How to act wisely, when "Mine is bigger than yours"
As ordinary consumers, we face many challenges. In the computer field, we are faced with ever increasing variety of machines, operating systems and software. Most irritating is the need to stay abreast with the pathetic reliance of the industry on jargon.
You walk into a computer shop and listen to a salesman; you begin to wonder what on earth the person is saying. Everything you glance at, he picks on, makes you feel that you have to have one.
Many questions, suspicions cloud your mind.
Collusion between technology patrons? Why do operating systems, in spite of performing the same tasks, demand more memory capacities and higher processor speeds, with each upgrade?
Who will determine what will hit the shelves? Will it be technology? Will it be on the merits of the technology? Will it be the fancies of the great public - the consumers?
How did the IBM/PC + the Microsoft OS combination capture the market, in competition with the outstanding product: Apple?
What tipped the scales? Performance, stability, security, usability,... and all those qualities that should have pushed the deserving product forward?
Say you want a computer. I emphasise on the term "want". How would you get about acquiring one?First, you have to decide whether you want a new one or a second-hand one. If you are thinking of buying, invariably you will go for a new computer. What do you do? You do a bit of market research. You wound consult the catalogues, watch TV advertisements, consult your friends. What sort of information would you be gathering? Obviously, first the price. Then comes the specifications, the manufacturer, what goodies you get free and so on. You might visit a shop or two and look at what is on offer. Perhaps the looks of the computers also may influence you. Of course you will go for a so-called Windows machine. That is what everybody knows about. They are the ones practically all ordinary citizens have heard about. Some may have heard of Apple machines, rather vaguely, perhaps.
Now, having chosen the stable, which particular processor will you go for - Intel or AMD? I think it is a matter of price, rather than that of performance, that should influence the choice here.
What other factors should you consider? A salesperson could drown you in numbers and facts. Whatever you buy will be more than sufficient to do the work you want it to do.
One thing is glaringly missing here. That is, why do you need a computer, and to do what?
People ask me for advice when they think of buying computers. This is the first question I ask from the potential buyers. It may sound strange, but many people hardly consider this fact as very important.
It is not surprising to see the vast majority of computer users use their machines to perform a standard set of tasks. To list them: Word processing, Internet surfing, E-mailing, Solitaire...
Then the growing, specialist group: Gamers.
To lesser extent: Photo Editing.
To even lesser extent: Software Developers, enterprise workers, system managers...
So, if you belong to the first group, would you consider essential to buy a 4-processor Pentium 4 machine with 4GB of memory and 1TerraByte of disc storage, with a 22-inch monitor?
If you do not take work home, would you consider it necessary to buy a high-spec laptop?
As a gamer, you will go for the fastest processor plus the best graphic card you can afford and a good monitor.
Photo editing requires different equipment: Fast processors, large memories to handle the heavy number crunching involved. Then, the most important requirement is the monitor, where you view the results. No need to say that the monitor should faithfully reproduce the results. I would personally go for a good old cathode ray tube type of monitor in this situation, assuming you can still get one. Then you will also need large amounts of disc space to store your images. You might also buy a scanner - photo/slide/negative - of affordable quality. A graphic tablet is also very useful. It is far easier to manipulate images using a pen than using a mouse.
Well, if you are one of the last group, you are quite capable of arriving at an intelligent decision about your kit.
That is, if you are buying a new machine.
What if you decide to buy a second-hand machine? Good idea. There are very good, reasonably priced machines offering respectable performance. But, at the moment, the prices of new machines are so low compared to prices of second-hand machines that it is hardly worthwhile considering that option. Unless, of course, they come at ridiculously low prices.
There is another way satisfy your "want". That is, if someone offers you a machine free. Grab it, I would advice you!! There is nothing to lose, except your time if something really goes bad.
Accepting a free machine has many advantages, in addition to being free. It may come with an already installed OS plus lots of other software packages. So, you could go into business straightaway with it.
There can be negative things as well: there may be hidden problems with it, like lurking viruses, corrupt software and so on. It is a good idea to interrogate the giver as to why the machine is given away free.
A safe bet is to completely clean the machine, i.e. its disc drives and reinstall an OS of your choice and other software as needed. The giver may donate you the original software CDs to you. Buying an OS is not that expensive either.
What I have not touched yet is the need for a reliable and trustworthy operating system. When you are buying new machines these days, the machine will come a pre-installed OS. If it is a Windows machine, it will be Windows Vista Home Edition. You cannot argue. You take what is given. But, at least one company: Dell offers you a choice: Windows XP or Linux. Linux? What is that? I hear you ask.
IBM is taking the bold step of offering a series of personal computers, which are "Microsoft Free". Welcome news for some, no doubt! They will offer a Linux OS, with the office packet: OpenOffice.
What is important to remember is, if you are switching to a new OS, from where can you get support. Most of the time, we depend on our friends and colleagues, although there are "Help" facilities available in the computer.
One of the really important factors easily overlooked is the question of warranty. One year warranty seems standard. Some offer 3-year warranties. Some are extendable, with extra payments. Some offer replacement in the field. I suggest you go for the best from your point of view. If you don't mind getting your fingers dirty, then 1 year warranties may do.
My son bought an Acer laptop running, as I said, Windows Vista, having 1GB memory. My daughter bought an Apple Mac Book, running OS-X, having 1 GB memory. They both hit the start button for the first time simultaneously. Guess…
Apple Mac was up and running within 20 mins, with all the software installed and prepared, while the Acer was still struggling after 90 mins.
The Apple Mac started showing problems with the screen within 6 months. This was fixed free and was back in service within 2 weeks. The Acer suddenly died one day, luckily with one month to spare. It took 6 weeks to get it repaired. Its speed continued to bug my son, and his whinges bugged us in turn. So, we upgraded the memory to the maximum possible: 3 GB. It is still lagging behind the Apple Mac in terms of speed.
OK. You have got your computer. Naturally you want to connect it to the Internet. To do that, you need a company who offers connections to the Internet. They are called "Internet Service Providers" (ISP). They give you a connection, and also a mailbox for your e-mails. Now, one has to pay for this connection. The rates vary depending on the "bandwidth" or the speed of the connection and other services they offer.
Internet connections are notorious for their unreliability. For instance, there could be problems with your browser, with your ISP. When you connect to a Web site somewhere, the information could be arriving from the other side of the world. So, there could be glitches on the way. What you can easily avoid are problems at your end and those with the ISP.
It is wise to select an ISP, which has a good reputation for good and reliable service. Especially look for good words on their support in solving problems. Some are really notorious for their poor online support.
Now, how much bandwidth, i.e. what sort of connection speed would you settle for? The fastest you can afford to pay? It isn't that simple. There are many variables in this game. The fact that you have a fast connection WILL NOT guarantee information from sites to arrive at that rate. So, when things appear to move slowly, be patient, unless it is always slow - doesn't show any variation during the day. During the business day, the main parts of the Internet channels get really full. It is like the motorway system. The fact that you have a high performance car does not mean that you can drive at maximum speed during rush hours.
Having jumped over all these hurdles, there is the final hurdle of securing your machine.
It may help you to scan this page for what could be on the horizon...
If you need any help and advice in any of these areas, please get in touch. I am more than happy to help.