Computer Advice

[Jerry Bruette]

It's time for a new computer.The one I have is 10 years old and I'm running Windows 7 Pro. When I bought this machine I thought I could upgrade to Win 10 but no dice the mother board won't accept Win 10.

Here's my dilemma, I understand Win 12 should be released in June of 2024. Should I buy a machine with Win 11 and hope to upgrade or should I hold off until Win 12 is released and just be done. I'd hate to get caught with a machine that I can't upgrade but the wife wants to get a new machine now.

[Alan Rutherford]

...Should I buy a machine with Win 11 and hope to upgrade...

Yes, and this is a good time of year to do it.

[Jim Becker]

I seriously doubt there is much risk of a Win11 capable machine not being able to run the next version. Win11 brought the hardware security requirements (for good reason); otherwise, it would have been able to run on some older hardware. Those hardware security things are in every machine produced at this point. And as Alan mentioned, this is a really favorable time of year to buy a new computer of any kind, Windows or MacOS.

[George Yetka]

I wouldnt wait. They will probably upgrade you for free. Thats what happened with 11 for me

[Jim Koepke]

And as Alan mentioned, this is a really favorable time of year to buy a new computer of any kind, Windows or MacOS.

I was thinking of a Macintosh, I haven't kept up, but I recall there are emulators available that run Windows on a Mac very well.

jtk

[Mark Wedel]

In some cases, even those old computers could run windows 10, but might have required a MB bios upgrade, or changing BIOS settings which would have required a completely fresh install (UEFI vs legacy BIOS modes, which changes disk partition format as well as boot blocks) - at which point, the pain of doing all of that probably isn't worth it for a really old computer.
There is also no immediate need to update to windows 12 when it comes out - I'm always torn when there are major changes, because almost certainly it will break something I use or change how something works to a way I like less. But at some point, you want to be on the modern OS because eventually they stop issuing security fixes for the older ones.

[mike stenson]

I was thinking of a Macintosh, I haven't kept up, but I recall there are emulators available that run Windows on a Mac very well.

jtk

Not really emulators, but hypervisors. Essentially they control access to hardware and allow virtual machines to run. In general, unless you're really using the system hard, it's almost transparent.

[Jim Becker]

I was thinking of a Macintosh, I haven't kept up, but I recall there are emulators available that run Windows on a Mac very well.

jtk

No need for an emulator...you run native Windows in a virtual machine using Parallels or one of the other available virtualization systems. That's how I use my Vectric software for my CAD/CAM on my Mac in my office.

[Jim Koepke]

No need for an emulator...you run native Windows in a virtual machine using Parallels or one of the other available virtualization systems. That's how I use my Vectric software for my CAD/CAM on my Mac in my office.

Shows my lack of Windows awareness. Last time I used it much was before retiring almost 16 years ago. I did use it a little bit while visiting a friend two years ago. Mostly just to read the daily news.

I'm really not knowledgable with Windows.

jtk

[roger wiegand]

There will always be a next version on the horizon, it's how software companies make money-- there must be regular upgrades or soon there is no revenue. If you need a new machine, don't worry about it unless it somehow requires a major hardware change.

I recently, after 12 years, got a new MacBook Pro. Couldn't be happier with everything about the new machine. The nice thing about updating only once a decade is that you can really see the difference! For a desktop machine the Mac Mini is a relative bargain (the MBP is not!)

I have a couple obscure and antiquated Windows programs I need to use, I've discovered a program called Crossover, which is a commercial implementation of the open source Wine project. It allows you to run Windows programs on UNIX and other machines without having to have any kind of Windows install on your machine and supports programs that require something like Win95 or Win3, as well as the most up-to-date games on the most recent OS. It works astonishingly well, allowing me to use Windows programs that won't run on a real Windows machine anymore-- you can create a Win95 "bottle" that gives the program everything it needs to function including access to all the hardware attached to your machine.

[Jim Becker]

Roger, does Crossover/WINE actually work with Apple Silicone? (M1, M2 M3) Emulation was easy with Intel processors, but they are now a thing of the past in the Apple ecosystem. Parallels uses the ARM version for Windows which in turn provides support for Windows applications. (other than really old ones that require hardware stuff) Edit...yes, Crossover will work on current M1, M2 and M3 based MacOS machines. Crossover does not provide support for the one Window app I use, Vectric Aspire. (CAD/CAM)

[mike stenson]

WINE never really worked well for me. However, both parallels and VMware work great. Even on apple silicon.

[Jim Koepke]

There will always be a next version on the horizon, it's how software companies make money-- there must be regular upgrades or soon there is no revenue. If you need a new machine, don't worry about it unless it somehow requires a major hardware change.

Changing hardware seems to be a part of the corporate profit plan. Remember Parallel Printer Cables? Remember 25 pin serial connectors? Even USB sockets are changing. It looks like the European Union is working to get that standardized.

This is often referred to as "planned obsolescence" or "built in obsolescence."

jtk

[mike stenson]

In '75 it was observed that about every two years the number of transistors in an IC doubles.. that's still holding true.

I'm not sure how many consumers would like to buy a 4 core i5 processor today, nor would they like a USB-A for their mobile phone.

We have to bring a new product to market, every year, or our competitors take us to lunch.. and the same holds true for them.

[Pat Germain]

If you have a Costco nearby, I would suggest going there to pick up a new laptop computer. They have excellent deals which will more than cover the cost of a membership if you need one. Then you can save on lots of other things for the rest of the year.