I work in IT designing Windows based server systems, run several linux boxes and use PCs and Macs at home. If you want something that just works, it's a no brainer IMO - go for a Mac every time.
Yes they can be more expensive than a base level PC but the hardware build quality is much better (I have never bled in a Mac, every PC I've ever owned has cut me to pieces when I get the cover off), the software is more reliable and the OS is just plain easier to work with - there is a reason why most PC manufacturers supply machines with Vista installed and offer XP as an "upgrade".
Having said that, when I purchased my twin CPU G5 PowerMac I specced up a roughly equivalent PC from Dell and it was 700 quid more expensive so the price differential isn't true in every case.
I have never had an issue getting a Mac to do the tasks I need it to do. There isn't the range of software to be sure, but what is available tends to be of a better quality. If you want a better range of software, install Fink then the world of Linux software opens up for you. If you want office, download and install X from apple and install Openoffice - free and compatible with MS Office.
To me, it's a tool. All tools require a level of maintenance to keep them working, but Windows just needs too much TLC to keep working reliably
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DaWookie
Over 90 days ago
Straight Male, 56
0 miles · Greater London
Forum
Last weekend I managed to get a chill on my lower back which although minor was pretty uncomfortable. My good lady (as is her wont) was doing her Florence Nightingale routine and doing her best to make me comfortable, plying me with painkillers and OTC meds, fluffing my pillows (fnar, fnar) and making sure I’ve plenty of tea etc. Come Monday morning, I’m still in a fair amount of pain so…
She says: “Do you want me to Deep Heat you?”
I hear: “Do you want me to DP you?”
Cue a confused look and a reply of “Well, I’m game but can it wait until I’m better and the kids are in bed?”
Is it just me? :doh:
She says: “Do you want me to Deep Heat you?”
I hear: “Do you want me to DP you?”
Cue a confused look and a reply of “Well, I’m game but can it wait until I’m better and the kids are in bed?”
Is it just me? :doh:
Both our kids have been homeschooled from the get go and both have worked out fine - now 16 and 14 respectively.
School is fundamentally an artificial environment - where else will you spend most of your life with a 50-50 split of males and females who just happen to have been born in the same calendar year as you?
Modern schools are more an exercise in crowd control & meeting quotas than imparting information in a thought provoking fashion, however much individual teachers may try otherwise.
As for how do you teach them, the answer is simple - you learn the stuff as well! If you love learning you have a chance to pass it on to your kids and reduce the amount of uninformed shite they get passed via peer pressure which can only be a good thing IMHO.
Sure home educating isn't for everyone (I know families where I'm glad that the kids have somewhere to go to get away from home), but if your children don't fit the pattern laid out by the system then it's got to be a better option. Most people either don't think you can or it's too hard but for a lot of people school is free childcare and that more than anything is what sets the expectation for it as low as they currently are.
My two pence worth.
School is fundamentally an artificial environment - where else will you spend most of your life with a 50-50 split of males and females who just happen to have been born in the same calendar year as you?
Modern schools are more an exercise in crowd control & meeting quotas than imparting information in a thought provoking fashion, however much individual teachers may try otherwise.
As for how do you teach them, the answer is simple - you learn the stuff as well! If you love learning you have a chance to pass it on to your kids and reduce the amount of uninformed shite they get passed via peer pressure which can only be a good thing IMHO.
Sure home educating isn't for everyone (I know families where I'm glad that the kids have somewhere to go to get away from home), but if your children don't fit the pattern laid out by the system then it's got to be a better option. Most people either don't think you can or it's too hard but for a lot of people school is free childcare and that more than anything is what sets the expectation for it as low as they currently are.
My two pence worth.
There is a freely available tool for windows called TweakUI which has settings to clear up most of the awkward material automagically as it were - do a google search and you should be good to go.
In the past, I've done the following:
1. Manually delete any obviously dodgy files.
2. Delete any obviously dodgy e-mails
3. Delete all cookies and all offline content from IE
4, Search for any files for hidden copies (look for *.jpg and you'll get a list of all JPEGS for example.)
5. Run tweakui and clear up everything.
6. Defragment the hard drive. This step makes it harder to recover any data because bits of the files will be overwrtitten as the disk is reorganised - not foolproof but effective and simple to do.
Short of disposing of the hard disk in a furnace, you can't make it impossible to recover, just not worth the while of an idle techie. In my experience, if there is no obvious porn, they will just follow IT department policy and rebuild the machine with a standard build which will overwrite whatever is left on the disk. Smaller comapnies may just check it over and put it back it the storeroom if it looks okay.
In the past, I've done the following:
1. Manually delete any obviously dodgy files.
2. Delete any obviously dodgy e-mails
3. Delete all cookies and all offline content from IE
4, Search for any files for hidden copies (look for *.jpg and you'll get a list of all JPEGS for example.)
5. Run tweakui and clear up everything.
6. Defragment the hard drive. This step makes it harder to recover any data because bits of the files will be overwrtitten as the disk is reorganised - not foolproof but effective and simple to do.
Short of disposing of the hard disk in a furnace, you can't make it impossible to recover, just not worth the while of an idle techie. In my experience, if there is no obvious porn, they will just follow IT department policy and rebuild the machine with a standard build which will overwrite whatever is left on the disk. Smaller comapnies may just check it over and put it back it the storeroom if it looks okay.
