Before you buy a Dell, you may want to see this...

[President Jesus]

Campaign donations of Michael Dell, CEO
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=TX&last=Dell&first=Michael

[wheresthemind]

1. Then for your new computer needs look at this...

http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=CA&last=Jobs&first=Steven

then this

http://www.apple.com/hardware/

[President Jesus]

2. Wow. Those are some serious soft-money donations to Dems.

[ithacan]

20. Those Dem contributions are from Apple's Jobs

...

[ArkDem]

34. and some seriously overpriced and under performing computers

with a lack of availble software.

[emulatorloo]

35. 1. Time is Money 2. I have never had trouble finding GREAT mac software

Sorry your conventional wisdom is just plain wrong.

I spend hours and hours with my pc trying to get it to work w my peripherals etc, and worrying about security.

My Mac cost a little more, but it just works.

I spent hours and $$$$ collecting software to do video dvd etc on my PC

iLife came free on my mac and it just works

I spent hours and $$$$$ collecting mediocre software for my pc.

I never had any trouble finding great software for my mac.

Yes there are games on the PC that arent on mac yet. So what, I don;t play games. And when I do I'd rather park my fat ass on the sofa w the PS2.

Enjoy your pc if you must, but stop trashing macs w baseless opinion.

[LeahMira]

40. Amen!

Enjoy your pc if you must, but stop trashing macs w baseless opinion.

Amen, brother. Nothing works like a Mac for designing newsletters, manipulating images, and general artwork. Plus, they're reliable for most other types of computer jobs.

My boss, the demographer, asks me to crunch numbers at work on Excel, but there's nothing that Excel can do so far that my AppleWorks at home can't do.

BTW, we're all getting "upgraded" to Dells here at work. When I mentioned how much I like my flat screen, and that it's a Dell, a friend who really knows her way around a lot of computers extended her condolences. So, we'll see. At least I have my Mac at home.

:-)

[ArkDem]

42. I manage over 2500 pc's and mac's for which I am

well compensated. My opinion my be different from yours but I don't think I'd characterize it as baseless.

[emulatorloo]

44. Some IT people I know who manage both try too hard with the Macs

They don't learn about macs and don't want to spend the time it would take, and instead treat Macs as if they were PCs - and end up making everything too hard by approaching them wrong. I have seen an IT person sit there scratching his head looking for a win.ini file to edit.

Other IT people who know both platforms well find that Macs *are easier to maintain and administer than the PCs*. Gartner group has done several studies that indicate that this is so, and that the more macs that you have in an organization, the lower your support costs will be.

Please read the computerworld article I referenced in another post. Lots of the IT magazines are touting the benefits of Mac OS X for the enterprise.

Since you are so highly compensated, I know you have an open mind. I bet you would appreciate the netBoot and netinstall features of OS X server.

http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/netboot.html

Windows Services in Mac OS X server

http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/windows_services.html

[ArkDem]

46. Yes, mac's are taking over the country and world.

Just LOOK at that market share.

The guy in this link has it EXACTLY right

http://www.holmcomputing.com/mac.html

[emulatorloo]

47. Very Cute! I laughed out loud!

Very fun parody . . . . and he is treating Mac as if it were Windows! Try looking at something less jokey, more substantial, and less biased.

http://www.xvsxp.com/

Don't waste your time hating a platform that might save you trouble.

My top client has an installation similar to yours. . .they are struggling with keeping their PC users up and running, they have been devastated by worms et cetera, The IT guys can't keep their heads above water. . .and yet the Mac users keep on going and keep being productive. Other depts that have put all their eggs in the Microsoft basket are totally screwed.

(PS As to your change of subject to "market share" and quarterly sales. . .don't confuse market share with installed base (I have replaced my PC twice in the time I replaced my Mac - it has a longer lifespan), don't confuse popularity with quality, etc)

[ArkDem]

49. I work on mac's every day and have for 15 years.

The platform really SUCKS. If it wasn't for the commercial art community they would in even worse shape. We amnage 5000 users at 6 sites nationally and my staff is only 5 people. We have more trouble form the mac community (which is on 2 % of the users) than everyone else combined. I have thirty years experience in the IS/it arena. Sounds like your top client needs a professional staff.

[wtmusic]

53. Trouble from the Mac community?

What kind of trouble? I've worked on Macs every day for over 15 years (18?) and have had very little trouble.

Saying MacOSX "really SUCKS" betrays ignorance, and the cliché that only Photoshoppers use Mac is about, say, five years old. Check out OSX. If you still like wasting time on DOS with a bad toupee, stick with Windows.

[stepnw1f]

54. Sorry Man, but that's Bull

[emulatorloo]

58. a case of "IT Department Full Employment Act," per Robert X Cringely?

warning: Cringley is pretty harsh. . .


http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20030814.html

Look about midway down

<snip>

. . .I think Macs threaten the livelihood of IT staffs. If you recommend purchasing a computer that requires only half the support of the machine it is replacing, aren't you putting your job in danger? Exactly.

Ideally, the IT department ought to recommend the best computer for the job, but more often than not, they recommend the best computer for the IT department's job.

Now another question: Why are Linux computers gaining in popularity with large organizations while Macs, which are based after all on BSD Unix, aren't? While there is certainly a lot to be said for Linux in competition with various flavors of Windows (Linux is faster, more memory-efficient, more secure, has more sources of supply, supports many more simultaneous users per box in a server environment, and is clearly cheaper to buy), the advantage over Macintosh computers is less clear.

Again, it comes down to the IT Department Full Employment Act. Adopting Linux allows organizations to increase their IT efficiency without requiring the IT department to increase ITS efficiency. It takes just as many nerds to support 100 Linux boxes as 100 Windows boxes, yet Linux boxes are cheaper and can support more users. The organization is better off while the IT department is unscathed and unchallenged.

I am not claiming that every organization should throw out its PCs and replace them with Macs, but the numbers are pretty clear, and the fact that more Macs don't make it into server racks has to be based on something, and I think that something is CIO self-interest.

Macs reduce IT head count while Linux probably increases IT head count, simple as that.

<snip>

[Deja Q]

67. Exactly

Indeed, Linux has a far better shot than Mac because of bottom line cost.

Linux is pretty secure too.

Of course, thin-client scenarios are even more alluring - or will be when technology gets fast enough, ending all our problems for good.

[emulatorloo]

74. Oh HypnoToad, get a mac already!!!!

I know you still want one :toast:

Offer still stands to help you find a deal. . .

[benburch]

82. I'll help find a deal, too...

I break out in a rash when I pay full retail.

[emulatorloo]

59. Sorry, that just doesn't reflect reality. . .

either you have underconfigured your Macs (not enough RAM, etc), using old macs from the "bad old days" of Spindler and Amelio, or you are not running OS X.

[benburch]

68. I design computer hardware and software for a living...

And have for 25 years.

There is not a better platform for most applications than a Mac.

Now, for some things where reliability and ease of maintenance don't matter, Windows is better.

And for other things were you need lots of reliability, but not much in the way of a user interface (though this is changing) Linux or BSD. Particularly for routers, firewalls, servers, etc. Though it is the case that the Apple Xsever is broadly competitive in these applications as well.

I use all three types of system.

[FizzFuzz]

60. forgive me for being a computer illiterate, but one thing I know,

Your byline SUCKS.

[thebigidea]

76. please tell me you're not talking about the Monty Python quote...

if you are, I weep for the death of the spirit and the soul.

[thebigidea]

77. say, has any one seen the mouse to my AMIGA?

(ducks)

[FizzFuzz]

96. was that a Monty Python line?

I wasn't aware.
Nevertheless, Monty Python's well deserved sainthood doesn't absolve them of responsibility for their base misogynistic jokes.

Look at it this way (since it seems to me men almost never "get it" when women speak of being tired of being the constant butt of sexual jokes):

Suppose that was a big lips (or some such thing) joke about black people?
"yeah, my janitor, he has big mops, big watermelons, big....sanitation department contracts"

Would you be aghast at that sort of "humor" being called down and claim that anyone who didn't find it funny, such as black people, might be guilty of comedy blasphemy?

[Poiuyt]

36. Not true

The PC world has been druming that into the heads of the computer buying public so much that everyone assumes it's true. They have models (eMac) that are very inexpensive and other models (G5) that are amoung the best performing in the world. As for software, there is VERY little you can do on a PC that you can't do on a Mac (I'd say that CAD/CAM software is better for a PC). I've never had trouble with compatibility with Windows.

[emulatorloo]

41. Three Mac Myths - from ComputerWorld - Please! PC users read!

http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/os/macos/story/0,10801,84023,00.html

<snip>

The first myth is that Apple computers are expensive relative to their PC cousins. Though Apple is certainly not a discount brand and will almost never offer the cheapest computers available, Macs are certainly price-competitive with PCs. Users do pay some premium for both the Apple brand and the innovation that goes into the company's often brilliant hardware design, but the premium isn't out of line with what users already pay for name-brand systems from vendors such as Sony, Hewlett-Packard or IBM. In many cases, comparable Apple systems are priced similarly, and in some cases they're even cheaper than the competition.

The second myth is that there's a lack of software available. Although OS X doesn't offer the sheer number of titles that Windows offers, there's an abundance of business software for the Macintosh. In some markets, such as content creation, there's actually more software available for the Mac. In addition, Microsoft offers a complete and compatible version of Office for the Macintosh, so knowledge workers can easily share documents and communicate with colleagues across operating systems. Apple's support of Web-based Internet standards means most Internet-based applications will simply run without modification. The occasional lack of a specific application might hold back some deployments, but most organizations will never hit that wall.

The third myth is that Apple architectures are based on proprietary protocols. Though that was certainly true in the past, it isn't an accurate portrayal of Apple today. Now, Mac OS is one of the most standards-driven operating systems you can purchase. From MPEG 4 support in QuickTime to full TCP/IP support for networking and Wi-Fi protocols for wireless access, Macs are a seamless fit for most organizations' infrastructure. (Apple was actually the first operating system vendor to bundle TCP/IP support into a commercial operating system.)

<snip>

[benburch]

71. The eMac

I have in front of me a 1GHz G4 eMac with 768 MB of RAM, a Superdrive (CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R), a 17" 1280x960 screen with a fast video card, a 60 GB Hard disk, modem, 10/100 ethernet, USB-2, Firewire, decent speakers, microphone, external video outputs, it came complete with keyboard, mouse, and quite a bit of software, and it cost me a total of $940 including the shipping and the extra RAM.

I could have gotten an 800 MHz G4 eMac with just a CD-RW for about $250 less, but why bother?

Oh yes, and the memory took the removal of one screw and 60 seconds to install.

[benburch]

73. Oh yes...

The majority of the files on http://www.WhiteRoseSociety.org/ are served from this machine I am now using.

In fact, there are about a dozen downloads in progress right now!

[toddzilla]

79. i recently built two systesms

including a router and network cabling for that. 2.6 ghz athlons, less memory, but of course there are two of them.

macs are far more expensive for the average user.

[benburch]

81. And did they have equivalent perpherals?

And does that include the 17" monitor for each?

Yes, I can build a stripped down Athlon for about $275, but that has only a CD-ROM, a floppy, a NIC, 20 GB Drive, and the sucky built-in video on the motherboard.

Also, when comparing processors, do not fall into the MHz trap; The clock rate is one component, but much more in terms of performance is determined by the amount of L2 cache, the depth and efficiency of the pipeline, and the number of clocks per instruction. A Motorola G4 processor shines in those comparisons. A 1GHz G4, configured as in the eMac is approximately equivalent to a 2GHz P-III. See http://www.cpuscorecard.com/top_cpus.htm which scores a 1.25 GHz G4 as equivalent to 77% of a 3.06 GHz P-4

Lets add some numbers up;

60 GB IDE Hard Disk, Refurbished - $ 78
NEC DVD-R Drive - 109
512MB SDRAM - 119
256MB SDRAM - 52
Athlon XP 2500 - 89
Biostar M7NCD Motherboard - 65
Microsoft Windows XP Home - 200
Viewsonic Q71b monitor - 130
KB & Mouse (decent quality)- 40
Case and PS (ugly)- 30
------------------------------------
Total 912

And this does not include internal cabling and etc, speakers, mic, modem, or an equivalent software package (Appleworks, iLife, Quicken 2004, plus more) And it does not come with a one-year warrantee.

Now, you could scrimp a bit;

You could get a crappy monitor for $45 refurbished. You could cheat and Pirate the MS Windows XP and all of the other software (I never pirate.) You could get a cheaper motherboard with a built-in video that sucks (I chose this one because it doesn't suck.)

I'd be interested to see your bill of materials for the machines you built?

[toddzilla]

88. www.newegg.com

has fantastic pricing. this is a different invoice, the other systems i built locally because it was a rush job, and the specs are slightly different. for business systems, i really think graphics cards are worthless as far as performance goes. i use a radeon 9700 pro in my home system, but built in video is adequate for 99% of all business systems in my opinion. you don't need openGL and massive ddr memory to render a POS terminal. memory is also a flexible requirement, but it's cheap enough. windows 2000 can be had for very little if you know where to get it.




add a couple monitors, either 29/a piece for like-new used ones, or 75/a piece for new, both 17".

[toddzilla]

89. addition..

I also don't fall into the "new and greatest" trap. efficiency is all well and good, but honestly, who here NEEDS a 3 ghz machine to do the day to day operations? unless you are a graphic designer or render 3d imaging or video production, most of the mhz will be wasted sitting idling while someone pokes out a business letter, or surfs the web. who the hell uses a modem anymore? all the internal cabling comes with the motherboard. i know they dont' spec out the same, but usage probably won't result in any noticable difference as far as performance, unless you want your employees playing doom 3 on the clock.

[benburch]

91. So, we still have quite different systems...

More memory for yours would add $220 for both, Another $40 for the difference in HD sizes, and you'd still have no way to back up your data (No DVD-R or even CD-R) on those.

And I really differ that a graphics card is unimportant, but then I do a lot of manipulation of video and graphics here. And for the home user, the ability to play a game or two at a decent frame rate makes quite a difference, usually.

I could have a refurbished, warranteed CRT iMac that would be broadly similar to your systems, but with better video, for around $450. A used one with 90 day warrantee for around $350.

Basically, the current models of Mac are all much more machine than what you built, and Windows-2000 doesn't really compare to MacOS X Jaguar. And I didn't have to build this one. (I have built many PC-type machines for Linux use, though.)

I still maintain that the eMac is a better value for the average home or small business user for the standpoint of features, ease of use, software package, and reliability.

[toddzilla]

92. don't use creative math to make your point though.

additional memory would be 102.00 to double what i have there. 256 is more than adequate, 512 is overkill, and 768 is massive overkill. mac and pc systems don't use memory in a similar way from what knowledge i have.

cd-r drives instead of cd drives would cost an additional 20 bucks each, maybe.

a 40 gig hard drive is about 30 gigs larger than needed.

no windows operating system compares to OSX, so that's not even an issue with me, i know os-x is better, but so is a 5 ghz processor, it's irrelevant and doesn't really factor in to what i consider average business use. it takes an hour to build a system. you can add an adequate gaming card for about 50 bucks a system. however you slice it, if you're buying new, a PC is cheaper for the intended use. if you're talking brand loyalty that's fine, but bear in mind most people have no experience in running on a mac platform and would create problems with re-training, and tech support because many more poeple are comfortable troubleshooting PCs because of obvious market share issues. i built a higher end system recently for 484 dollars, that had much better specs than these, not including a monitor. i'm not anti-mac, but i'm a long time gamer, and macs have poor gaming choices.

[benburch]

93. I was bringing it up to 768.

Not doubling it. I was trying to make the two systems equivalent. Large memory size is really important when you are manipulating large graphics and video clips, which I do, or running many, many programs at once, which I also do. Deduct $114 from the cost of the original eMac machine to remove the added RAM.

I use the huge hard drive for serving the audio files of White Rose, so I needed that, too. Right now I have a 1.5 year long archive of several radio shows, and I'm adding 120 MB to it every day. Again, I was quoting a 60 GB drive to make an equivalent system.

I don't have a beef with PCs. I own a couple. How else would I play Microsoft Train Simulator, after all? But I still think that the case can be made that a Mac is a cost effective choice for the average user. And certainly it is a great choice for the non-technical user as it requires almost no maintenance.

[Deja Q]

66. Short and succinct, I wish you'd said more to defend your stance.

They are way overpriced compared to the competition, but I've heard they're good performing machines.

However, I see the market switching to Linux thanks to its lower cost and better performance than Winbloat, even if Microsoft stands behind TCPA.

[alfredo]

70. I see over 9,000 titles

at http://osx.hyperjeff.net/

maybe even more here:
http://www.macupdate.com/

Many are free.

It is nice having a 64 bit UNIX box on the desktop that can run OSX, UNIX, and Windows at the same time.


You know that Macs run Windows? Look up Virtual PC.

[NJmaverick]

43. Yet another reason to move away from buying Dells

No need to help out the repukes anymore then I have to.

[burrowowl]

3. Good post! eom

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ClassWarrior]

29. What ever happened to buy the best product period?

That would be an Apple.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

33. Actually, no. I won't forget politics.

I buy whatever the hell I feel like. And yes, sometimes buying decisions of mine ARE influenced by politics. (buy pizza from Domino's or from the local mom-n-pop joint? Support slave labor and wage depletion by buying Wal-Mart or go to Costco?) Surprise, surprise -- that hasn't made me poor!

You have a problem with that?

[emulatorloo]

38. Dell tech support in India, Apple Tech Support in Austin Tx

[Tuttle]

16. The ONLY picture I've ever seen of Bush at a computer

he was using a Mac.

And it's well known that one of Apple's loudest proponents is Limbaugh.

People should buy and use whatever works for them... Rush and W sure have.

Tut-tut

[w4rma]

26. Al Gore sits on the board of Apple. (nt)

[HootieMcBoob]

31. And I think I remember reading that

Steve Jobs is on the board of Gore's new cable news venture.

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

28. Steve Jobs is advising Kerry

Also, Limbaugh is always saying he wants to be an advertiser for Apple, but they have never asked him, so obviously they don't want him. And I love my iMac.

[JohnLocke]

51. A Macintosh is in my future.

[emulatorloo]

61. Here are some good shopping sites for you

http://dealmac.com/

http://www.lowendmac.com/deals.shtml

[Zech Marquis]

90. Steve's been dropping some serious coin to the Dems

Bradley, Senator Kennedy, Kerry, I assume Pelosi is his House rep...and Lucy liu as well :bounce: so Steve Jobs, Jennifer Garner--whom i'm starting to like more and more--and Lucy liu...awesome!

of course the dickhead Dell is a :puke: lover

[girl gone mad]

4. Michael Dell is a billionaire..

several times over. I don't think he is still the CEO of Dell, though he is still the primary shareholder, which is where his forutne derives from.

I don't know that boycotting Dell computers would make any more of a difference than the Freepers boycotting Heinz ketchup.

[theHandpuppet]

7. Michael Dell...

... is one of Dubya's close personal friends and you can bet your bottom dollar that in addition to being one of the GOP's top contributors (see the "Mother Jones 400" at http://www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/mojo_400/ ) that Dell execs are "encouraged" to make similar contributions to Bush's campaign.

Buy Dell and you might as well make out your check to the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[theHandpuppet]

10. Do you find some need to shout?

You suggest that people "forget politics" when making their consumer purchases. Funny, the CEOs of these high-tech companies know exactly how to play the political game by making major contributions to political parties. To think otherwise is naive.

Here's a brief but insightful look at the political machinations of high-tech political contributors:
http://www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/mojo_400/tech.html

[theHandpuppet]

11. Illogical

No one here said anything about taking away someone's right to donate to the political party of their choice. As consumers people DO, however, have a perfect right either to buy or to boycott companies whose execs make political contributions in order to influence policy, whether that company is Halliburton, Dell, Wal-Mart or even Apple.

Forget politics? What an odd thing to say on THIS forum.

[burythehatchet]

18. whaaaaaaa?

this forum is about politics? damn. I knew I made an extra left turn.

:)

Buy Macs. They ARE the best product on the market. The fact that Jobs is a Dem makes me look at upgrading my G4 Powerbook very soon.

[theHandpuppet]

65. Yep...

Count me as a happy Mac owner!

[lojasmo]

87. Just bought a G4 ibook to sit with my G3 ibook

Now, the hardware is beautiful, but is of marginal quality, the service is marginal, but the SOFTWARE is beyond pale. nearly any peripheral is cleanly plug-and-play. I know nothing about computers, but have NO problem troubleshooting whatever glitches may arise.

I may not buy another NEW apple product, but I will NEVER buy another machine with windows loaded on it. If I ever own another PC, it will be built by me, and will be running some linux distro.

[KharmaTrain]

13. Buyer Beware

Yes, buy what you need WHEN you know what you're buying. Given the choice between purchasing an MS-based machine, I'd never consider Dell more based on the poor service and quality of their machines than for Michael Dell's politics. A bad salesman at even the most "liberal friendly" business will drive me out the door and never back.

That said, now I do carefully study people I buy from and work with...and now seeing how much Mr. Dell's in the Kool-Aid factory I'll surely pass that info on to others I know who have his machines or deal with his company. It's information and let the consumer take it from there.

I think we can go over the top in the PC or "PP" correctness, but I see a place where one can make a statement or just to feel good. I avoid Wal-Marts, more for my support for the small merchants it destroys than for its support for the GOOP, but the later just emphasizes the former...and I know others who feel the same. I won't stop buying a Dozen Krispy Kreme donuts for my office on Fridays, but I sure won't be using them to cater a party next month like we had in the past...and so on.

There are companies, Sinclair Broadcasting was a great example, where political donations aren't "mandatory", but be assured that your name showing up on Mr. Newsmeat's list with a donation to an (R) listed on it will be noted by the up-and-ups in the corporation that will ensure your nice six figure job and move you up the corporate ladder. To say there isn't coersion in the workplace is not always the case...and the Repugnicans have found very subtle ways of doing it. Donate and you're a "patriot" a "pioneer", donate to Democrats and you're a labor-sucking pig.

[coda]

19. NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT TAKING RIGHTS AWAY!

EXCEPT YOU! :shrug:

[ithacan]

21. BOYCOTT BUSINESSES THAT SUPPORT REPUBLICANS!!!

They are traitors to this country!

[notbush]

80. Where you gonna buy your gas?

[emulatorloo]

37. Jobs is a Dem and a friend of the Clintons and advises Kerry and has Gore

on the board of directors of Apple. There are billionaires and there are billionaires. I prefer the ones on our side.

[President Jesus]

9. Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO

company profile
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=DELL

[Walt Starr]

23. Dell is still CEO of Dell

Don't kid yourself. Buying a Dell computer is the same as a direct donation to Bush.

My wife and I are about to purchase a new computer and Dell is at the bottom of the list for potentials.

[benburch]

6. Buy an Apple!

Steve Jobs is on Kerry's board of advisors!

[union_maid]

12. Fair enough, but...

Do you have any poltically responsible suggestions if you really don't want a Mac? I don't for a lot of reasons and would need a PC of some kind if I were to replace what I've got.

[sendero]

14. There are a gillion....

.... companies on the net who will customize a box to your specifications and get it to you pretty fast. If you live in a larger city, you can easily find a computer shop that does the same.

Computers are a total commodity now. The components Dell puts in their computers are just boards and drives made in China and bolted together with their name on it. Cut out the middleman.

[LWolf]

17. This is my question, too.

I've owned 2 Dells, which were far superior to the previous IBM, HP, and AST machines.

For me, "far superior" means that I get someone to build what I want since I don't know how to do it myself, and it always works. No downtime. No service calls or dropping off the computer for service. It just always works.

On the down side, I did have to call Dell with a question about my antivirus software. I couldn't find it on the machine. Why? Because they forgot to load it. And they are "outsourcing" their tech support, at least some of it, based on the person on the other end of my phone.

My computer should last a few more years, but my son and my mom are both in the market. What should I recommend for superior performance and political correctness, both?

[wtmusic]

32. Don't give up on Mac--yet

I have 'converted' two close friends who insisted they'd never switch. Both use their computers extensively in a business environment, and have had zero compatibility problems. Zero.

Plus, a much more reliable operating system. Give it a try--you won't go back.

[benburch]

48. Just so...

People whose experience with the Mac was ten years ago really owe it to themselves to try a modern Mac with MacOS X installed! Not only does it never, ever crash, but you can install and run a plethora of the open source software that people normally associate with Linux.

Check out http://fink.sourceforge.net for details on one such open source system you can install in minutes.

[immoderate]

69. Here's some more fuel for the fire...

http://www.xvsxp.com

I'm a long time Mac fan. I need to have Windows for my work, which is computer training. I want my Mac back.

I think availability of software is a red herring. Say the PC has 50,000 titles available, and maybe the Mac has only 10,000. How long will it take to run out of titles?

And now the Mac OS is a full blown Unix box. It comes with Apache server, the most common in the industry. Admittedly there are fields where Mac software is not available, like residential real estate. But those folks would rather have typewriters.

--IMM

[President Jesus]

15. Chairman/Ceo of Hewlett-Packard (Compaq) also *-lover

Carleton Fiorina
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=CA&last=Fiorina&first=Carleton

[mrgorth]

22. I recently bought a PowerMac G4

and I love it. I love it even more now. MACS RULE!

I've heard good things about these guys though:
http://www.alienware.com

Don't know about the CEO's politics.

[liberalitch]

24. I am a computer idiot, bush/rush are just plain idiots...

that would explain all of our needs for MACs.

[hayu_lol]

30. I dunno, when you need a tool, instrument, machine to do a job for you...

you tend to buy the tool, instrument, machine that will do the best job for you at the most reasonable cost.

Over the past 3 1/2 years, I have bought 3 Dells for a total of almost $8K. None of the three have had any problems, have done what I needed them for, and never let me down. When tech support was needed, it was easy to contact Dell, they were efficient and solved whatever problem I was faced with.

Pretty hard to argue against machines that perform flawlessly...year after year...and that can accept upgrades without problems.

It would be great if we could always find a company that supported our politics, but this is difficult. What we can do is buy what we need...and be sure to let the company know that they are getting Liberal dollars...and that we disapprove of their attachment to the people we are opposed to. Perhaps the only comfort in this situation comes from the knowledge that buying what we need provides jobs for fellow Americans.

[President Jesus]

27. Alienware CEO also a Bush* donor

weird list...
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=FL&last=Gonzalez&first=Nelson

[mrgorth]

39. Shit! Sorry.

[benburch]

94. A Liberal Mac Outlet

http://www.SmallDog.com/

They sponsor Thom Hartmann's show.

[w4rma]

25. Dell is overpriced, imho. Btw, what is a good pre-built computer corp?(nt)

[SaveElmer]

45. Not that important

It is not immoral to simply be a Republican, or to donate to them. If I tried to evaluate all of my product purchases based on what political party the CEO belongs to, I wouldn't be able to buy anything. And, I wouldn't be talking to half of my family. Should I also refuse to work for a company with a Republican CEO ? Where do you draw the line ?

That's not to say there aren't certain individuals I would avoid, like those who go way beyond simply donating or supporting a poltical party - Richard Mellon Scaife comes to mind.

But in general, the political persuasion of the CEO is just not that important. The quality and price of the product is the defining factor for me.

I'd be willing to be there are alot of Democrat employees of Dell as well.

[samsingh]

50. i was sad to see this

i have established Dell as a corporate standard at many companies, but not in the future.

Dell - you've lost many, many sales by contributing to the repugs. it will make a difference somewhere in your balance sheets.

[Elwood P Dowd]

52. I currently own two iMacs

One purchased in 1999 and the other in 2000. They never crash or give me any problems. Except to add RAM once, they've never been worked on. I've never even had to reload the operating system. That's 9 years of perfect working order between the two.

I'm no computer guru, so before I purchased the two Apples I picked the
brain of an educator who used both PCs and Apples. He had nothing but
praise for the iMacs, so that was that. Just my two cents......

[fujiyama]

55. I haven't been very impressed

with the Dells I've used -- whether the Celeron that we have (I didn't purchase it), or the Pentium that my sister has, or those at school.

Granted it may be the fact that some were Celerons or that the computers themselves had too much crap on it (spyware, etc), but either way I don't really see anything that great about them.

I'm not a big fan of Apple either (though I like their designs and agree with Jobs' politics)...

People might want to consider buying a computer from a local seller (granted the quality can vary) but sometimes they can give you good deals.

I personally bought the components and put together my own. It runs great. I have control over the components I buy...I got a good deal..and it's not very difficult to put it together.

[LifeDuringWartime]

57. dont forget

spyware and viruses dont exist for mac os x. even though you will get popups if you dont use safari's pop up blocker, they dont become infested.

there have been a few scares about clever trojan horses for osx, but i think people merely discovered that they were possible, not that they were happening.

[newsguyatl]

56. damn, and i was gonna buy a dell soon too

but not anymore... thanks for showing this.

[Nlighten1]

62. This is true but...

it is also true of ALL of the major technology companies I would wager.

I would recommend a Dell to my clients any day because HP sux.

[mzmolly]

63. I wish I had it to do over again. I have a Dell and shoulda bought a mac!

:(

[AlCzervik]

72. I got my first Mac about 5 months ago

and i love it....Dell is a computer without a soul.

[emulatorloo]

75. No Problem, you will need to replace the Dell in a few yrs. . .EOM

[Feanorcurufinwe]

64. What's Leahy doing on the list?

Baucus is no surprise, but Leahy? :wtf:

[fujiyama]

78. Leahy

has taken several contributions from tech and media company executives. Same goes with Daschle. I'm not familiar in what way they have championed causes favorable toward these companies, but they have taken money from some of them.

[Cronus Protagonist]

83. I am personally responsible for DELL losing more than $20,000 in sales

And I will continue in my efforts. I wonder how much I can cost DELL in my remaining lifetime.... my guess is probably more than a million, but they'll be out of business before I can reach that magic number.

Click here for fair and balanced yet stunning, insulting, shocking, funny buttons, magnets and stickers

[Moloch]

84. Hmm..

he seems to like Patrick Leahy quite a bit..

[SmileyBoy]

85. Gawd, I'm fucking sick of this cult mentality that Mac owners have.

GET A FUCKING GRIP.

[RummyTheDummy]

86. Here! Here!

It's a little creepy sometimes. I use a G4 where I work. We use a pagination program called Quark. I've used the same program on a PC of similar specs and it worked much, much better on the PC. Very unstable on the Mac plus the Mac version is double the cost of the PC version.

I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop at home and I love it. I got it just before Christmas at Circuit City for 700 bucks thanks to a pre-Christmas sale and rebates (hint-that's a great time of year to buy a machine whether you're a PC or Mac user).

I think Macs have their strengths. The photo and video editing stuff is great as is the Ipod but you can use one of those with a PC. It's all about what fits your need. If you're a gamer, forget about buying a Mac. If you're using it just for business and surfing the net and you have the money, which is no minor detail to SOME PEOPLE, then a Mac is a pretty good way to go.

Having used both and being pretty dispassionate about the debate, I'm not sure Mac's are really worthy of the fanaticism Apple fans exhibit. But that doesn't mean they're a bad product either.

[benburch]

97. Cult mentality?

Geeze. I have no brand loyalty. If Apple makes a shitty mac, like the Performa 6320 was, I'll say so. But I use on a daily basis Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. I am a professional software developer, and I strongly prefer the mac for a number of reasons!

Its you Windows people I suspect of having a cult mentality. I can't even get the average Windows user to give a Mac a try; they often look at me like I was asking them to cook and eat their Mom for dinner.

[bleedingheart]

95. I have found Dell products to be inferior

I have had great luck with HP and computers that have been built at home using a variety of parts...