stable, that we all know. Now, the day when we don't have to know anything about code is almost here. PC makers are going to have to adjust, and Apple is about to get isolated at the top end. I'll keep a few Macs to run our creative side because we have a lot invested in software as well as the hardware. Compatibility with client files is also an issue. However, if the Linux machines work out (and I have a Linux friend who says they will), maybe I'll start the migration to that platform for the back office stuff. Even if Linare isn't successful, somebody else will come along and make it happen. The door has been opened and it won't close back up. The world is about to change and "disposable" desktop computers are about to be a part of it. H-A-L-L-E-L-U-J-A-H! -- SuperMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | Service & Replacement Parts [EMAIL PROTECTED] | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> SuperMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/supermacs/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/supermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
