Agreed, very irritating the way that people assume that Computer == PC == Windows. Seeing software labeled as available for "PC" is particularly irritating, since I'm running a PC, but without windows it's an entirely different platform.
i said to one of my college tutors the other day: "shit, ive saved this in the wrong format, do you recon i'l beable to install open office on this box?"
he said: "open office? is that made by microsoft?"
It's also somewhat confusing that most people assume that every PC is IBM-compatible. There was a very good reason why in the early days of the IBM PC, programs weren't said to run on a "PC" but on an "IBM compatible".
I'm pretty sure that both the Apple Macintosh and the Commodore 64 qualify as a personal computer. They're computers and they're personal. Bang.
I have started using "IBM compatible" to describe IA32 compatible computers again. Maybe it will show some people that a personal computer is not
Well, given that the computers still are (more or less) compatible to the original IBM PC no matter what IBM does, "IBM compatible" remains usable IMO.
Also irritating is his definition that anything non-proprietary is general purpose. I learnt in my first year in CS that a computer is general purpose if it is capable of a certain set of instruction (of which, of course, I've forgotten), and has nothing to do whether the computer's OS is GPL/BSD/Public Domain or not. And he is conveniently ignoring the fact that nvram still has a maximum number of writes before it cannot be written to again. Even though it has significantly improved from the 1000 writes thi
Seeing software labeled as available for "PC" is particularly irritating, since I'm running a PC, but without windows it's an entirely different platform.
I'm still trying to figure out what makes these people think my mac isn't a Personnal Computer.
Ahem... (Score:4, Funny)
(switches screens on Linux system)
Re:Ahem... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Ahem... (Score:5, Funny)
So any office document will be in one of OOo's format, any tool will be based on the expected contents of
When they finally notice that something is wrong, some get enlightened (others additionnally require some vigourous whacking).
Re:Ahem... (Score:2)
he said: "open office? is that made by microsoft?"
Re:Ahem... (Score:2)
I've lost count of the number of people I've recommended OOo to and who just grab a copy of MS Office from a cow-orker.
"oooh, no, wouldn't want to change my habits, even though I don't know how to use the software anyway, dear me no..."
Re:Ahem... (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm pretty sure that both the Apple Macintosh and the Commodore 64 qualify as a personal computer. They're computers and they're personal. Bang.
I have started using "IBM compatible" to describe IA32 compatible computers again. Maybe it will show some people that a personal computer is not
Re:Ahem... (Score:2)
Being that IBM recently sold off its PC division, maybe you should think of a new term?
Re:Ahem... (Score:2)
Re:Ahem... (Score:1)
And he is conveniently ignoring the fact that nvram still has a maximum number of writes before it cannot be written to again. Even though it has significantly improved from the 1000 writes thi
Re:Ahem... (Score:2)
I'm still trying to figure out what makes these people think my mac isn't a Personnal Computer.
Re:Ahem... (Score:1)