Baculus Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I wouldn't recommend Vista to anyone at this point. Where I work, we still request Dell to install XP onto new workstations (even though they still send a Vista CD with the workstation) because we just don't want to deal with the issues and the learning curse that users require to use the new operating system. Honestly, XP is solid enough at this point, and with the latest service pack three, it runs well enough for most purposes. And while Linux is great and all, I wouldn't recommend trying to install it onto the laptop unless you ensured 1) all of the hardware is compatible, and 2) you had your XP installation CD around. My advice is still the same: For what you want to do, you just need a basic Windows-based laptop. They are usually cost effective and they run well enough for your purposes. And you wouldn't need an extra learning curve or have to take the extra step of installing another operating system. Also, personally, I would still advise to see if you can XP pre-installed on the laptop, and then install service pack three onto the computer. (Though, of course, if the computer comes pre-loaded with Vista, then you will have to make do.) This isn't nothing against Macs, of course, or Linux, either, but, for the OP, I think KISS is probably a good idea. And, with that in mind and IMO, a moderately priced, XP-based laptop (in the $500 range) is probably best. It will serve his objectives and work well enough for his needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baculus Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I have thought about moving to a Mac, but the only thing stopping me is MS Office. I know they make MS office for the mac, but I am curious if it is truly compatible.I have been sold a bill of goods by Mac fans before on s/w like OpenOffice.org. It's 100% compatible they say. Meanwhile when I use it I find it's pretty worthless for what I do. I do a lot of Government contracting and exchange a lot of word and excel documents with partners. OpenOffice really messed up some documents I worked on. (These aren't simple word docs but docs with lots of formatting, etc). I am concerned there are minor glitches in MS Office for apple. These glitches for me make the Apple a non starter. Now for web surfing, I am all for anything that stops the spyware! I find that OpenOffice can actually FIX formatting issues from MS Office, especially if the file or its formatting is supposedly corrupt. The main thing is to make sure the files, for Word, are saved as a .doc and not an .odt. Other then that, I really haven't seen any formatting issues, in Word or Excel, from the OpenOffice equivalent programs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baculus Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Well I went on and ordered the Macbook 2.4 Ghz model with the 13 inch screen white with 160gb harddrive and 2gb ram. Not too bad I paid 1100 for it with the teacher discount. I will receive it in the next couple of days and give it a try. Just mainly felt like I wanted to try something different and the reviews were great so I am gonna give it a wirl and see if I like it. Thanks for the advice everyone! Ah, you already made the purchase! Well, I guess this is then all moot. Heh. Congrats on the new computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubstix Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 $2000 EXTRA? Are you on crack?MacBook Pro 17" 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo $2,799.00 Dell XPS M1730 17" Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 (2.5GHz/800Mhz FSB/6MB cache) $3,538 PC World - The Most Notable Notebooks of 2007 Fastest: Apple MacBook Pro The fastest Windows Vista notebook we've tested this year (through 10/25/07) is a Mac. Try that again: The fastest Windows Vista notebook we've tested this year--or for that matter, ever--is a Mac. Not a Dell, not a Toshiba, not even an Alienware. The $2419 (plus the price of a copy of Windows Vista, of course) MacBook Pro's PC WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 88 beats Gateway's E-265M by a single point, but the MacBook's score is far more impressive simply because Apple couldn't care less whether you run Windows. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136649-page,3-c,notebooks/article.html :laugh: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220284 Say something now? Thats right...4GB of Memory as opposed to apples 2GB and $400 EXTRA to add an additional 2GB to Apple. Pathetic really. Apples Nvidia 8600 as opposed to this laptops 8700. A 250GB hard drive as opposed to this laptops 320GB. Stop reading PCWorld...they use nothing but RETAIL prices....NOT REAL PRICES. This laptop is $2400 as opposed to apples $3199 with 4GB of RAM in it. Please......i'm not the one on crack either. I'm sure I can find manufacturers with far less pricing on this same spec laptop but it was to easy to find one in the matter of minutes. Can you explain to me how an apple benchmark is faster when they do INDEED use exactly the same parts that are in any laptop you buy off the shelves. PowerPC is one thing, BUT THEY DONT USE IT. They use an intel processor with memory off the jo shmo shelves that you can buy for a PC. Take out that hard drive and read the manufacturer label on it. EXACTLY THE SAME PARTS AS IN A PC. You don't get it because you yourself has an apple. YOUR PAYING FOR THE NAME. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubstix Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Don't bring windows vista in on this. Part of the reason people are having problems with Vista is because of user error. It's not the friendliest OS. Don't bring in spyware and virus' because 95% of the world uses MICROSOFT....NOT APPLE. Oh lets introduce the new USB Thumbdrive virus to Apple. http://gizmodo.com/363490/plug+n+play-usb-virus-makes-macbooks-fall-to-pieces :applause: Keep talking about how good apple is. When they scam 35% of the market into buying their name..........trust me.....you will start seeing virus' and spyware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUSkinsFan Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Keep talking about how good apple is. When they scam 35% of the market into buying their name..........trust me.....you will start seeing virus' and spyware.I was talking to someone about viruses, spyware etc. and why Apple doesn't have one. Something he said was that why wouldn't ONE virus writer somewhere in the world write a virus just to prove that Apple's aren't invincible. The last time someone wrote a virus, the user actually had to go to the person's website to download it, install it, then restart the computer. Then the virus didn't even work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackest Eyes Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Say something now? Thats right...4GB of Memory as opposed to apples 2GB and $400 EXTRA to add an additional 2GB to Apple. Pathetic really. Apples Nvidia 8600 as opposed to this laptops 8700. A 250GB hard drive as opposed to this laptops 320GB. Stop reading PCWorld...they use nothing but RETAIL prices....NOT REAL PRICES. This laptop is $2400 as opposed to apples $3199 with 4GB of RAM in it. Please......i'm not the one on crack either. I'm sure I can find manufacturers with far less pricing on this same spec laptop but it was to easy to find one in the matter of minutes. Can you explain to me how an apple benchmark is faster when they do INDEED use exactly the same parts that are in any laptop you buy off the shelves. PowerPC is one thing, BUT THEY DONT USE IT. They use an intel processor with memory off the jo shmo shelves that you can buy for a PC. Take out that hard drive and read the manufacturer label on it. EXACTLY THE SAME PARTS AS IN A PC. You don't get it because you yourself has an apple. YOUR PAYING FOR THE NAME. Well, most people know to buy 3rd party RAM for Apples becuase they make a killing on their RAM prices. So with that said, buy it from Crucial and save some cash. You may be paying for Apple's name, yes. But I would rather pay for that than pay for a computer without a name. Isn't a name supposed to mean something? Apple is quality HARDWARE and SOFTWARE. I have a Powerbook G4 and it beats my gf's Dell in every aspect of computing and its 1 year older than hers. When you buy a computer, you get what you pay for. With a mac you get a ton of USEFUL pre-installed software. No Free Trials of AOL for me! That crap is annoying on PC's. But the software on macs is MADE to work with the hardware, hence why the benchmarks are faster with the "same" parts. And on the topic of MS Office for Mac. The .docx were the problem files for office for mac. Well, there is a converter that you can download to fix the files and it is even free. With the new office, I don't think there is an issue with any cross platform files. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackest Eyes Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Don't bring windows vista in on this. Part of the reason people are having problems with Vista is because of user error. It's not the friendliest OS. Don't bring in spyware and virus' because 95% of the world uses MICROSOFT....NOT APPLE. Oh lets introduce the new USB Thumbdrive virus to Apple.http://gizmodo.com/363490/plug+n+play-usb-virus-makes-macbooks-fall-to-pieces :applause: Keep talking about how good apple is. When they scam 35% of the market into buying their name..........trust me.....you will start seeing virus' and spyware. No one said macs WONT get viruses. So far they have not gotten viruses. Probably one day they will be more prevalent. But today they aren't so we don't have to worry about them. But by the same token, Windows users would not have to worry about viruses if they did not do stupid things with their computers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mardi gras skin Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Keep talking about how good apple is. When they scam 35% of the market into buying their name..........trust me.....you will start seeing virus' and spyware. Maybe that will happen one day. But for the last 5 years, I haven't had to worry about spyware or viruses. Here's to another 5 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUSkinsFan Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Maybe that will happen one day. But for the last 5 years, I haven't had to worry about spyware or viruses. Here's to another 5 years. amen brother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Williams Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 But by the same token, Windows users would not have to worry about viruses if they did not do stupid things with their computers. I'm not trying to argue for the sake of arguing but people get infected all day from Ipdialers and other various methods by simply plugging in your internet line..... You don't even have to surf the net to get infected.....all ya need is an always on connection...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUSkinsFan Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 You don't even have to surf the net to get infected.....all ya need is an always on connection......Yep, I have an aunt that is a computer technician and whenever she is done with her computer, she always unplugs the DSL line from the computer...she doesn't use wireless internet either, whenever I'm there I have to steal internet from her neighbors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubstix Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Well, most people know to buy 3rd party RAM for Apples becuase they make a killing on their RAM prices. So with that said, buy it from Crucial and save some cash.The windows laptop has more space, but the drive is also slower. 5400 rpm as compared to apples 7200. Which one would you rather have? I'd rather have the faster one even if it does have 70 GB less hd space. Get an external HD if you need a ton of space. You may be paying for Apple's name, yes. But I would rather pay for that than pay for a computer without a name. Isn't a name supposed to mean something? Apple is quality HARDWARE and SOFTWARE. I have a Powerbook G4 and it beats my gf's Dell in every aspect of computing and its 1 year older than hers. When you buy a computer, you get what you pay for. With a mac you get a ton of USEFUL pre-installed software. No Free Trials of AOL for me! That crap is annoying on PC's. But the hardware in macs is MADE to work with the software, hence why the benchmarks are faster with the "same" parts. And on the topic of MS Office for Mac. The .docx were the problem files for office for mac. Well, there is a converter that you can download to fix the files and it is even free. With the new office, I don't think there is an issue with any cross platform files. Tell me where you see the apples hard drive listed at 7200RPM? Right on the website as clear as day it says 5400RPM. It's also $50 dollars more for the 7200RPM in which you also lose 50GB (not a factor here like you said though, i'de take speed over space as well). Who says you are paying for a computer without a name? You've never heard of ASUS....one of the most leading brands in PC Motherboards? One of the most known desktop motherboards to be benchmarked with? Come on, seriously if you think an ASUS laptop is the only manufacturer that makes this laptop spec wise, your wrong. Where do you see a laptop in these specs with no name (I see HP, Dell, Toshiba, Sony, Acer, Sony? As for the hardware is made to work with the software, are you kidding me? I'de be pretty damn easy for a PC's hardware to work BETTER with the software if there wasn't several thousand different peices of hardware for a PC. Which is why it amounts to 95% of what people use. Just because you have an apple laptop, doesnt mean the choice you made was right and everyone elses PC is garbage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipwhich Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I find that OpenOffice can actually FIX formatting issues from MS Office, especially if the file or its formatting is supposedly corrupt. The main thing is to make sure the files, for Word, are saved as a .doc and not an .odt. Other then that, I really haven't seen any formatting issues, in Word or Excel, from the OpenOffice equivalent programs. Dunno about fixing anything. I do know with documents I received from my prime contractor, resume templates I had to fill out to submit candidates, open office couldn't properly display the document, and when save it messed it up. I only deal in a .doc world. I tried to not have to buy MS Office. No luck. Same reason I am weary on buying an Apple and going MS Office. Not convinced I might not have some issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baculus Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Dunno about fixing anything.I do know with documents I received from my prime contractor, resume templates I had to fill out to submit candidates, open office couldn't properly display the document, and when save it messed it up. I only deal in a .doc world. I tried to not have to buy MS Office. No luck. Same reason I am weary on buying an Apple and going MS Office. Not convinced I might not have some issues. We use tons of .doc and .xls files and I haven't seen really any issues between users of MS Office and OpenOffice, so I am curious to what was causing your particular problems. Do you use macros? The user has to make sure he or she saves as a MS Office '97 - 2003 .doc when saving in OpenOffice), or this will cause issues in viewing the file in MS Office. That would be first suspicion, since a simple Word document with just text shouldn't have any problems at all in OpenOffice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackest Eyes Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Tell me where you see the apples hard drive listed at 7200RPM? Right on the website as clear as day it says 5400RPM. It's also $50 dollars more for the 7200RPM in which you also lose 50GB (not a factor here like you said though, i'de take speed over space as well). Who says you are paying for a computer without a name? You've never heard of ASUS....one of the most leading brands in PC Motherboards? One of the most known desktop motherboards to be benchmarked with? Come on, seriously if you think an ASUS laptop is the only manufacturer that makes this laptop spec wise, your wrong. Where do you see a laptop in these specs with no name (I see HP, Dell, Toshiba, Sony, Acer, Sony? As for the hardware is made to work with the software, are you kidding me? I'de be pretty damn easy for a PC's hardware to work BETTER with the software if there wasn't several thousand different peices of hardware for a PC. Which is why it amounts to 95% of what people use. Just because you have an apple laptop, doesnt mean the choice you made was right and everyone elses PC is garbage. Erk...thought it was a 7200 rpm drive. My mistake. Anyway, I have heard of ASUS. That is the motherboard I used in the PC that I built about 5 years ago. But my point was that I have never seen an ASUS computer, only boards. But the software is made to work with the hardware. Meant to say that in my original post, will fix it. The fact that the software is made to work well with the hardware is a key factor in why the test results were what they were. And I never once said that just becuase I have an apple laptop means that my choice was right and everyone elses choice was crap. Many companies make great laptops. I just prefer macs for my own reasons (audio editing). And if you read a few pages back, I am pretty sure I said what computer you buy depends on personal uses and preference. So until then have a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipwhich Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 We use tons of .doc and .xls files and I haven't seen really any issues between users of MS Office and OpenOffice, so I am curious to what was causing your particular problems. Do you use macros?The user has to make sure he or she saves as a MS Office '97 - 2003 .doc when saving in OpenOffice), or this will cause issues in viewing the file in MS Office. That would be first suspicion, since a simple Word document with just text shouldn't have any problems at all in OpenOffice. It was a document formatted by a prime contracter who I sub work from for large government contracts. I didn't create the document, or have the ability to adjust the document. It was in a required format, I had to fill it out in that format, and resubmit to the prime. It couldn't handle what they had done. It was a document with lots of formatting, a resume template so to speak. It was just a standard document it had lots of tables/borders and sections to work in. Open Office just couldn't display it, the tables were off center and looked totally different than in word. We had the same issues with some .xls files. Kind of disappointing, since I would have loved to go open source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Williams Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Yep, I have an aunt that is a computer technician and whenever she is done with her computer, she always unplugs the DSL line from the computer...she doesn't use wireless internet either, whenever I'm there I have to steal internet from her neighbors. only 21% of people secure their wireless.... I doubt even 1% unplug after internet use is off..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUSkinsFan Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 only 21% of people secure their wireless....I doubt even 1% unplug after internet use is off..... Mine is secured. And I never have to unplug my computer because I never use a hard-line. Every computer in my house is on wireless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enter Apotheosis Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Mine is secured. And I never have to unplug my computer because I never use a hard-line. Every computer in my house is on wireless Secured with what? Any idiot can go on Google and figure out how to break WEP and WPA encryption. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Williams Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Secured with what? Any idiot can go on Google and figure out how to break WEP and WPA encryption. WEP takes about 8 minutes tops to break :laugh: ....wpa ftw!!!!11 Topping it all off, if your connection is an auto-connect ( 99.9% of home users are ) than being wireless is the same as wired..... You guy's need wKB28a security.....It's the newest thing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 I use MAC addresses for security on my wireless network. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackest Eyes Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 I use MAC addresses for security on my wireless network. That is what my father does at his house as well. Seems to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sly Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 And I never once said that just becuase I have an apple laptop means that my choice was right and everyone elses choice was crap. That's usually my reasoning. Apple is just a sweet company. They keep topping themselves. I guess I'm a Mac snob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUSkinsFan Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 So what is the best way to secure my wireless connection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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