Want a new laptop but do I want Windows 8?

[JasG]

Were your wife and kids accounts set up with passwords for each of them or just names?

I haven't messed with multiple accounts on W 8.1 yet, but it is my understanding that the first profile used to set up a new machine becomes the administrator automatically. Others can be added with real MS hotmail/outlook accounts
and have remote access from anywhere from other devices if desired or dummy users can be set up with no real account that can be used like the "Public" account in W-7.
In 7 I set up an admin account requiring a password to make changes that require Admin authority but run the pc in general on individual accounts to protect it from outside access by bad guys. That means if I try to change something while in a normal user account I have to enter the Admin password to do it, but I think that is a small inconvenience for the extra protection added.

Each one had their own password. From what I was told by tech support everyone needs to an admin. I had the same issue with a gateway laptop I bought a couple months ago for the kids to use for school work. It was supposed to have the issues fixed by then and setting up the other accounts was a different process from what I remember. Yet the result was the same, it just lasted about 6 weeks instead of about 2 days like my desk top did 10 months ago.

For the reasons you listed, I have always set it up with only myself as the admin. One of our IT guys where I work has had the same issue with his home computer, he hates 8.

 

[longrangelarry]

Consider what happens if/when software suppliers stop supporting Windows 7. It could be a long time, or it could be a short time for some critical software you use. The other emerging trend is not being able to buy the software at all, but only rent it. I read that PhotoShop is going that way, for example. You pay $100 a year and get constant updates...until they no longer support your operating system. And that's all I know about that!

 

[Soundguy]

A good example is how CPM always wanted the Radio Shack 10" floppy drives to step too fast, causing CRC errors. I liked it when we proved that software was the problem, I could still charge but not have to fix anything.

i remember back in the ibm pc days.. there was a lil utility that actually slowed down drive access time to prevent crc errors from difficult reads.

net result was FASTER disk reads due to less retries.

 

[pacerron]

Consider what happens if/when software suppliers stop supporting Windows 7. It could be a long time, or it could be a short time for some critical software you use. The other emerging trend is not being able to buy the software at all, but only rent it. I read that PhotoShop is going that way, for example. You pay $100 a year and get constant updates...until they no longer support your operating system. And that's all I know about that!

All the software that is compatible with W-7 is supposed to be compatible with W-8.1 Any old software that would not run in W-7
could be run in W-7 using the XP mode. I never had a problem running old software in W-7. It even runs PAF 5.2 which has been around since W 95/98 days.
Some accessory hardware like printers and scanners usually need new driver downloads but they are provided automatically by MS or the equipment manufacturer.
Adobe products like Photoshop are available for sale or for rent depending on the customer's use rate and/or finances.
Some folks use Photoshop, for instance, at work, but only have an occasional use for it at home and don't want to invest that much money to own a copy. Everything is being pushed toward on line programs and cloud storage, primarily because the tiny mobile devices that folks want to use as computers don't have enough drive storage to accommodate giant bloated software programs and very large media files. Look what Google is doing.
All this online processing and cloud storage is going to require an active internet connection to do anything.
At this point in time the "internet" that we private citizens know as the "Web" is free except for the cost of the ISO but the future
may very well hold an additional charge for the web itself, once everyone is hooked and have to be online to do what, "in the old days" could be done with local computer software.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I noticed a few faults in that article. If I'm not mistaken windows has dropped support for XP. He is wrong on that count. And mavericks supports macs all the way back to 2006 or 2007. I am running mavericks on my 2008 MacBook Pro. It is faster and runs longer on battery than the previous OS. I'm sure there will be some bugs to iron out. There always is on any new software

Support for Windows XP will end on April 8, 2014. It's getting close. It was a very popular OS.

 

[techwrtr2]

I have yet to find myself fond of the *nix variants. Make a habit of giving several a whirl every year to see how they are coming, I currently have Mint (I think) on my old Eee netbook. It works "ok" but I don't consider it really ready yet. As long as the *nix variants remain the province of the nerdy set, they won't find themselves in the mainstream with most users avoiding them all.

For a person who has one computer only and never does anything beyond email and web, they're ok. To do real work requires a higher level of technical sophistication than is present in most users. They are improving and eventually will be decision not made on whether you'll be able to do anything significant with it. *Nix has a far greater level of customization possibilities enhanced both by the open source nature of Linux and the variety of distros. It's why so many folk have come to prefer the Andoid ecosystem for cell phones. I've had the pleasure of trying numerous images on my phone all tweaked by folk with great creativity and know how.

As far as Win 8.*, it's a very different OS from Win 7. I've been using 8 on my personal laptop for a year now and still have to hunt for things occasionally. Presently I'm on the 8.1 preview and find it an improvement. I'll be moving to the RTM version this week when I get around to it.

OSX is a good platform, I'd consider one if my wallet didn't scream at me. Of course when I spec out a new WinTel laptop, my wallet screams as well.

If you are buying new, do as others have suggested and order a business class machine. Personally, regardless of the OS, I recommend doing that in all cases and avoiding the "consumer" oriented models found in stores like Walmart or Best Buy. Invariably they include more crap than the average Port-o-potty and you spend too many hours trying to remove it. Far less crap when you order a spec built business class machien from HP or Dell. My last workstation I purchased pre-built from a distributor and it still was a very clean machine including only a DVD burner and DVD player app... nothing in the way of crap.

 

[westcliffe01]

I don't know what line of business you are in, but in engineering, Linux is extensively used for applications that require a lot of processor and graphic power. Computational fluid dynamics, for example typically runs on Linux "clusters" (multi processor) and can crank away for hours, days or weeks at full power to solve a single "run". I believe that Linux is also somewhat of a standard for internet servers and the "back end" of online retail systems. There are turnkey server systems that one can order for running an online business and website. These are "real" high power applications, not gaming...

 

[aczlan]

I don't know what line of business you are in, but in engineering, Linux is extensively used for applications that require a lot of processor and graphic power. Computational fluid dynamics, for example typically runs on Linux "clusters" (multi processor) and can crank away for hours, days or weeks at full power to solve a single "run". I believe that Linux is also somewhat of a standard for internet servers and the "back end" of online retail systems. There are turnkey server systems that one can order for running an online business and website. These are "real" high power applications, not gaming...

True, but its rarely found on the desktop which is what we are discussing in this thread.
That is reinforced by techwrtr2 referencing Mint which bills itself as a "elegant, easy to use, up to date and comfortable GNU/Linux desktop distribution"

Aaron Z

 

[txdon]

Reading these post it seems to me PCs should cost more than MACs. PCs are much more complicated.
Hmmm, maybe there's an extra price to pay for simplicity that works without tweaking, add-ons, or anti programs.

 

[troutsqueezer]

Reading these post it seems to me PCs should cost more than MACs. PCs are much more complicated.
Hmmm, maybe there's an extra price to pay for simplicity that works without tweaking, add-ons, or anti programs.

That's just it. PC's can cost way more than Mac's. There's an endless variety of them which is why they are the dominant species.