P
Peter Foldes
Aside from building your own which is the best Micron is a very good system.
R
Richard Urban
It goes like this:
Wild Tangent says "I'll give you $0.25 for each computer you ship that has
out "Wild Tangent" software and games installed".
Of course, by playing the supplied games even more crap comes down the pipe
into the computer.
For 1 million computers that is $250,000 earned by putting a burden on their
customers.
--
Regards,
Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
Wild Tangent says "I'll give you $0.25 for each computer you ship that has
out "Wild Tangent" software and games installed".
Of course, by playing the supplied games even more crap comes down the pipe
into the computer.
For 1 million computers that is $250,000 earned by putting a burden on their
customers.
--
Regards,
Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
A
Alias
Carey said:
You're not a total loss then. Why you paid extra for Office and XP
retail is beyond me, though.
Alias
A
ANONYMOUS
Alias said:
I always thought that if you are a MVP then you get some free software
from Microsoft (Windows, Office etc). It seems this is not so.
A
Alias
ANONYMOUS said:
I wouldn't know. If so, that explains it.
Alias
K
Kerry Brown
I was being facetious 
I'm pretty sure they get kickbacks from Norton
and/or McAfee as well.
Actually Microsoft used to get in on the game as well. Several years ago I
could a $400.00 kickback for selling a 3 year subscription to MSN with a new
computer. Future Shop (Canadian Best Buy) used to advertise their computers
$400.00 cheaper than everyone else with an asterisk beside the price. Guess
what was in the fine print.
I'm pretty sure they get kickbacks from Nortonand/or McAfee as well.
Actually Microsoft used to get in on the game as well. Several years ago I
could a $400.00 kickback for selling a 3 year subscription to MSN with a new
computer. Future Shop (Canadian Best Buy) used to advertise their computers
$400.00 cheaper than everyone else with an asterisk beside the price. Guess
what was in the fine print.
A
ANONYMOUS
I have always said that there is no such thing as FREE LUNCH. If the
software is free then you need to ask what is the catch?
Same rules apply to telephone sales people. If they say they are
phoning to give you a free holiday then ask him/her what is the catch?
If they say there is no catch then reply "WHY ARE YOU WASTING YOUR TIME
AND MONEY PHONING ME WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE SENT ME THE FREE TICKETS
WITHOUT TELLING ME"
Most free software packages are a pain to remove them. Add/Remove does
not normally work and this applies to MS products as well. Try Free
Office on your system and see what happens.
software is free then you need to ask what is the catch?
Same rules apply to telephone sales people. If they say they are
phoning to give you a free holiday then ask him/her what is the catch?
If they say there is no catch then reply "WHY ARE YOU WASTING YOUR TIME
AND MONEY PHONING ME WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE SENT ME THE FREE TICKETS
WITHOUT TELLING ME"
Most free software packages are a pain to remove them. Add/Remove does
not normally work and this applies to MS products as well. Try Free
Office on your system and see what happens.
J
Jonny
No big outfit sells a good computer anymore. They're all loaded and bloated
with unneeded crap.
A custom built one is the way to go. You load your choice of OS, apps,
antivirus/bug sniffer software. Be prepared to pay much more in most cases.
Stay away from ISPs that provide software.
with unneeded crap.
A custom built one is the way to go. You load your choice of OS, apps,
antivirus/bug sniffer software. Be prepared to pay much more in most cases.
Stay away from ISPs that provide software.
S
Shenan Stanley
Jonny said:
Well - what you say is "true" - sort of.
Yes - most third-tier vendors (Dell, HP, Compaq, IBM, etc) load their
computers with crap.
But - no one says you have to leave that on there. Format - reinstall.. So
be sure you order a TRUE Windows XP installation CD - and not a system
restore method.
As far as ISPs who provide software... No reason to stay away unless you
HAVE to use the software you provide. 90% of the time - the software is not
required for the service - it's just that most consumers do not know/do not
ask.
So - the value of the computer itself(or the ISP) should not be determined
by the crap that is put on it from the factory (or the software packages
they offer you) - but the actual components and their potential - as long as
you are willing to learn a bit about your computer.
B
Brian
I have 3 Compaq's, one is a 1999 vintage PIII - 550, one's a 2001 vintage Celeron 2.5g and the
others a 2001 vintage Athlon 2.4g and all three have been good systems. They're good for what
they're intended for. They are not gaming machines, they don't have a ton of memory or an ultra
high end video card but for internet, home office, even DVD editing/recording they're great, They're
not very expensive and they're ready to go. My 2 fast machines both have Abit MB's, Western Digital
ATA 100 HD's and Samsung CD-RW's I have added Pioneer DVD recorders. My PIII-550mhz has an
Asus MB and a Maxtor ATA 66, Not any no name trash that some people here have stated. For what it's
worth, I'm sure the most of the people here that say "They Suck" have never owned one. I have in
the past built my own PC's, back when parts were really expensive and weren't obsolete a week after
you bought them. I have a USR V.Everything modem in my closet that I have $1100.00 into (Yes,
ELEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS) after the original purchase price and two daughterboard upgrades
to get to the current standards. I have an AMD K6/350 with 64mb ram and an 8 gig drive I built in
1998 which cost me almost a grand. Those days are gone, thank god. Like someone said, these things
are disposable nowadays. For general use, an HP, Compaq, Dell, Gateway, Emachines will serve you
well. And like someone else said, the trialware can either be ignored or uninstalled easily, theres
no spyware on these machines that I know of. My only complaint IS the fact that you don't get an OS
cd, just the recovery crap, but if need be, XP Home is < $90.00 should you ever need it.
Your mileage may vary !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brian
others a 2001 vintage Athlon 2.4g and all three have been good systems. They're good for what
they're intended for. They are not gaming machines, they don't have a ton of memory or an ultra
high end video card but for internet, home office, even DVD editing/recording they're great, They're
not very expensive and they're ready to go. My 2 fast machines both have Abit MB's, Western Digital
ATA 100 HD's and Samsung CD-RW's I have added Pioneer DVD recorders. My PIII-550mhz has an
Asus MB and a Maxtor ATA 66, Not any no name trash that some people here have stated. For what it's
worth, I'm sure the most of the people here that say "They Suck" have never owned one. I have in
the past built my own PC's, back when parts were really expensive and weren't obsolete a week after
you bought them. I have a USR V.Everything modem in my closet that I have $1100.00 into (Yes,
ELEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS) after the original purchase price and two daughterboard upgrades
to get to the current standards. I have an AMD K6/350 with 64mb ram and an 8 gig drive I built in
1998 which cost me almost a grand. Those days are gone, thank god. Like someone said, these things
are disposable nowadays. For general use, an HP, Compaq, Dell, Gateway, Emachines will serve you
well. And like someone else said, the trialware can either be ignored or uninstalled easily, theres
no spyware on these machines that I know of. My only complaint IS the fact that you don't get an OS
cd, just the recovery crap, but if need be, XP Home is < $90.00 should you ever need it.
Your mileage may vary !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brian
F
Fitz
In "nick's" original post, he specifically stated he wanted a machine for
gaming and video editing, and asked for an opinion on the Compaq listed. For
his intended purpose, the Compaq, or any off the self computer similarly
equipped would be inadequate. On board graphics with shared memory, and only
512MB of (generic) system memory to share from does not a gaming system
make. I also told him that these off the self systems contain spyware/adware
(and I defend this with the words "Wild Tangent"), and "free" software that
is not as functional as the retail versions (Roxio, Nero, and a lot of video
editing programs). Proprietary hardware of inferior quality (specifically
power supplies) that are, at times, difficult to upgrade. So while you're
arguing the value of various brands of pre-manufactured computers, will
somebody tell him that what he is considering is not going to meet his
needs- now, or in the future. Get quality components (or a barebones) that
is a generation or two removed from the leading edge and build a reliable
machine that will do the job.
Fitz
gaming and video editing, and asked for an opinion on the Compaq listed. For
his intended purpose, the Compaq, or any off the self computer similarly
equipped would be inadequate. On board graphics with shared memory, and only
512MB of (generic) system memory to share from does not a gaming system
make. I also told him that these off the self systems contain spyware/adware
(and I defend this with the words "Wild Tangent"), and "free" software that
is not as functional as the retail versions (Roxio, Nero, and a lot of video
editing programs). Proprietary hardware of inferior quality (specifically
power supplies) that are, at times, difficult to upgrade. So while you're
arguing the value of various brands of pre-manufactured computers, will
somebody tell him that what he is considering is not going to meet his
needs- now, or in the future. Get quality components (or a barebones) that
is a generation or two removed from the leading edge and build a reliable
machine that will do the job.
Fitz
P
Plato
=?Utf-8?B?bmljaw==?= said:
That's a really difficult question.
Why?
The best PC is one that you build yourself.
The second best PC is one that a local builder designs for you. Assuming
he/she is using good parts and knows what he/she is doing from
experience.