What R you doing today?

[Boatboy24]

Good stuff! I've built a few PC's with (well, for) my kids. It's a fun project. But you're absolutely right: figuring out what to put in it is where all the time is spent. Actually putting the thing together and getting to the point where you can say "It's alive!" doesn't take much time at all.

 

[winemaker81]

Show off .

Not really. Anyone can do this. The assembly is the easy part.

I can wire the house but if I cracked open my PC it It would be like the models in Zoolander . I am a computer user. What goes on inside the box is only one step removed from magic.

The average person can build a PC, once the research regarding which components to use is completed. THAT takes some effort, although there are sites that make good recommendations. I've been doing this, off-n-on, for 25 years, and as much as I understand the internals, I had to follow the instructions as the technology changes every 6 months. The things I did 8 years ago when I built the old PC are vaguely similar, but a lot of things are different and it's not like I do this often.

The hardest part was figuring out where the connectors from the front panel fit on the motherboard. I had to take my glasses off to read the fine print in the manual, and invented new swear words in the process. I excel at that last part!

Computers are not magic -- they are technology. Winemaking? THAT is magic!

Ah, brings back memories of late nights, reading manuals, setting DIP switches, 5 1/4" floppies.

Those are not memories, those are nightmares!!! Modern computers are SOOOO much easier to work on. The hardest part is figuring out which $&#*ing components to use, as there are so many choices!

I have unfond memories of working on the Pentium class computers. But that was still easier than the 8086's. When I was in college I paid a guy $150 to increase the RAM in my PC from 384 K to 1 MB. He had to do some cutting and soldering, if I recall correctly. That wasn't magic, it was black magic ...

 

[winemaker81]

Good stuff! I've built a few PC's with (well, for) my kids. It's a fun project. But you're absolutely right: figuring out what to put in it is where all the time is spent. Actually putting the thing together and getting to the point where you can say "It's alive!" doesn't take much time at all.

I discovered the Win10 installer doesn't fit on a standard DVD. I downloaded the disk image and it failed to burn to disk, too big. So I downloaded Microsoft's installer tool, which created a bootable USB flash drive.

In the past I used an installer DVD I created a while ago. The Win10 install went quickly, then the updates took all day. Downloading the installer tool makes an installer using the most current version -- updates took less than 30 minutes (probably 10-15 minutes, but I walked away once it was in process).

I used to feel like Dr. Frankenstein when a PC booted the first time ... it's much easier now, so I don't get that feeling to laugh maniacally .... Ok, sure, I love doing that when other people are around -- it reinforces the idea what there's something seriously wrong with me so people leave me alone ....

 

[ChuckD]

it reinforces the idea what there's something seriously wrong with me so people leave me alone ....

You don’t have to try so hard here… we know

 

[cmason1957]

I used to put PC's together from scratch as well, but I guess I outgrew my need for that. Nowadays, I go look at the specs on various sites and pick the ones that I am happy with, order the PC. When I get it though, I reformat the hard drive and install a bare bones version of Windows whatever, don't need all the "Stuff" Dell, HP, whomever puts on it for me.

 

[winemaker81]

You don’t have to try so hard here… we know

Yet YOU keep talking to me .......

I used to put PC's together from scratch as well, but I guess I outgrew my need for that. Nowadays, I go look at the specs on various sites and pick the ones that I am happy with, order the PC. When I get it though, I reformat the hard drive and install a bare bones version of Windows whatever, don't need all the "Stuff" Dell, HP, whomever puts on it for me.

My needs are a bit picky -- I run some high-end development tools, along with mid-range graphics tools, publishing tools, and games, and have extreme difficulty in finding specs that satisfy my needs at a price I'm willing to pay. Most PCs are either too low end, or out of my price range. To get a commercial PC like I just built, I'd pay nearly double.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Learning about tannin from apple;

Europeans are using less tannin. , , , , Q? what level should I use this year, and can I “fix” ‘21

A lot of the US product reminds me of soda, no tannin. , , , is this a better target?

Would like to build knock your Sox off aromatics, Q? what to change this year?

this is the season of dreams, or time to evaluate next numbers.
, (HUMM, , , sounds like tax season)

 

[ChuckD]

Yet YOU keep talking to me .......

I am famous for my questionable judgment

 

[jswordy]

I used to put PC's together from scratch as well, but I guess I outgrew my need for that. Nowadays, I go look at the specs on various sites and pick the ones that I am happy with, order the PC. When I get it though, I reformat the hard drive and install a bare bones version of Windows whatever, don't need all the "Stuff" Dell, HP, whomever puts on it for me.

I used to build PCs myself, too. I'd prowl eBay and pick off the stuff I wanted to keep my junk running well beyond the expiration date. But after working for years with a PC and an Apple on the desk, then just on Apples at a new job – and importantly, having achieved the kind of income it takes to buy that stuff – I finally crossed over to the dark side at home.

 

[Khristyjeff]

I used to build PCs myself, too. I'd prowl eBay and pick off the stuff I wanted to keep my junk running well beyond the expiration date. But after working for years with a PC and an Apple on the desk, then just on Apples at a new job – and importantly, having achieved the kind of income it takes to buy that stuff – I finally crossed over to the dark side at home.

Which is the dark side and do I want to be there?

 

[winemaker81]

Which is the dark side and do I want to be there?

Apple is the dark side, and no, you don't want to be there unless you have a lot of extra cash laying around ...


Seriously, Apple is expensive in both the iPhone and laptop market. My wife priced a not-top-of-the-line iPhone recently and nearly choked on the price -- and an equivalent Android from a reputable vendor was half the price. Her side of the family is all iPhones, but she decided doing Facetime on an iPod works just fine.

BTW, I'm not a computer bigot -- I'm in favor of folks using what they like and what works for them. Essentially my opinion on wine!

 

[jswordy]

Which is the dark side and do I want to be there?

 

[jswordy]

Apple is the dark side, and no, you don't want to be there unless you have a lot of extra cash laying around ...


Seriously, Apple is expensive in both the iPhone and laptop market. My wife priced a not-top-of-the-line iPhone recently and nearly choked on the price -- and an equivalent Android from a reputable vendor was half the price. Her side of the family is all iPhones, but she decided doing Facetime on an iPod works just fine.

BTW, I'm not a computer bigot -- I'm in favor of folks using what they like and what works for them. Essentially my opinion on wine!

Shrug, you get what you pay for. I'm not all-in. We're Droid on the phones, since I bought them unlocked and ready for all 4 major systems of sending cell signals, keeping them universal. But we do own two iMacs and a laptop now.

Yes, you want to be Apple if you truly want intuitive operation, phenomenal graphics, fewer inherent bugs and less worry about viruses. I was a PC holdout for decades, even as I worked with both PC and Apple on my desk. But Apple is hands-down superior in my view, as long as you can afford it. Sheesh, just the number of "standard" ways you can work with photos is alone mind-boggling compared to PC world, where you have to buy those tools extra. And with the refurb market what it is, there are access points at all price ranges now.

The best combo IMO is an Apple with MS Office on it, using Chrome. You have it all then. Microsoft in large part got its start by creating software for Apple.

 

[cmason1957]

Apple is the dark side and as a developer, I won't ever, ever, ever go there (well, unless someone pays me to go there ). and at 64 most company owners are starting to think I'm not worth teaching new tricks. Thankfully I've worked with the guy who owns the company for 20 years and he knows having one or two old farts around to teach the young guys things you just don't do no matter what language, platform, back-end database, whatever keeps him from having headaches.

But building my own PC's, nah, I have written code on punch cards, so I can develop on just about anything.

 

[jswordy]

Apple is the dark side and as a developer, I won't ever, ever, ever go there (well, unless someone pays me to go there ). and at 64 most company owners are starting to think I'm not worth teaching new tricks. Thankfully I've worked with the guy who owns the company for 20 years and he knows having one or two old farts around to teach the young guys things you just don't do no matter what language, platform, back-end database, whatever keeps him from having headaches.

But building my own PC's, nah, I have written code on punch cards, so I can develop on just about anything.

I have no other objectives – I need a dependable, reliable machine to get my work done that is graphics and design friendly for when I need that, well designed itself, intuitive, and easy to use. After a 25-year battle where I stubbornly stayed PC, Apple eventually won in all those categories. I have never regretted the decision. I had fun building stuff in old cabinets with PC parts off eBay that were newer, etc., and fending off viruses or learning, as I had to once, all the arcane moves to dismantle a ransomware attack when it took over my PC and then save my files. Oh those were awesome days, lol. I realize my switch makes me much less able to do techie PC kinda stuff to upgrade now. But I am just happy to be able to to what I need done, quickly and efficiently. A sharp shovel digs a faster hole, and the puter is just another tool to me.

Heh, when I got my wife the iMac and she started using it for her work-from-home publishing, she was like, 'Oh. My. God. Why didn't you get me this years ago???"

 

[winemaker81]

Apple is the dark side and as a developer, I won't ever, ever, ever go there

My first 2 employers were Mac shops -- Macintosh Plus with one 3.5" floppy drive. It was sooo exciting to get a Mac SE that had TWO floppy drives! Those machines were great, as they worked right outa-the-box!!! After that, I couldn't find Mac work -- I lucked out and had enough general background (Mac, Unix, Dec-Vax) to get a dev job in Windows 3.11. The environment sucked, but it included a paycheck, so I adapted! Been bouncing between Windows, Unix, and Linux ever since.

Jim is right -- Macs excel in the area of graphics & publishing.

Everyone should note -- this conversion IS on topic -- what we're doing today is discussing the relevancy and history of various computer systems. What everyone else is doing is either ignoring the conversation OR wondering why dinosaurs are discussing ancient technology history.

 

[jswordy]

Jim is right -- Macs excel in the area of graphics & publishing.

And the virus thing. Saved me a ton on subscriptions.

 

[ibglowin]

I knew it was Groundhog day today but I didn't realize it was also Mac vs PC Groundhog day today!

Apple is the dark side, and no, you don't want to be there unless you have a lot of extra cash laying around ...


Seriously, Apple is expensive in both the iPhone and laptop market. My wife priced a not-top-of-the-line iPhone recently and nearly choked on the price -- and an equivalent Android from a reputable vendor was half the price. Her side of the family is all iPhones, but she decided doing Facetime on an iPod works just fine.

BTW, I'm not a computer bigot -- I'm in favor of folks using what they like and what works for them. Essentially my opinion on wine!

 

[jswordy]

I knew it was Groundhog day today but I didn't realize it was also Mac vs PC Groundhog day today!

Nooooo... Not Mac, but AAAAAPPPPPLLLLEEEE...

 

[BigDaveK]

Apple is the dark side, and no, you don't want to be there unless you have a lot of extra cash laying around ...


Seriously, Apple is expensive in both the iPhone and laptop market. My wife priced a not-top-of-the-line iPhone recently and nearly choked on the price -- and an equivalent Android from a reputable vendor was half the price. Her side of the family is all iPhones, but she decided doing Facetime on an iPod works just fine.

BTW, I'm not a computer bigot -- I'm in favor of folks using what they like and what works for them. Essentially my opinion on wine!

OMG, I know exactly what you mean! I worked in hardware in the 80's and like a lot of people I had the job during the day and then I tinkered at night. Apple was always looked down on. To this day I will not buy any Apple products and I really don't know why.