What computer operating system are you using?

Originally Posted by Sachs_Rider

I loved vista but new stuff, i have to buy and with it having xp mode cannot loose

loved vista, i'm sorry but your wrong in the head XD

been using windows 7 for about a month now. best windows os ever

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by Holdup

I run XP, want to get a copy of 7 though, £59 for home basic in tesco i think i saw in the paper today

Might be better to rn the Windows 7 compatability test first. I did and apart from a few issues with my hardware, it should just about run W7.

But until I upgrade my PC, I'm going to stick with XP for the mo

Originally Posted by robchester

How good are macs? Are they good for Photo editing/

Yes, they are good for it, but I wouldn't buy one especially for that. They're marmite. Everything on a mac works exactly how I like, and it acts a lot more logically in my opinion. So it suits me well, whereas windows drove me up the wall. That's not to say this is the same for anybody else though. Try one for a while and see how you gel with it.

yes that is what they are used for mainly, and most papers use them for quark express and so on but and but! what can a mac do that a pc cannot? and the OSX does not support that mnay aplication less drivers cannot update grpahics cards so limited use! and yes macs can get a virus.

[Ruffy]

Originally Posted by robchester

How good are macs? Are they good for Photo editing/

Macs have been dominant in the publishing world for many years, and generally have a good rep for media applications.

However, for photo editing, Adobe Photoshop software (for example - as the leading application) is also available for the PC, so there's no real reason why you can't use a PC instead if that suits you.

If you're considering new hardware and thinking about a Mac, get yourself to an Apple store, have a play, speak to the staff and get a demo.

[Jayneflakes]

I have used Carol's Mac and found it intuitive and thought provoking. I used Vista twice and found it awkward and annoying. I have recently converted my Desk top back to Ubuntu, can't remember what version, though it is current. My Laptop is XP though and I have finally got used to it's quirks. I miss BBC basic, I could use that.

The only reason I get so sick of Windows OS is that its so bloody slow and unreliable at times. Even on new computers, you can get hang ups where something isnt going right. I just wonder whether someone could actually do something better. I would be interested in anything Google had to produce as I've been very impressed with their Chrome browser and right now, look like the only company to take the battle to Microsoft.

Ubuntu 9.04 (64 bit) on home PC - purely because I spend all day cleaning malware off users PC's, even looking at an AntiVirus program makes me feel a bit queasy. Linux doesn't get virus's, has always had a (SU=UAC) super user mode which can be applied for the session. Also the Apt-get command and synaptic have all but got rid of the software installation woes.
Installs in 20 minutes.
The main killer apps are Gimp (photoshop likey) and Digikam for which I use to store ID tags in the family photo's for quick retreival. Place keywords stored in the image themselves eg. dog , holiday, 2008 would return just those images, cool. Its similar to software used by journalists that carry Auto-Cad type prices but is free !
The other day I was playing with a remote-control-the-computer from my bluetooth nokia phone program that was kinda clever.

I have a dual boot mac with XP and OSX Snow Leopard and Notebook running 64 bit Windows 7 RC.

Snow Leopard is superb and worth the upgrade from Leopard, however I won't see the full benefits as mine is an early 2006 iMac so doesn't benefit from a 64 bit processor.

Which is best? Pound for pound (£'s not lbs) I could build you a faster more powerful PC for photo editing and video editing than a Mac.

I bought the Mac specifically for photo editing and web design, and while OSX is quite lovely, the hardware comes with a heft price tag.

In terms of reliability, most versions of windows (with the exception perhaps of ME) have been extremely reliable and stable. It's only when you start junking any old app made by any old company that it starts to throw a wobbly. That could be said for any OS.

Windows 7 64 Bit is a winner. My 18 month old £400 laptop can transcode an avi to dvd in 10-15 mins. Photo editing in Photoshop CS4 64 Bit is a smooth and fast.

So, if you came to me with a budget that could buy a Mac with a reasonable sized screen, I'd put together something that's cheaper, more easily upgradable, more powerful, with a bigger screen, and would factor in a 6x8 tablet to make that editing so much easier.

Right now I"m on an iMac in a hotel in Leeds. There's one in every room and it provides the TV, internet access, etc. First time I've used one and it's very quick and I think it's quite cool actually. Could get used to this big wide screen. Thought the phone button keyboard and mouse were a useless novelty at first but I'm getting used to them and it's very easy on the fingers.

I'm buying a new laptop for my wife this week and I have my own with work, so I'm going to rebulid the the desktop PC and keep it for when I buy my next house (renting just now) and I'm going to have it hidden in a cabinet in my living room and connected to a plasma on the wall and a decent amplifier and surround speaker system (new sound card needed). Already have a wireless keyboard and mouse so it can be controlled from the sofa.

I really like the idea of having all my media in the one place, it has a DVB TV card and can record programs to hard disk, does DVD-RW, has my full music collection ripped to MP3, internet, iPlayer, etc, etc. Will get a few of these wifi sender boxes that stream music to amplifiers around the house and send IR commands from a remote control back to the PC, or I can remote desktop into it to control/get all those services from a laptop anywhere in the house.