I pad or laptop

nallingtoon · Senior Member

I pad or laptop

Bunkerbob · Senior Member

We had a laptop that got a virus, thank you Bigpond. We were in the process of getting our tech savvy son-in-law to fix it and decided to get a small Macbook Air. Absolutely brilliant.
Easy to use, similar in size to an iPad and also similar in price. Would recommend it to anyone.

Also remember, there are over 10,000 viruses and malware and other nasties floating around for PC's but there are only 5 for Macintosh and all of those need to be asked to join your Macintosh. Still have anti-virus but they spend the day drinking lattes and smoking cuban cigars.

justcruisin01 · Guru

Dont own an I pad but they do have their limitations, no external device connections & frriends could not upload pics to this site.

vanman · Senior Member

iPads are ok if you want to be married to Apple. They have their limitations.

I own a Android device and find it good but still prefer my laptop.

The Android device is good if you travel overseas.

I hope this helps.

Regards Chris

Cloak · Guru

I prefer a laptop. Apple or PC your choice.

Judie has an iPad but I can never get files on or off it unless we pair it to another Apple and even then the flexibility isn't there.

We have a vast media collection and need the flexibility.

Laptop wins hands down.

Grams · Guru

I have a MacBook and an iPad too. I use my iPad now 95% of the time. I use it for everything, taking photos, emails, eBay, surfing the net, etc. I bought my daughter a Canon printer that uses AirPrint so you can wirelessly print from your iPad, iPhone, or laptop. She loves it.

The MacBook Air is larger than the iPad, and more expensive. I bought my iPad about a year ago it's a 16GB iPad2 for $400, I got it on a special. Normally they are about $700 or more.

I like the laptop as it saves all my passwords, email addy and info. I use to fill out online forms. I use my laptop to download photos from my SLR camera. I like that it has a larger screen and I can review websites that use flash player, as the iPad doesn't.

Grams

-- Edited by Grams on Tuesday 14th of January 2014 09:05:12 PM

GaryKelly · Guru

Very enlightening comments. Thanks.

native pepper · Senior Member

nallingtoon wrote:
i need to replace my laptop which is 7 years old my kids telling me Dad get an I pad but do they do as much as my laptop can i skype can i print i had an I pad supplied when working for a previous employer wasnt very impressed but it was on optus which i thought was rubbish would it still get an internet signal as good as a laptop i am with Telstra (yes i know but they have the best coverage)

Neil

Depends on what you want to do, we do a lot of photography, video, so do lots of editing, mixing and DTP. Tablets just don't cope with all that very well. We have smart phones, laptop and carry a 2TG usb drive for storing.

Lot's of people don't realise optus now has coverage very similar to Telstra and in some places we've found, much better. So far since dropping telstra, we haven't been without a signal, but have had to use an antenna at times

NeilandRaine · Guru

native pepper wrote:
nallingtoon wrote:
i need to replace my laptop which is 7 years old my kids telling me Dad get an I pad but do they do as much as my laptop can i skype can i print i had an I pad supplied when working for a previous employer wasnt very impressed but it was on optus which i thought was rubbish would it still get an internet signal as good as a laptop i am with Telstra (yes i know but they have the best coverage)

Neil

Depends on what you want to do, we do a lot of photography, video, so do lots of editing, mixing and DTP. Tablets just don't cope with all that very well. We have smart phones, laptop and carry a 2TG usb drive for storing.
Lot's of people don't realise optus now has coverage very similar to Telstra and in some places we've found, much better. So far since dropping telstra, we haven't been without a signal, but have had to use an antenna at times

Exactly what I was going to say. I'm not sure but I don't think corel or adobe work on tablets.

EllenajoeL · Senior Member

IMHO, always consider the pros and cons of being dependant on proprietary software when buying technology.....not just at time of purchase (ie price), but in relation to upgrading and communication with others, into the future.

For eg: purchasing an "I"-anything means that you are dependant on Apple Inc. for basically ALL device functions/software etc....and there WILL be issues regarding information send/receive from non-Apple Inc sources, at least.

+1 comments regarding use of Android (and any open-source technology)....I prefer to be free of such commercially-driven limitations as Ipads bring.

native pepper · Senior Member

NeilandRaine wrote:
native pepper wrote:
nallingtoon wrote:
i need to replace my laptop which is 7 years old my kids telling me Dad get an I pad but do they do as much as my laptop can i skype can i print i had an I pad supplied when working for a previous employer wasnt very impressed but it was on optus which i thought was rubbish would it still get an internet signal as good as a laptop i am with Telstra (yes i know but they have the best coverage)

Neil

Depends on what you want to do, we do a lot of photography, video, so do lots of editing, mixing and DTP. Tablets just don't cope with all that very well. We have smart phones, laptop and carry a 2TG usb drive for storing.
Lot's of people don't realise optus now has coverage very similar to Telstra and in some places we've found, much better. So far since dropping telstra, we haven't been without a signal, but have had to use an antenna at times
Exactly what I was going to say. I'm not sure but I don't think corel or adobe work on tablets.

Haven't used corel or adobe for probably 10 years, we run open source distro's and software, light years ahead of windows, apple, adobe and corel is even more primitive. It's all free as well, with updates and upgrade constantly, along with virtually crash proof and if it ever freezes, you lose nothing, it restarts where you left off. It's real computing freedom.

Lonerider · Veteran Member

I switched from PC to Apple in 2008, would never go back to PC. Having said that, I bought an iPad 2 when they came out found it useful, I can upload and download from it using an external hdd but is a hassel.

I wouldnt buy another one though, as they gave their limitations. a MacBook Air would be a better choice. Not much bigger and can do more. iMOP having both would be handy.

jetj · Guru

I would get both. I have a 10inch netbook and an android tablet. And they both can do very different things. I would not be without a laptop of some description.

There is nothing wrong with a PC in my opinion as long as it has a good operating system, I like Linux. My netbook is probably 6 years old and is running the latest Linux software very well.

Good luck with your decision.

-- Edited by jetj on Tuesday 14th of January 2014 11:04:45 PM

Hylda&Jon · Guru

EllenajoeL wrote:
IMHO, always consider the pros and cons of being dependant on proprietary software when buying technology.....not just at time of purchase (ie price), but in relation to upgrading and communication with others, into the future.
For eg: purchasing an "I"-anything means that you are dependant on Apple Inc. for basically ALL device functions/software etc....and there WILL be issues regarding information send/receive from non-Apple Inc sources, at least.
+1 comments regarding use of Android (and any open-source technology)....I prefer to be free of such commercially-driven limitations as Ipads bring.

I'm not sure about the Ipad but if you have an Apple laptop (Macbook) you are not dependent on only Apple software. I have an apple operating system on mine and apart from Iphoto and Itunes(which, if I wanted to, I could use other brands of software which do the same job but in my opinion not as well) most of the programs I use are from alternative software makers. Apple has come a long way from the days of only Apple made software being compatible. You could even buy a Macbook laptop and not have an Apple operating system on it at all and, instead, load a Windows one on to it.

I would advise though to get a small laptop, between 10 and 15". Macbook Air would be my choice

Also I'm not sure about other brands now days but the Apple ones have a battery life of at least 8 hours depending on use.

Cheers

Jon

Grams · Guru

Hylda&Jon wrote:
EllenajoeL wrote:
IMHO, always consider the pros and cons of being dependant on proprietary software when buying technology.....not just at time of purchase (ie price), but in relation to upgrading and communication with others, into the future.
For eg: purchasing an "I"-anything means that you are dependant on Apple Inc. for basically ALL device functions/software etc....and there WILL be issues regarding information send/receive from non-Apple Inc sources, at least.
+1 comments regarding use of Android (and any open-source technology)....I prefer to be free of such commercially-driven limitations as Ipads bring.

I'm not sure about the Ipad but if you have an Apple laptop (Macbook) you are not dependent on only Apple software. I have an apple operating system on mine and apart from Iphoto and Itunes(which, if I wanted to, I could use other brands of software which do the same job but in my opinion not as well) most of the programs I use are from alternative software makers. Apple has come a long way from the days of only Apple made software being compatible. You could even buy a Macbook laptop and not have an Apple operating system on it at all and, instead, load a Windows one on to it.
I would advise though to get a small laptop, between 10 and 15". Macbook Air would be my choice
Also I'm not sure about other brands now days but the Apple ones have a battery life of at least 8 hours depending on use.
Cheers
Jon

Totally agree Jon, my MacBook is also not dependant on Apple....which I must say was from years ago. I also love the idea that when one of my games freeze, I can just switch off my laptop or iPad and restart, everything I had up on Firefox is still up, and my game works again. It's that easy.

i used to have a PC, but I used to hand over all my money to the computer repair guy each month to get rid of all the malware, viruses, etc on it. I think he had it more times than I did. I have had Apple now for the last 9 years and have never ever taken it in to be fixed.

i love the fact Apple update every couple of weeks, they actually fix bugs in programs straight away, unlike PC products. You just can't beat any Apple product.

grams

NeilandRaine · Guru

Mate its a big chance you know a lot more about pc's than me, I have trouble with adobe and core. The stuff you mentioned is way beyond me.

NeilandRaine · Guru

native pepper wrote:
NeilandRaine wrote:
native pepper wrote:
nallingtoon wrote:
i need to replace my laptop which is 7 years old my kids telling me Dad get an I pad but do they do as much as my laptop can i skype can i print i had an I pad supplied when working for a previous employer wasnt very impressed but it was on optus which i thought was rubbish would it still get an internet signal as good as a laptop i am with Telstra (yes i know but they have the best coverage)

Neil

Depends on what you want to do, we do a lot of photography, video, so do lots of editing, mixing and DTP. Tablets just don't cope with all that very well. We have smart phones, laptop and carry a 2TG usb drive for storing.
Lot's of people don't realise optus now has coverage very similar to Telstra and in some places we've found, much better. So far since dropping telstra, we haven't been without a signal, but have had to use an antenna at times
Exactly what I was going to say. I'm not sure but I don't think corel or adobe work on tablets.

Haven't used corel or adobe for probably 10 years, we run open source distro's and software, light years ahead of windows, apple, adobe and corel is even more primitive. It's all free as well, with updates and upgrade constantly, along with virtually crash proof and if it ever freezes, you lose nothing, it restarts where you left off. It's real computing freedom.

Mate its a big chance you know a lot more about pc's than me, I have trouble with adobe and corel. The stuff you mentioned is way beyond me.

gregnshas · Senior Member

Hi All,
Well I have been part of this debate for years, once I would never try to advise anyone either way, but now I am a self confessed "Apple fan boy". I am now on my 4th iPad, I have an iPhone 4, a 27inch iMac computer, my wife has an iPad mini and an iPhone 4, my son has an iPhone 5s and an iPad 4 , my daughter has an iPhone 4 and a MacBook Pro, and we have 2 Apple TV boxes, running thru an apple extreme wireless network connected to the ABN.

This is sad I know, but it just all works. I use PC and windows at work, need I say more. Geez the scary thing is how can I take all this on the road. ??

Greg

nallingtoon · Senior Member

thanx all for your input excellent as usual as i am no techi and trying to keep weight in the van low as possible think i will upgrade the laptop to maybe a 12 inch some great ideas from above but some of it is way beyond me i just want to keep in touch with the kids and grand kids and email friends and rellies and skype
thanx

Neil

oldbobsbus · Guru

try an android tablet...

This one wont break the bank but it will do everything you want it to do..

www.ebay.com.au

and it has GPS so you can use it to show where you are..

Roving-Dutchy · Guru

Hi Neil
A good Android smartphone will do all that you want and more, or if you go with Oldbobsbus's recommendation I'm sure you will be very happy with the result and you won't be out laying too many dollars.
Cheers
David

Dunmowin · Guru

I use a dell studio 17, for its large screen and keyboard. As I (on the side) dabble in travel journalism, I find the keyboard the easiest to use, as opposed to a tablet, which is only a two finger job. Also the larger screen is good for viewing in detail, any photos I may be submitting to a magazine. My choice, but it does suck up power.

native pepper · Senior Member

To me it's all about the economics, current state of art and choice. With proprietary systems, you never stop paying, for upgrades, support and service. Then you have to rely upon the companies providing you with what you paid for and when you look at that with economies of scale, you lose at every number.

Windows 8 is a typical example, millions have parted with their money for a OS which is so last century, inadequate restrictive and useless. Now they are going to drop it and release windows 9 next year and you will have to pay for it again. Look at how much money microsoft and apple have derived from people, by releasing inferior useless operating systems and software. Then release another one and you pay again, no refund for their failure, just an increase in profits and millions of frustrated customers.

That's where open source comes in, you can use any computer, even a very old one with none or very few problems. You have hundreds of choices of operating systems (distro), hundreds of thousands of software choices, the majority state of the art and constantly developing, so you are at the cutting edge always. Or you can sit back with one simple easy to operate distro for years, without problems and to upgrade costs nothing and you still will be able to use your software of choice.

Anything used by apple or windows can be used with open source and yo can even run windows within an open source system, plus you can try any number of distro's on your computer without changing it in any way, by using virtual box.

Open source is used by mist leading scientific, commercial and security companies. NASA uses it for its space systems because of It's reliability, ease of use, security and no cost. Unlike windows or apple, with open source you an now use the same system on phone, tablet and PC, fully integrated and thousand of times more secure than proprietary systems.

I have a 12 year old laptop, battery has been dead for years. Windows killed it many years ago as it only runs on 256m RAM and has a 10g HD. Was going to throw it out, but deiced to try open source on it and found a number would run on it. The best was puppy linux, which runs in RAM and uses less than 200m. It runs flawlessly and is used one our boat for navigation etc.

Hylda&Jon · Guru

native pepper wrote:
To me it's all about the economics, current state of art and choice. With proprietary systems, you never stop paying, for upgrades, support and service. Then you have to rely upon the companies providing you with what you paid for and when you look at that with economies of scale, you lose at every number.

Windows 8 is a typical example, millions have parted with their money for a OS which is so last century, inadequate restrictive and useless. Now they are going to drop it and release windows 9 next year and you will have to pay for it again. Look at how much money microsoft and apple have derived from people, by releasing inferior useless operating systems and software. Then release another one and you pay again, no refund for their failure, just an increase in profits and millions of frustrated customers.

That's where open source comes in, you can use any computer, even a very old one with none or very few problems. You have hundreds of choices of operating systems (distro), hundreds of thousands of software choices, the majority state of the art and constantly developing, so you are at the cutting edge always. Or you can sit back with one simple easy to operate distro for years, without problems and to upgrade costs nothing and you still will be able to use your software of choice.

Anything used by apple or windows can be used with open source and yo can even run windows within an open source system, plus you can try any number of distro's on your computer without changing it in any way, by using virtual box.

Open source is used by mist leading scientific, commercial and security companies. NASA uses it for its space systems because of It's reliability, ease of use, security and no cost. Unlike windows or apple, with open source you an now use the same system on phone, tablet and PC, fully integrated and thousand of times more secure than proprietary systems.

I have a 12 year old laptop, battery has been dead for years. Windows killed it many years ago as it only runs on 256m RAM and has a 10g HD. Was going to throw it out, but deiced to try open source on it and found a number would run on it. The best was puppy linux, which runs in RAM and uses less than 200m. It runs flawlessly and is used one our boat for navigation etc.

I think, for a novice computer user, it would be safer to use a well known popular operating system so he/she can get, when needed, easy, readily available help in using and fixing it from anywhere in their travels and can also easily get software for whatever they want to do as there is a limited amount of software available for the open source operating systems as I have found out in the past, although I do tend to use my computer for many things. In saying this, Open source is a great way to get free software and I have, when possible, used as much free software as I can for nearly 30 years

As for constantly paying for the latest operating system, I'll have to disagree a little bit, Apple Mac kindly released their latest operating system a few months ago for free, no charge, gratis, so I am a happy Mac user.

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that Apple Macbook laptops are made from a solid piece of aluminum not a cheap plastic shell like 95% of the other brands which is important for people traveling lots and constantly moving their computer as they can take an accidental knock much better.

Cheers

jetj · Guru

I agree about paying for updated software. I run Linux for free and update it for free. Unfortunately if you go to someone for guidance it is often not supported. However google the problem and the information is at hand. It takes a big commitment to learn other than the very basic but worth it to me.

I think Apple Mac OSs are based on Ubuntu, but definitely Linux. The hardware they use, motherboards and other bits of the same or similar equipment used in PCs. I would certain prefer Apple OS to windows and their equipment seems very well made.

native pepper · Senior Member

Hylda&Jon wrote:
native pepper wrote:
To me it's all about the economics, current state of art and choice. With proprietary systems, you never stop paying, for upgrades, support and service. Then you have to rely upon the companies providing you with what you paid for and when you look at that with economies of scale, you lose at every number.

Windows 8 is a typical example, millions have parted with their money for a OS which is so last century, inadequate restrictive and useless. Now they are going to drop it and release windows 9 next year and you will have to pay for it again. Look at how much money microsoft and apple have derived from people, by releasing inferior useless operating systems and software. Then release another one and you pay again, no refund for their failure, just an increase in profits and millions of frustrated customers.

That's where open source comes in, you can use any computer, even a very old one with none or very few problems. You have hundreds of choices of operating systems (distro), hundreds of thousands of software choices, the majority state of the art and constantly developing, so you are at the cutting edge always. Or you can sit back with one simple easy to operate distro for years, without problems and to upgrade costs nothing and you still will be able to use your software of choice.

Anything used by apple or windows can be used with open source and yo can even run windows within an open source system, plus you can try any number of distro's on your computer without changing it in any way, by using virtual box.

Open source is used by mist leading scientific, commercial and security companies. NASA uses it for its space systems because of It's reliability, ease of use, security and no cost. Unlike windows or apple, with open source you an now use the same system on phone, tablet and PC, fully integrated and thousand of times more secure than proprietary systems.

I have a 12 year old laptop, battery has been dead for years. Windows killed it many years ago as it only runs on 256m RAM and has a 10g HD. Was going to throw it out, but deiced to try open source on it and found a number would run on it. The best was puppy linux, which runs in RAM and uses less than 200m. It runs flawlessly and is used one our boat for navigation etc.
I think, for a novice computer user, it would be safer to use a well known popular operating system so he/she can get, when needed, easy, readily available help in using and fixing it from anywhere in their travels and can also easily get software for whatever they want to do as there is a limited amount of software available for the open source operating systems as I have found out in the past, although I do tend to use my computer for many things. In saying this, Open source is a great way to get free software and I have, when possible, used as much free software as I can for nearly 30 years
As for constantly paying for the latest operating system, I'll have to disagree a little bit, Apple Mac kindly released their latest operating system a few months ago for free, no charge, gratis, so I am a happy Mac user.
I forgot to mention in my earlier post that Apple Macbook laptops are made from a solid piece of aluminum not a cheap plastic shell like 95% of the other brands which is important for people traveling lots and constantly moving their computer as they can take an accidental knock much better.
Cheers

Open source is not, free apple and microsoft junk. It's state of the art and there's hundreds of thousands of software packages covering everything you can think of, which work in just about all open source/linux/unix distro's.

As for using open source distro's, they are simple to learn, more reliable and safer than any proprietary software.

Apple probably released their software for free in a vain attempt to get back the millions they've lost to open source in PC's, phones and tablets. Open source now has more than 85% control of the smart phone and tablet market. Apple, microsoft to be successful must retain full control over their system, this opens up many opportunities for hackers scammers and spammers. The statistical facts support this categorically, you only have to look at computing forums to see the facts.

Open source is 21^st century computing, apple, 20^th century junk. When you have the top creative, security, scientific and major corporations now using open source computing resources, as well as almost 90% of world servers now open source/ linux flavours,the writings on the wall.

Personally it's irrelevant to me what people use, all I'm doing is making people aware of the true facts regarding computing state of the art and how you can save thousands over the years and have uninterrupted safe, easy and state of the art computing.

We spend about 9 months on the road, never had a problem with plastic computers, or the plastic phones, TV's, radio's, culinary instruments, or anything made out of plastic. Aluminum is pretty cheap, nowhere near the price of what they charge for an apple computer.

Apple used to be the standard within the music and movie industry, now all you find in successful creative businesses, is linux custom made to suit the requirements. We have a custom linux distro for all music, video and photography, dual booting with a standard linux mint box. The results are outstanding, especially the graphics and animation you can put in. Did you know Lord of the Rings and just about all computer graphic movies, video's and TV shows, are all made with linux, not apple or windows. If you're into it, you can do exactly the same, for free and get all the help, support and advice you need, free. If you want, you can change, customise and rewrite your system in any way you feel like. It's called free choice, not something you can get with proprietary systems.

I set up a linux system for a bloke of 85 near me, his windows xp was failing and the quote he got to install win8-1, plus the software he wanted was well over $1000 and when he got the computer to the shop, after a 100klm drive he was told he had to buy a new computer because win8.1 wouldn't work on his. This increased the quote by another $500 and he had to buy the software he needed as that also wouldn't work, adding more money to the bill.

So I installed linux mint, spent half an hour with him and that was it, he rang a couple of times with questions and nows goes on line for what he needs to know. All he really does is browse and is putting his life story together using his photo collection, which will run in a slide show with audio, simple animations for his Family and all for free.

-- Edited by native pepper on Thursday 16th of January 2014 12:28:16 PM

Hylda&Jon · Guru

native pepper wrote:
Hylda&Jon wrote:
native pepper wrote:
To me it's all about the economics, current state of art and choice. With proprietary systems, you never stop paying, for upgrades, support and service. Then you have to rely upon the companies providing you with what you paid for and when you look at that with economies of scale, you lose at every number.

Windows 8 is a typical example, millions have parted with their money for a OS which is so last century, inadequate restrictive and useless. Now they are going to drop it and release windows 9 next year and you will have to pay for it again. Look at how much money microsoft and apple have derived from people, by releasing inferior useless operating systems and software. Then release another one and you pay again, no refund for their failure, just an increase in profits and millions of frustrated customers.

That's where open source comes in, you can use any computer, even a very old one with none or very few problems. You have hundreds of choices of operating systems (distro), hundreds of thousands of software choices, the majority state of the art and constantly developing, so you are at the cutting edge always. Or you can sit back with one simple easy to operate distro for years, without problems and to upgrade costs nothing and you still will be able to use your software of choice.

Anything used by apple or windows can be used with open source and yo can even run windows within an open source system, plus you can try any number of distro's on your computer without changing it in any way, by using virtual box.

Open source is used by mist leading scientific, commercial and security companies. NASA uses it for its space systems because of It's reliability, ease of use, security and no cost. Unlike windows or apple, with open source you an now use the same system on phone, tablet and PC, fully integrated and thousand of times more secure than proprietary systems.

I have a 12 year old laptop, battery has been dead for years. Windows killed it many years ago as it only runs on 256m RAM and has a 10g HD. Was going to throw it out, but deiced to try open source on it and found a number would run on it. The best was puppy linux, which runs in RAM and uses less than 200m. It runs flawlessly and is used one our boat for navigation etc.
I think, for a novice computer user, it would be safer to use a well known popular operating system so he/she can get, when needed, easy, readily available help in using and fixing it from anywhere in their travels and can also easily get software for whatever they want to do as there is a limited amount of software available for the open source operating systems as I have found out in the past, although I do tend to use my computer for many things. In saying this, Open source is a great way to get free software and I have, when possible, used as much free software as I can for nearly 30 years
As for constantly paying for the latest operating system, I'll have to disagree a little bit, Apple Mac kindly released their latest operating system a few months ago for free, no charge, gratis, so I am a happy Mac user.
I forgot to mention in my earlier post that Apple Macbook laptops are made from a solid piece of aluminum not a cheap plastic shell like 95% of the other brands which is important for people traveling lots and constantly moving their computer as they can take an accidental knock much better.
Cheers

Open source is not, free apple and microsoft junk. It's state of the art and there's hundreds of thousands of software packages covering everything you can think of, which work in just about all open source/linux/unix distro's.
As for using open source distro's, they are simple to learn, more reliable and safer than any proprietary software.
Apple probably released their software for free in a vain attempt to get back the millions they've lost to open source in PC's, phones and tablets. Open source now has more than 85% control of the smart phone and tablet market. Apple, microsoft to be successful must retain full control over their system, this opens up many opportunities for hackers scammers and spammers. The statistical facts support this categorically, you only have to look at computing forums to see the facts.
Open source is 21^st century computing, apple, 20^th century junk. When you have the top creative, security, scientific and major corporations now using open source computing resources, as well as almost 90% of world servers now open source/ linux flavours,the writings on the wall.
Personally it's irrelevant to me what people use, all I'm doing is making people aware of the true facts regarding computing state of the art and how you can save thousands over the years and have uninterrupted safe, easy and state of the art computing.
We spend about 9 months on the road, never had a problem with plastic computers, or the plastic phones, TV's, radio's, culinary instruments, or anything made out of plastic. Aluminum is pretty cheap, nowhere near the price of what they charge for an apple computer.
Apple used to be the standard within the music and movie industry, now all you find in successful creative businesses, is linux custom made to suit the requirements. We have a custom linux distro for all music, video and photography, dual booting with a standard linux mint box. The results are outstanding, especially the graphics and animation you can put in. Did you know Lord of the Rings and just about all computer graphic movies, video's and TV shows, are all made with linux, not apple or windows. If you're into it, you can do exactly the same, for free and get all the help, support and advice you need, free. If you want, you can change, customise and rewrite your system in any way you feel like. It's called free choice, not something you can get with proprietary systems.
I set up a linux system for a bloke of 85 near me, his windows xp was failing and the quote he got to install win8-1, plus the software he wanted was well over $1000 and when he got the computer to the shop, after a 100klm drive he was told he had to buy a new computer because win8.1 wouldn't work on his. This increased the quote by another $500 and he had to buy the software he needed as that also wouldn't work, adding more money to the bill.
So I installed linux mint, spent half an hour with him and that was it, he rang a couple of times with questions and nows goes on line for what he needs to know. All he really does is browse and is putting his life story together using his photo collection, which will run in a slide show with audio, simple animations for his Family and all for free.

-- Edited by native pepper on Thursday 16th of January 2014 12:28:16 PM

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Anyway, back to the topic. Neil! take all that is said on board, look at the state of your wallet and buy whatever you think best.

Cheers

Jon

-- Edited by Hylda&Jon on Thursday 16th of January 2014 03:45:50 PM

oldbobsbus · Guru

I am reasonably computer savvy and have tried Linux ubuntu on several occasions and there is no way I would suggest to the average Joe to use it.

Just one for instance... if I go and buy the latest Canon Printer and open up the box it has 2 disc's with it ...
Drivers for Windows
and
Drivers for Mac.
Now how do I get to use it if I dont know how to find, download, install and setup the drivers etc for the new printer..
and thats only one for instance..

Linux may be ok for nerds but it isn't ok for the average Joe..

-- Edited by oldbobsbus on Thursday 16th of January 2014 04:13:11 PM

jetj · Guru

I'm not a nerd by any means.

Most times I don't need a disc at all because the drivers are already built into the operating system or in the repositories. BUT if it isn't can be a problem. Same for most devices, modems etc and much easier than loading drivers off a disc.

It is getting better all the time, and I admit I have had to resort to command line at times.

oldbobsbus · Guru

jetj wrote:
I'm not a nerd by any means.
Most times I don't need a disc at all because the drivers are already built into the operating system or in the repositories. BUT if it isn't can be a problem. Same for most devices, modems etc and much easier than loading drivers off a disc.
It is getting better all the time, and I admit I have had to resort to command line at times.

ALL devices today come with drivers for windows and Mac weather they are preinstalled or come in disc form but never for open source OS

The average Joe wouldn't even know what a command line is smile

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.