Recommend a Computer for Me

[Scout26]

Okay, I'll be getting my bonus here in about a month, should be fairly decent.  I'm going to get a shotgun or two (probably a SxS and an O/U Make model TBD), a Garand from CMP and new computer.   But, not necessarily in that order, per Mrs Scout.

The old computer caught a virus and is dead.  Dead as in BIOS dead.  (Heck it was a PeoplePC running Win 98, so it needed killin'.)

Anywho, we don't need nothing fancy or blazing fast.  We're going to upgrade from Dial-up to DSL probably.  Just something Mrs Scout (TOTAL NON-COMPUTER USER) can use to pay bills on-line and send e-mail to family and friends.  So good security/firewall protection is a must.  (That's how I think we lost the last computer, probably from an e-mail that she should not have opened.  Yep, Mrs Socut would open and click on links in EVERY e-mail sent to her.)  

We don't play games on-line or anything like that, just cruise the internet a little, send e-mail, We use Quicken, Turbo Tax, and MS Office for word processing and spreadsheets.  Looking for something in the say $600 or less range.  

Fire away !!!

[TarpleyG]

For all you need...something like this.  Cheap and stable...no viruses, etc.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/71501/wo/rk3cb9V2TEus2FwJR3g1FqPp1st/0.SLID?nclm=Macmini&mco=B183D5F8

[Sindawe]

Unless Mrs. Scout is ready to relearn a computer, don't get the Apple.  No slight on their products, but making the transitions from one platform to another can be...challenging.

Sub $600, look for a used computer vender in your area.  Also, Dell sells some "refurbished" boxes in that price range.  Some are returns, some a scratch/dent, some a canceled orders.  The only hitch is that the warranty on 'em in only 90 days.  I've put four of 'em into use with no issues.

Firewall: I use and like Kerio on my personal box, since it monitors/blocks incoming AND outgoing traffic. http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Kerio.cfm

Anti-Virus: I use GriSoft's AVG Anti-Virus on ALL my boxes, no infections in 2+ years, and the only virus that even came close was an email virus spread via my now employers mail system (before I came on board)

Malware: Commercial App I use is Webroot's SpySweeper http://www.webroot.com/  backed up by Spy-Bot and AdAware free versions.

[Dave Markowitz]

For all you need...something like this.  Cheap and stable...no viruses, etc.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/71501/wo/rk3cb9V2TEus2FwJR3g1FqPp1st/0.SLID?nclm=Macmini&mco=B183D5F8

I agree.  Yes, Mac OS is different than Windows.  Yes, it will take a little getting used to.  Guess what -- going from Windows 98 to Windows XP is not a seamless transition, either.  The time and aggravation saved by having an overall much more user-friendly and vastly more secure system are worth it.  IMHO the Mac Mini is the best home computer on the market if you're not a gamer or need to run apps that are Windows-only.  MS Office and Quicken are available for Mac OS if you need them, BTW.

FWIW, I've been using an Apple iBook G4 as my main 'puter since 12/04 and love both it and the software.  Prior to that, my main desktop operating system was SUSE Linux, so I made "the switch" from a different perspective than most Apple switchers.

[publius]

Email programs and web browsers work pretty  much exactly the same regardless of platform, so I'm not sure what's to "relearn" about a Mac for a basic user. You get to "unlearn" a whole bunch of stuff about security threats, but paying bills online and using email should be the same as before.

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

http://www.apple.com/macmini/

[lee n. field]

Get a Mac.

Unless Mrs. Scout is ready to relearn a computer, don't get the Apple.  No slight on their products, but making the transitions from one platform to another can be...challenging.

So, the Missus learned Windows 98 and Microsoft Office in kindergarten, has used it all her life, is set in her ways and can't learn anything new?  You know that's not true. This stuff's changing all the time, better get used to it.

Apple puts a lot of effort into making their stuff friendly and easy to use.

[Harold Tuttle]

can she run an iPod?
she can run a mac

the mac has a very mature OS and is basically immune to all the M$TDs

all the web based development makes online bill paying quite cross platform

getting DSL?

lets configing the mac OS to utilize a new HS ethernet connection and run a TCP/IP link to a DHCP server

1) plug in the cable

done



a mac Mini is a sweet little machine that will use your old monitor
the new iMacs are quite stylish and the flat screen is a delight to view images on.

my favorite reseller?

www.smalldog.com

[Sindawe]

You know that's not true. This stuff's changing all the time, better get used to it.

I know stuff is changing all the time, and I have no problem with it.  I have however watched and assisted others moving from Mac to Windows and from Windows to Mac get extremely lost and confused about how stuff is done on the new platform. These were very smart, very well educated people to boot.  But then, perhaps THAT was the problem...

I think the crucial thing for scout26 to think about with the next computer purchase is how adept Mrs. Scout is at accepting change, learning different ways of doing things and even basic problem solving from minimal information.  If she has no problem RtFM though, the switch should not be an issue in the end.

As I said, I have no bias against Macs. The are great machines with a very well developed interface that MS products STILL lag behind despite 15 years of development and competition.  Of course, MS products still can't do stuff that OS/2 pulled off with ease 10 years ago.  I observed exactly three fatal stops on OS/2 sytems over a run of eight years and four generations of computer hardware.  I've had Macs do similar about 5 times to me since I started playing w/ em in the early 90s.  I've lost count of the number of BSODs I've seen with Windows.

Although you Mac folks are deceiving yourselves if you think you don't have to worry about viri and security risks.  The number of exploits running loose in the wild is not as great, but they ARE there.  And with Apple moving to Intel CPUs, its only gonna get worse.

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1915923,00.asp

[jefnvk]

Although you Mac folks are deceiving yourselves if you think you don't have to worry about viri and security risks.  The number of exploits running loose in the wild is not as great, but they ARE there.  And with Apple moving to Intel CPUs, its only gonna get worse.

About sums up my feelings.

My reccomendation?  Unles you have your heart set on a Mac, get whatever deal Dell or Gateway or HP or whatever big maker is offering.  It'll do everything you need it to do, and can be had quite cheap for an entire new setup.

[publius]

Although you Mac folks are deceiving yourselves if you think you don't have to worry about viri and security risks.  The number of exploits running loose in the wild is not as great, but they ARE there.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1915923,00.asp

I still haven't heard of an actual, successful implementation of a self-propagating virus. I know lots of long-time Mac users, and don't know of any machine which has ever been affected by malicious software, even once.

All I've had to worry about so far are years of warnings that danger is around the corner.

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Publius, same for me, and I've been using various macs since 1992.

[mtnbkr]

Although you Mac folks are deceiving yourselves if you think you don't have to worry about viri and security risks.  The number of exploits running loose in the wild is not as great, but they ARE there.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1915923,00.asp

I still haven't heard of an actual, successful implementation of a self-propagating virus. I know lots of long-time Mac users, and don't know of any machine which has ever been affected by malicious software, even once.

How can there be self-replicating virii when there aren't enough Mac systems for a virus to replicate to.

Chris

[Sindawe]

Just looking at the current OS for Mac. First it was an OS X Trojan.

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/osx.leap.a.html

Yesterday it was an OS X proof of concept worm.

http://www.sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/osx.inqtana.a.html

"Only sailors wear condoms, baby..."

[TarpleyG]

I know stuff is changing all the time, and I have no problem with it.  I have however watched and assisted others moving from Mac to Windows and from Windows to Mac get extremely lost and confused about how stuff is done on the new platform. These were very smart, very well educated people to boot.  But then, perhaps THAT was the problem... wink

These people are tinkerers, right?  I hate lUsers that know just enough to get me into a foul mood.  If they want to learn about computers, great.  Do it at home and keep it there or ask IT for an additional, old POS computer that they can play around with since they have no time in their day to do actual work, just bugger up their computer.

Greg

[matis]

Is FREE a good price?

CompUSA is offering in this weeks flyer (today is Sun 2/19/06) a Celeron based HP computer (no monitor -- you can use your old one)  for free after rebates.

The shipping is around $70 plus whatever sales tax is in your state.

So all told, FREE comes to around $91 here in Florida.

Has only a 40gig hard drive (again, put your old one in) and 256meg ram.  Add'l ram is cheap.

For the duty you've described, this sounds perfect.

A brand new HP computer with warranty for around $90.



I build the computers for myself, GF, daughter and ex-wife.  If I needed one I'd go for this.



matis

[Scout26]

Thanks for all you input.   Given that we've lost two computers to virii, the Mac is looking more and more like an option.  Although the Free HP looks like a great deal.

[Sindawe]

More on Macs/OS X:

Apple Safari Browser Automatically Executes Shell Scripts

Shortly after reports of the first virus for Mac OS X, a new security flaw has surfaced. The culprit is the option "Open 'safe' files after downloading" in Apple's Safari web browser. This feature is activated by default. Its function is to automatically display images and movies after they are transmitted to the user's computer, using the application assigned to that particular document format. Safari will also unpack ZIP archives and display the documents within if they are considered "safe". If active content such as an application or shell script is found within the archiParanoia ompt requests user confirmation. So far, so good.

Problems ensue if a shell script is stored into a ZIP archive without the so-called shebang line. If this line is omitted, Safari no longer recognizes the content as potentially dangerous and executes shell commands without a confirmation prompt. This behavior has been discovered by Michael Lehn, who has documented it on a web site.

Continues at: http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/69862

Paranioa is not a mental illness.  Its a survival trait.

These people are tinkerers, right?  I hate lUsers that know just enough to get me into a foul mood.  If they want to learn about computers, great.  Do it at home and keep it there or ask IT for an additional, old POS computer that they can play around with since they have no time in their day to do actual work, just bugger up their computer.

No, those making the transitions were doing it at home, on their own time.