New PC.. Which OS? - Page 3

Kerowyn · June 14, 2007, 10:19 AM

Ummm... reading comprehension FTW, I dislike the hardware, have no experience with the software...

enganador · June 14, 2007, 10:36 AM

well you wrote : Once you go opensource, you never go back...

and I responded...and opensource is software =)

well if you dont have any experience with the software how can you have experience with apple hardware? (except for running Linux on it)

Mahoney · June 14, 2007, 10:50 AM

Built a new rig acouple months back and have had 0 problems with vista. I heard all the horror stories, but if you know what your doing, and not planning to use any ancient PC parts you will be fine. Worst case scenario...dual boot Vista & XP.

enganador · June 14, 2007, 02:08 PM

The problem with MS & a lot of different HW is that you have to know a lot of stuff...for instance when you buy a car, do you have to know how to change the engine? Probably not, that's what I like about Apple + mac os x, anyone can use it without any deeper computer knowledge, and that's the way it should be.

As I said, if you like to fiddle around, then it's ok, hell even I did it from Win 3.1 to Win Xp (NT4 was the best MS product ever), but it costed way too much time...

Kerowyn · June 14, 2007, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by enganador

well you wrote : Once you go opensource, you never go back...

and I responded...and opensource is software =)

well if you dont have any experience with the software how can you have experience with apple hardware? (except for running Linux on it)

I don't necessarily have any hardware experience either, but I can read specs and prices. You pay way more for equivalent hardware then you would if you bought for the PC architecture. If you want to overpay, be my guest.

My opensource comment wans't in regards to macs, more to the rest of the thread. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

And so far as macs 'just working', my friend recently got a mac, and tried to rave to me about how easy it was. I was sitting there with her and suddenly the mac just died. Everytime she tried to turn it on it just sat there with a picture of a file folder with a question mark on it. Me, I have plenty of experience fixing PCs, but even I can't figure out how to fix something without a decent error message (I rightly assumed it was a hard disk problem, but what problem?) Long story short after she spent a week on the phone to tech support she ended up having to ship it back. If it were a PC I would have just fixed the problem, or at least have known it needed replaced without spending a week on the horn to Apple.

Regardless, if you are using decent software (read Linux, or as I hear mac OS isn't to shabby) it comes down to performance. You will always get a better ROI with PC hardware if you do a little homework, even if you end up paying the Windows tax. You can save even more buying the parts and putting them together yourself. Really, its not that hard, ask any 12 year old script kiddie

Drikel · June 15, 2007, 02:47 PM

Ok, I have not looked up any of what I'm about to ask at all. I just figure I'd post it to you guys. I like the "conversation" atmosphere that we have here.

With Linux, what programs can I run... obviously it is an OS, so any I can think of I assume. But how does one run...say... Wow, lol.
Is Linux a hard OS to get use to? (I have been playing around with PC's sense DOS 1.8, so command prompts and the like I am use to.. or was.. lol)
Can any of you give an example of how Linux is ran. Or is just easier for me to "go look it up"...

Kerowyn · June 15, 2007, 03:53 PM

With linux most of the time you use linux equivalent programs. For instance, OpenOffice instead of MS Office, Mplayer instead of MS Media Player, etc.

For other programs which there are no linux native binaries (Such as WoW) you need to run it thru either wine or cedega. Wine is free, but in my experience is lacking in the audio department. Cedega is a non-free fork of wine, designed more for games. So far as performance goes, WoW runs better in linux then it ever did for me in windows.

So, while you lose the ability to run many native windows apps, you gain access to a host of other free alternatives. There are some things I simply can't do (WMV with DRM seems to give me problems if they were encoded with more recent versions of WMP) but they tend to be the types of things I'm morally opposed to anyway (Closed standards are the debil)

Linux is also more secure then windows. I've never had a spyware problem (and I don't have any programs like spybot, just don't need one.) I've never had a virus, (Ditto on the virus scanner.) Security flaws are fixed soon after they are discovered, and are discovered more quickly, due to the open source nature of the project. 1000's of public eyes are better then 10's of MS employees.

I don't have a trillion services I don't need running in the background eating performance, and I even gutted my windows to the bare minimum, still had more going on in the background. I don't need to call MS to activate my OS just because I felt like doing something experimental and corrupted my filesystem or something funny. In fact, compared to the frustration that comes from installing windows, and then re-installing all the patches and apps, linux is an absolute breeze.

That said, there is a learning curve involved. I grew up with Unix so for me it's like going home again. For someone who has never seen a bash prompt, it will feel daunting. Still, you need to do a lot of learning to figure out how to get under the hood in windows, it really isn't that much more to learn the linux way instead.

Sithmaster89 · July 21, 2007, 05:24 AM

I say get xp and then buy vista later when all the problems get worked out.

AetherShock · July 21, 2007, 08:38 AM

I work in the IT industry and we have a running joke about Microsoft products; there is no such thing as an official realease of any Microsoft program until service pack 2 comes out. It may be a joke but it is a joke with reason. Also, depending on your graphics card and configuration, Vista is crappy for SLI drivers.

Save yourself some headaches, stay away from Vista for right now. I put it on my machine and after about 6 weeks I went back to XP Pro. There are still a lot of bugs in Vista and it is considered flaky at best. Buy yourself a nice rig that you can upgrade to Vista in the future but load it with XP for right now. Wait at least another year before you go out and buy Vista.

If you go to linux you can run a lot of MS apps via an application called Wine. Excellent setup and highly recommended. Here is some stuff for ya to read:

http://www.winehq.org/

They also list and give resources where you can see what MS-based programs will run via Wine in Linux.

mindtrapper · July 21, 2007, 11:50 AM

For hardcore gaming, i think Windows XP Home (Pro just has many processes using your CPU and hardcore gamers do so much to get a bunch more frames in games it's a shame to lose power on processes you don't use.)

Just for WoW i don't know. I guess everything will work but i've heard Vista is just a hard and cold performance decrease in games.

June 14, 2007, 10:19 AM	#21 (permalink)
Kerowyn Member Character Info Malficia 63 Undead Warlock Scarlet Crusade US RP Guild: Penetration Talent Spec: 41/0/13	Re: New PC.. Which OS? Ummm... reading comprehension FTW, I dislike the hardware, have no experience with the software...

June 14, 2007, 10:36 AM	#22 (permalink)
enganador Lurker Character Info Engandor 70 Undead Warlock Demon Soul US PvP Guild: Bounty Hunters Talent Spec: 6/44/11	Re: New PC.. Which OS? well you wrote : Once you go opensource, you never go back... and I responded...and opensource is software =) well if you dont have any experience with the software how can you have experience with apple hardware? (except for running Linux on it)

June 14, 2007, 10:50 AM	#23 (permalink)
Mahoney Registered Character Info Mahoney 60 Undead Warlock Daggerspine US PvP	Re: New PC.. Which OS? Built a new rig acouple months back and have had 0 problems with vista. I heard all the horror stories, but if you know what your doing, and not planning to use any ancient PC parts you will be fine. Worst case scenario...dual boot Vista & XP.

June 14, 2007, 02:08 PM	#24 (permalink)
enganador Lurker Character Info Engandor 70 Undead Warlock Demon Soul US PvP Guild: Bounty Hunters Talent Spec: 6/44/11	Re: New PC.. Which OS? The problem with MS & a lot of different HW is that you have to know a lot of stuff...for instance when you buy a car, do you have to know how to change the engine? Probably not, that's what I like about Apple + mac os x, anyone can use it without any deeper computer knowledge, and that's the way it should be. As I said, if you like to fiddle around, then it's ok, hell even I did it from Win 3.1 to Win Xp (NT4 was the best MS product ever), but it costed way too much time...

June 15, 2007, 02:47 PM	#26 (permalink)
Drikel Lurker Character Info Drios 70 Human Warlock Aman'Thul Oceania PvE Guild: Chariots of Fire Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 27/34/0	Re: New PC.. Which OS? Ok, I have not looked up any of what I'm about to ask at all. I just figure I'd post it to you guys. I like the "conversation" atmosphere that we have here. With Linux, what programs can I run... obviously it is an OS, so any I can think of I assume. But how does one run...say... Wow, lol. Is Linux a hard OS to get use to? (I have been playing around with PC's sense DOS 1.8, so command prompts and the like I am use to.. or was.. lol) Can any of you give an example of how Linux is ran. Or is just easier for me to "go look it up"...

June 15, 2007, 03:53 PM	#27 (permalink)
Kerowyn Member Character Info Malficia 63 Undead Warlock Scarlet Crusade US RP Guild: Penetration Talent Spec: 41/0/13	Re: New PC.. Which OS? With linux most of the time you use linux equivalent programs. For instance, OpenOffice instead of MS Office, Mplayer instead of MS Media Player, etc. For other programs which there are no linux native binaries (Such as WoW) you need to run it thru either wine or cedega. Wine is free, but in my experience is lacking in the audio department. Cedega is a non-free fork of wine, designed more for games. So far as performance goes, WoW runs better in linux then it ever did for me in windows. So, while you lose the ability to run many native windows apps, you gain access to a host of other free alternatives. There are some things I simply can't do (WMV with DRM seems to give me problems if they were encoded with more recent versions of WMP) but they tend to be the types of things I'm morally opposed to anyway (Closed standards are the debil) Linux is also more secure then windows. I've never had a spyware problem (and I don't have any programs like spybot, just don't need one.) I've never had a virus, (Ditto on the virus scanner.) Security flaws are fixed soon after they are discovered, and are discovered more quickly, due to the open source nature of the project. 1000's of public eyes are better then 10's of MS employees. I don't have a trillion services I don't need running in the background eating performance, and I even gutted my windows to the bare minimum, still had more going on in the background. I don't need to call MS to activate my OS just because I felt like doing something experimental and corrupted my filesystem or something funny. In fact, compared to the frustration that comes from installing windows, and then re-installing all the patches and apps, linux is an absolute breeze. That said, there is a learning curve involved. I grew up with Unix so for me it's like going home again. For someone who has never seen a bash prompt, it will feel daunting. Still, you need to do a lot of learning to figure out how to get under the hood in windows, it really isn't that much more to learn the linux way instead.

July 21, 2007, 05:24 AM	#28 (permalink)
Sithmaster89 Registered	Re: New PC.. Which OS? I say get xp and then buy vista later when all the problems get worked out.

July 21, 2007, 08:38 AM	#29 (permalink)
AetherShock Lock on Hiatus Character Info AetherShock 70 Orc Warlock Tichondrius US PvP Guild: The Living Gods Talent Spec: 45/5/11	Re: New PC.. Which OS? I work in the IT industry and we have a running joke about Microsoft products; there is no such thing as an official realease of any Microsoft program until service pack 2 comes out. It may be a joke but it is a joke with reason. Also, depending on your graphics card and configuration, Vista is crappy for SLI drivers. Save yourself some headaches, stay away from Vista for right now. I put it on my machine and after about 6 weeks I went back to XP Pro. There are still a lot of bugs in Vista and it is considered flaky at best. Buy yourself a nice rig that you can upgrade to Vista in the future but load it with XP for right now. Wait at least another year before you go out and buy Vista. If you go to linux you can run a lot of MS apps via an application called Wine. Excellent setup and highly recommended. Here is some stuff for ya to read: http://www.winehq.org/ They also list and give resources where you can see what MS-based programs will run via Wine in Linux.

July 21, 2007, 11:50 AM	#30 (permalink)
mindtrapper Member Character Info Carperidon 70 Undead Warlock Emerald Dream Euro PvE Guild: Nocturnal Fear Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 0/21/40	Re: New PC.. Which OS? For hardcore gaming, i think Windows XP Home (Pro just has many processes using your CPU and hardcore gamers do so much to get a bunch more frames in games it's a shame to lose power on processes you don't use.) Just for WoW i don't know. I guess everything will work but i've heard Vista is just a hard and cold performance decrease in games.