Why Do You Use the Computer You Use?
Posted in Technology, True Story on Jan 28th, 2008
Unbelievable. I hate getting into the Mac vs. Windows debates, but I’m starting to understand why the Mac’s controlled hardware environment is attractive to an increasing number of people.
About two years ago, I wrote about my excitement at receiving great video editing software, Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0, for Christmas. Turned out, however, that the computer I had built just a year before was missing a CPU feature needed to run the software.
Solution? Upgrade the computer’s core components. Problem solved. Video editing ensued. And, surprisingly, nobody sued (although a few certainly were rude).
This year, with some Christmas money, I again upgraded my computer — to a dual-core CPU. That basically gave me two CPU’s instead of one. For good measure, I doubled my RAM from 1GB to 2GB. My video editing software is written to utilize multiple CPU’s. All this should have been a boon to the filmmaker in me, right?
Well, sure, except for one infuriating catch.
While trying to capture video from my miniDV camcorder, I was getting an error. When I looked that up, it turned out it was because my dual-core CPU is new enough that my software can’t quite figure out how to utilize it.
Adobe’s website recommended two possible options:
- buy the upgraded version of the software (big surprise here, right?), or
- tell Windows to trick the software into believing I have only one CPU — every time I start the software.
So, with one of the reasons I upgraded the CPU out the window, I’m just loving life. Maybe the extra RAM will help.
I know there are much more important matters to worry about, but still. Just… damn.
So, why do you use a Windows-based computer? A Mac? Both?
Extra RAM won’t help.
Someone should SUE these companies that make software like that. It’s inexcusable.
I’ll post on my blog soon to answer your question.
Bloody hell.
I just tried to post a nice, long discursive comment that got lost when I hit the button because I didn’t have the name/email/website fields filled out. That’s because this is a new laptop at work and the auto-fill thingie wasn’t there since this is my first comment with the new unit.
So, to recap:
I have a work-issued Dell laptop here in the office because that’s what we have to use.
We have a Dell PC at home because that was a gift from my wife a couple years ago.
Performance on both degrades at an almost visible pace because of all the spyware, adware and viruses that creep in from the interweb.
So, I plan to get a MacBook either at tax return time or bonus time this year to have more reliability, wireless internet at home, portability (I can blog from the toilet!) and a sense of security regarding the integrity of the software. Plus, they’re pretty.
I don’t know nearly enough about Linux or Ubuntu to enter those operating systems into the debate, other than a bit of name-dropping to make me sound geekier than I am.
That sucks, dude. That’s why I jsut avoid upgrading at all.
At home, I use an old Gateway I bought myself in 1998 that just barely limps along. Beside it sits my wife’s computer she bought at just about the same time (she still runs Win98). I’m typing this on a second hand Dell laptop that work passed down to me when our programmer got so sick of it’s slowness that he went and bought a newfangled lappy for himself. It’s got a short in the power cord and a replacement will cost almost $100…so it takes about 5 minutes of fiddling with the cord everytime I move it (which means I don’t move it very often (which means it’s pretty much a glorified desktop at this point))
Macs do look beautiful and I have drooled over my share of them. At this point it’s just price that keeps me from making the leap.
MY NAME IS ANNA…
AND I AM ADDICTED TO MY MAC.
My husband is my dealer and got me hooked. I have been a “user” for 4 years and I will never go back to PC. The ease of all the software, programs and applications had me at “hello”…I also am into graphic art/design/photography/music and in my opinion, Mac is amazing in these areas…hands down!
Thank you.
:)
Dave - The RAM has helped, in both the video editing and photo editing, as well as just general faster performance. I look forward to your more detailed answer.
Simon - Those problems are more prevalent on Windows PC’s because they’re so popular. Still, I just don’t have that problem on the PC’s I use — maybe because I spent so much time on the front lines of user support that I’m more sensitive to what I do and don’t let on my computer. I don’t know.
I’ve never experienced a reliability problem with Windows XP (service pack 2, that is) at home or at work. I’m not sure why Windows still gets such bad press in this area. In fact, back when I worked on Macs at a newspaper, they were crashing left and right. Horribly buggy. To be fair, that was before Mac OS X hit the market.
You definitely sounded geeky on the Linux comments. But, I must go geekier and point out that Ubuntu is one of the many “flavors” of Linux, not a separate OS. I installed it, used it a few weeks, and then removed it. I’ve done that with various Linux distributions in the past, and have found none quite ready for prime-time yet. To see a Unix-based system that is, get a Mac. Ha!
Moksha - For a computer geek, upgrading is an easy and cheap way to get a faster computer. Just that one piece of software has been a problem. Its $99 price doesn’t seem like such a bargain after all that trouble.
Wow, you and Moonshot do have old computers. Windows 98? Yikes.
Anna - I’m sure I would be, too, if I had one. Like Moksha, I just haven’t found a price point I like that gets me the features I need.
Mark, for what it’s worth, we have a lot of guys who use Mac’s in our company. In fact, they company provides a Sony VAIO at no charge, but the Mac users will have none of it. They put together presentations that are amazing, and they insist that it is MUCH easier than using PCs.
The company tried to insist that they use their VAIO’s, and there was a full-on mutiny. Fanatics…that’s what they are.
By the way, I still prefer XP to Vista….don’t get me started on software compatibility issues. Whewww…nightmare.