MicroSoft's new OS

[TigerEyes]

And yet Mac computers are capable of running Windows operating systems. Has Microsoft returned the favor?

Nope...

[Detector]

And yet Mac computers are capable of running Windows operating systems.

Well I know a few Mac users that would question that statement. I've never seen XWindows, or whatever they call it now, run without crashing on a Mac. Now Boot Camp, dual boot for Mac sounds interesting. Apple makes good hardware like MIDI I could use.

[TigerEyes]

Boot camp is actually what I was referring to. Apparently they've got a beta version of something that'll allow both platforms to run simultaneously on a dual-core processor Mac without having to choose one or the other at start-up. Read something about it and forgot the specifics...

And you must still be in the dark ages! MIDI's been around for decades, and works just fine with Windoze. Assuming, of course, that you're referring to the Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Mad props if you know what an EWI is...

[Detector]

Yes MIDI is old news but it's still not a built in option on PC's. Mac's, if I'm correct, have a built in MIDI port. I could plug right in to my MIDI devices like my keyboard and start recording.

I have heard of the Electronic Wind Instrument some time back but unfortunately the wind instrument is about the only musical instrument I've never been much good at. I have the most experience with stringed instruments. I started playing violin back in grade school.

[TigerEyes]

I'm impressed!! Noone's generally heard of the electronic wind instrument! Funky little bugger, it is.

As far as the MIDI connection, I can't remember whether my ancient Mac had one or not. I've always eschewed using MIDI hookups. It was always easiest for me to imput music manually. When I first learned to use Finale, using the computer keyboard worked input with many fewer errors than using the MIDI with piano keyboard. My current MacBook doesn't have the right connection - but then, it's a very streamlined design and I'm fairly certain I've got enough adapters I could get it hooked up. However, I've turned into a huge fan of GarageBand, which only needs a mic.

[flange]

Originally Posted by TigerEyes

And yet Mac computers are capable of running Windows operating systems. Has Microsoft returned the favor?

Nope...

Apple won't let anyone use OS/X on a Dell or any other Wintel machine. Microsoft isn't the culprit here. Apple flat out refuses to sell their OS separately from their hardware.

Anyway, after owning a Mac for a couple years now, I've come to the conclusion that OS/X is overhyped. It was a lot of fun to learn for the first few days, and then it became just another way to use the computer. Over time, it's annoyances have caused me to shout just as many expletives as Windows has.

I've got Vista Ultimate running on my Core 2 Duo Extreme system, OS/X 10.4 on my iBook, and Ubuntu Linux and WinXP on my Athlon 2500+.

Vista is okay. If it weren't for the DRM built-in, I'd say it's a good upgrade overall to XP. That damn DRM really kills it for me.

At the end of the day, I prefer my Ubuntu machine over the other two.

[Bubba]

Originally Posted by flange

Vista is okay. If it weren't for the DRM built-in, I'd say it's a good upgrade overall to XP. That damn DRM really kills it for me.

Thank you, you just gave me the info that I need to make a decision that I won't be getting Vista as an operating system. I hate DRM. In fact, the person that thought up and implemented digital rights management should be lined up against a wall and shot!

[flange]

Originally Posted by Bubba

Thank you, you just gave me the info that I need to make a decision that I won't be getting Vista as an operating system. I hate DRM. In fact, the person that thought up and implemented digital rights management should be lined up against a wall and shot!

I wouldn't have bought Vista either. My wife got it very cheap through her employer, and since we have a machine with the muscle to run it with all the bells and whistles, she wanted to try it. I'm using it right now, rather than my Linux machine, but that has more to do with the huge monitor that is attached to it than Vista itself. The monitor on my Linux machine is pretty weak in comparison.

Protected Media Path - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm completely with you on the DRM. I don't pirate movies, music, or software. I used to, I'll readily admit that. I haven't done it for several years now as a conscious choice. Regardless, I have a serious issue with running software that prioritizes the interests of some company or industry over my own when I've paid for that software. This is a big reason why I love using open source software, even if I have to work a little harder than my Windows and Mac brethren to do it.

In fact, I'm downloading the latest Ubuntu release right now. I snagged OpenSuse 10.2 yesterday. Both will be installed on this Core 2 Duo hoss I've got, right next to Vista. That should give me some fun toys to play with over the next few weeks.

[Bubba]

Originally Posted by flange

I'm completely with you on the DRM. I don't pirate movies, music, or software. I used to, I'll readily admit that. I haven't done it for several years now as a conscious choice. Regardless, I have a serious issue with running software that prioritizes the interests of some company or industry over my own when I've paid for that software.

Same with me...I purchase mine through iTunes pretty much exclusively. I was at a website the other day that had content that you could purchase. I purchased what they called a download pass and downloaded their movie which I would have the rights to watch for something like 5 days.

I tried to open it with the latest version of Windows Media Player and it wouldn't open and said that I needed to download a security update. Tried to download it, but nothing happened. Wrote customer service of the website where I made the purchase and they acted like it was nothing of a problem and basically told me that I would have to contact Microsoft and jump through all their hoops to get it to work.

I didn't, and will consider that money spent as a lesson learned and will not purchase any more download passes or streaming video passes or the like.

[flange]

I've been a subscriber to Real Network's Rhapsody music service for several years. Basically since I stopped pirating. I like it, but it, like iTunes, is DRM-loaded too. I'd probably kill the subscription, but my wife uses the heck out of it while she's at work.

If you're a more adventurous with your music consumption, you should check out Amie Street. They don't have anything mainstream yet (save for a Barenaked Ladies album), but they have an extremely interesting business model. When a new song is released on AS, it's free to anyone who gets there first. If the song proves to be popular and gets downloaded frequently, it will soon cost a few cents. The more popular it becomes, the more the price climbs, up to a max of around 98 cents. Over time, if the song's popularity wanes, the price will fall. Plus, all the music they sell is DRM-free.

Amie Street