All yours for $19.99 to put it in the box you have.
Posted on 02/18/2005 7:40:47 PM PST by notaliberal
I would like to buy a new computer and I do not know what to buy. I was looking at the Sony VGC-V517G 17 " TV-PC or the Gateway all in one Computer. I do not plan on using it for anything in particular, but I would like one more powerful than what I have now. I would appreciate any information. Please not to technical. Thanks
I have a Commodore 64 I will sell you----
You beat me to it
They're a little more expensive nut worth every penny.
If you are going to buy one with a windows operating system, I don't think there's a whole lot of difference in the brands anymore.
A Dell may be about the best for the money (Just my opinion now folks) Plus you can order it on line to your specs and pay very low sales tax if any.
Seriously, it is hard to go wrong with a Dell or Compaq product.
After you buy the PC of your dreams, download the Firefox browser and it will be complete.
I have a three year old Dell with windows 98. Frankly, I was looking for something where I could download music or talk radio into an ipod.
We really do have the BOX that our Commodore 64 came in--we don't have the computer--
It has become a family tradition that every Christmas I will wrap someones present in that Commodore box---and for some reason, it never fails to make us all giggle when he/she opens it--
I like Dell. Or a Mac.
"...Take a serious look at a Mac...."
I'll second that. Buy a Mac!
I would like to agree. My first Mac recently retired after 8 years of service. I thought about a PC, but if I'm paying out that amount of money, I want quality, and I personally find that in a Mac.
I was considering a Mac, but have a PC at work and sometimes I have to bring work home. Would that make any difference shuffling between a PC and a Mac?
I used Macs from 1985-2000 and let my wife talk me into a windows machine. Now we're both convinced we need to go back to Mac.
Consumers Reports recently suggested Macs.
I realize they're a bunch of commies, but I think they made some good points. More stable platform, less susceptible to viruses, etc.
I'll pass...thanks though!
If you have a Mac, you can get a copy of Microsoft Office for Mac. I work in Windows environment at work and e-mail stuff home. I can work on that without skipping a beat. You can also get Virtual PC for Mac which allows you to perform cross-platform work. There is other software that you can use. At any rate, buy a Mac.
This is not a put down of Macs, but some of the advantages RE malware & virus's are because they are flying below the radar.
I've always used PCs, but since I build my own, that really doesn't help you much.
Actually, what might be good is if you have a friend that is fairly conversant in whichever OS you get. Sort of free tech support ;-)
I own a iMac DVD/SE and wouldn't trade it for anything. I've used both PC and Macs, I prefer Macs, but you might want to check out this article:
The Wall Street Journal
February 17, 2005
PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY
By WALTER S. MOSSBERG
While Switching to Mac
Will Improve Security,
It Isn't for Everybody
February 17, 2005; Page B1
Over the past year, I have advised readers who are fed up with the plague of viruses and spyware on Windows PCs that one way out of the mess is to switch to Apple Computer's Macintosh. There has yet to be a report of a successful, real-world virus for the Mac's current operating system, and there is little or no known spyware for the Mac.
I stand by that advice, and also by my positive reviews of recent Mac models, especially the impressive iMac G5. But, as I have noted in the past, switching to the Mac has downsides, and it isn't the best course for some groups of Windows users. So here's a brief guide to which types of users might find switching inadvisable.
In general, the best candidates for a switch to the Mac are those who use their computers overwhelmingly for common, mainstream consumer tasks. These include e-mail, instant messaging and Web browsing; word processing, spreadsheets and presentations; working with photos, home videos and digital music; and playing and creating CDs and DVDs.
The Mac is as good as Windows at these core tasks, and in many cases better. Still, you certainly shouldn't consider switching to the Mac if you are happy with Windows and you aren't much affected by viruses and spyware.
Even if you aren't happy with Windows, don't consider switching to the Mac if you are resistant to learning new ways of doing things. The Mac and Windows are close cousins, but there is a learning curve that comes with switching.
For instance, Apple uses a one-button mouse without a scroll wheel, which takes some getting used to. There are differences in the way menus and desktop windows behave. And the standard delete key on a Mac works like the backspace key, not the delete key, in Windows. Mac desktop keyboards have a second, Windows-type delete key, but Mac laptops lack one.
And don't consider switching if your budget covers only the cost of the Mac itself. There will usually be extra costs. To maintain compatibility with the Windows world, you will probably want a copy of the Mac version of Microsoft Office, which isn't included by Apple. And you may want a standard two-button, Windows-style mouse, which works fine on the Mac but isn't included.
Also, Windows users who rely on specialized business or technical software, or on custom software supplied by their employers, should be wary of switching. That's because the Mac can't run Windows software straight out of the box, and these kinds of specialized Windows programs are rarely available in Mac versions.
You can enable a Mac to run Windows programs by buying a $240 program from Microsoft called Virtual PC. It creates a pseudo Windows computer on a portion of a Mac's hard disk. But I don't recommend relying on Virtual PC if you use multiple Windows programs frequently, because it's slow and susceptible to the same viruses and spyware as a real Windows PC.
People who depend on their company's IT department to manage and support their home computers may find themselves locked into Windows. Most corporate computer staffs support only Windows and know little or nothing about Macs.
Similarly, if the principal use of your home computer is to remotely link up to your company's Windows network, stay with Windows. The Mac has gotten much better at doing these remote linkups, but they are still easier on Windows.
If you love Microsoft Outlook, you should also probably stick with Windows. There is no version of Outlook for the current Mac operating system. Instead, Microsoft includes an e-mail and organizer program called Entourage in the Mac version of Office. It's similar to Outlook but just different enough to bug Outlook lovers.
If you use your PC mainly for games, avoid the Mac. While there are more games for the Mac now than there were a few years back, the number still lags behind Windows badly. And the hottest computer games come out first, and sometimes exclusively, on Windows.
People who rely heavily on financial software may be unhappy with the Mac. Microsoft Money doesn't come in a Mac version. The Mac version of Quicken isn't identical to the Windows product, and converting Windows Quicken data to the Mac is a bear. Many specialized financial-analysis and stock-trading programs aren't available for Macs.
If you need an ultralight laptop for traveling, you're out of luck with Apple. The Mac laptops are great, but the lightest one weighs 4.6 pounds, compared with three pounds or less on the Windows side.
If you use a portable music player other than Apple's iPod, or love the major subscription music services, Napster and Rhapsody, which work only on Windows, you won't be happy with a Mac.
Of course, you can overcome most of these obstacles if you buy a Mac as a companion to, rather than a replacement for, a Windows machine. But then you'd still be battling Windows viruses and spyware, and having to spend money and time to maintain dual platforms.
The bottom line is that the Mac is a great alternative for mainstream consumers doing mainstream tasks who are sick and tired of the Windows security crisis. But it isn't for everybody.
Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com1
URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110859297812556954,00.html
Hyperlinks in this Article:
(1) mailto:mossberg@wsj.com
(2) http://online.wsj.com/articles/mossberg_mailbox
Copyright 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.
Thanks, that article was very helpful.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.