New computer. Need advise.

[Larry Browning]

I think you guys need to reread Larry's original post. Especially the part about not knowing much about computers and having no desire to learn about them. He wants something he can turn on and start using. Building his own and Linux do not quite fit his requirements.... Seems to me he would much rather be in the shop making sawdust.
I'm just sayin.......

[Myk Rian]

I think you guys need to reread Larry's original post. Especially the part about not knowing much about computers and having no desire to learn about them. He wants something he can turn on and start using. Building his own and Linux do not quite fit his requirements.... Seems to me he would much rather be in the shop making sawdust.
I'm just sayin.......

Nobody is saying to build his own, and I agree Linux is not for the average user. I've been building and using machines since the early 70s, and still haven't figured Linux out.

The advantages of having a local shop build one are local service, and if the store does close down, the machine is built with generic parts that anybody can fix.
Dell, Acer, and a slew of others use proprietary parts and cases. A PITA to replace prats.

[Chuck Wintle]

I think you guys need to reread Larry's original post. Especially the part about not knowing much about computers and having no desire to learn about them. He wants something he can turn on and start using. Building his own and Linux do not quite fit his requirements.... Seems to me he would much rather be in the shop making sawdust.
I'm just sayin.......

Larry,

not saying he should build his own computer or use linux, which is not that daunting to use, but sometimes one must look a little beyond the usual horizons. Really its not that hard to do.

[Larry Edgerton]

I am getting a quote from a local company that has been in the business about 20 years. I like the idea of local service and non-proprietary parts. They also are a internet provider, so maybe I can get all in one place.

Ya, me build a computer.....

Thats funny now, I don't care who you are........

Larry

[Harry Hagan]

I am getting a quote from a local company that has been in the business about 20 years. I like the idea of local service and non-proprietary parts. They also are a internet provider, so maybe I can get all in one place.

Ya, me build a computer.....

Thats funny now, I don't care who you are........

Larry

There is absolutely no reason not to go with a local builder IF they’re honest, competent, and have kept up-to-speed on current and coming technology. They should be willing to sit down and discuss your current requirements and also make sure you are aware of the new “stuff” that might be of interest and benefit to you. My definition of Proprietary Equipment: "We have you in our evil clutches and you are at our mercy."

[Art Mulder]

Anyone who says Linux is hard to use has never used it. It is just as easy and as hard as windows, for the average end user. I'm just saying'

Bunch of BS. Re-read my previous post #38
It is NOT for the average home user.

I agree with Paul, and I mostly agree with Myk.

And that is because deciding whether or not it is suited to the average home user is NOT about whether or not it is hard. Rather it is about whether or not it is familiar to a majority of people.

I have a Computer Science Bachelor's and Master's degree. I've been using Unix since 1987, and Linux since 1998 in my career.
But when I started a new job that involved supporting Windows, it was HARD because I didn't know enough about it. It was unfamiliar. (It also has an incredibly stupid design and horrible security, but that is another matter.) Ask your average user to edit the registry and see if they can do it. Ask your average user to start mucking about with DLL files and see if they can do it. Ask your average user to find where their email is stored on disk and they probably don't know. (Heck I still bump into people who confuse the Monitor with the Computer.) BUT, and this is the big one, every town has umpteen stores with geeks in them who might be able to help you, and everyone has friends who use Windows, and so on.

Linux just doesn't have that market penetration. I fully believe that modern Linux (Ubuntu is my favourite for "it just works" in the Linux world) is just as hard as Windows. But it still is less familiar.

...art

ps: and don't ask me for advice, Larry, I bought my wife a Mac precisely because it is familiar to her and far simpler than Windows, and I have since bought myself an iMac also at home also. And I still think Windows is annoying and stupid.