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Windows 11: Worst Messaging Ever?


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I didn't want to hijack the Windows 11 thread in Dr. Mike's Studio Workshop. That thread is more about reality, this is more about perception.

 

What was Microsoft thinking?!? When most people heard the Windows 11 announcement, this was their takeaway: "Here's Windows 11, and you better have a computer that meets our specs, and it probably will, if it's new enough. Well, maybe. So try our PC Health Check application, which will likely show that your computer can't run Windows 11, even if it probably can, assuming you know how to mess around in the deep recesses of your BIOS without blowing things up. Have a nice day!"

 

Pretty unappealing, frankly.

 

If I was at Microsoft, I would have used the following messaging:

 

"Microsoft is ready when you are. Windows 10 is the world's most popular operating system, and we'll continue supporting and enhancing it for at least another 5 years. But whenever you're ready to upgrade to a new, fast, and truly secure computing environment, Windows 11 will be ready for you - ready to apply our cutting-edge software and security technology, designed from the ground up for the future's cutting-edge hardware."

 

Now, the hell of it is that messaging is all true. It's beyond me why Microsoft didn't think of it.

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Or at the very least, put a simple to read explanation that, due to ransomware, other malware, etc. it is necessary to improve overall security. Then - since the security improvements are dependent on technology that wasn't available in motherboards until about 2018, we felt that it was required to make these improvements.

 

But, they never have been able to get their users into the same track that Apple gets the IOS device users so that their perception is that they MUST have the newest gadget at least every 2 or 3 years, just to keep with their friends.

 

None of my 9 PCs will meet the requirements. Even the one I got recently for my daughter is a bit older. That is really my own choice - since I can fix them up, I purchase only workstation grade that can run 24/7, have high performance, and that I can squeeze at least 7 to 10 years out of. To do this, I buy on the used market, and pickup one of the vast multitude of at least 3 or 4 year old machines that have been returned by large companies on leases, then sold by the leasing companies to remarketers. Spend the least for the most.

 

Since W10 will be supported until mid-2025 (reasonable IMO), I plan to add a single Z2 G4 used workstation so I can keep up with the changes and be familiar when some of my clients have transitioned. I predict a free-fall in used value on the older computers (and likely a higher value for the Generation 8+ used machines) about fall, when the knowledge of the requirements is widespread. +

 

I only got rid of some 2001 era HP workstations (HP-4100 tower) rather recently, they would only go up to Windows 7. Reformatted them with Mint Cinnamon Linux and gave them away. People who didn't have money for something better picked them up without much delay (also had some old monitors, keyboards, mice for a complete system).

Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's

HP DAW|Epi Les Paul & LP 5-str bass|iPad mini2

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Jim

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This is somewhat encouraging...

 

Windows 11: Microsoft apologizes for compatibility confusion, hints at changes

Microsoft published a mea culpa today for its communication snafu in last week's Windows 11 launch. The company said it's pulling its flawed compatibility checker and reviewing minimum system requirements, leaving open the possibility of expanding the list of supported CPUs.

 

https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-11-microsoft-apologizes-for-compatibility-confusion-hints-at-changes/

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So Microsoft is trying to be more like Mac now, releasing OS versions that break older hardware and force you to buy new. I guess it will increase their bottom line with increased collections from PC manufacturers that install Windows 11. Too bad. It used to only be Mac that always wanted to upgrade my systems even if it means breaking half of my music programs. I carelessly let my iMac update and had to wait months for all my NI Komplete components to work again. Now I also have to stand guard over my Windows computers.

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So Microsoft is trying to be more like Mac now, releasing OS versions that break older hardware and force you to buy new. I guess it will increase their bottom line with increased collections from PC manufacturers that install Windows 11. Too bad. It used to only be Mac that always wanted to upgrade my systems even if it means breaking half of my music programs. I carelessly let my iMac update and had to wait months for all my NI Komplete components to work again. Now I also have to stand guard over my Windows computers.

 

 

Hmmm... if I want to upgrade to a new system on my Mac, I have to click on it and make it go. It's been sitting there, being an uninstalled Big Sur for quite a while now.

 

I've unchecked the "Automatically update my Mac" button so it tells me what it wants to update and I can confirm or deny.

 

Upgrade is for a new system, update is for updated software, both are completely optional and simple to control. So, I'm not buying your story on that one, just sayin'. :)

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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So Microsoft is trying to be more like Mac now, releasing OS versions that break older hardware and force you to buy new.

 

That's what I mean about their messaging sucks! I ran Vista, 7, and 10 on the same computer, so I can't really complain. And if I have to replace my circa-2015 computer in 2025, then it cost me $15/month (although it does sound more and more like MS is going to extend support for Windows 10 beyond that).

 

I think the source of this issue is that the internet was never intended to be a secure environment. At this point, the older hardware is like a boat that has developed so many leaks you just can't keep bailing it anymore. Putting the security in hardware is basically Intel and Microsoft saying the internet will never be secure, so all the things that connect to the internet have to be secure instead.

 

I don't think it's so much about planned obsolescence, although I'm sure computer companies will be very happy to sell you a new computer, and I do think Microsoft will be happy not to have Forbes point out the "security hole of the week" with distressing regularity. I think it's more about how people (i.e., hackers) suck. If the world does go into virtual currencies and such, entering that world with today's computers is probably asking for major trouble. It's bad enough that the latest ransomware exploit has a $70 million dollar price tag.

 

The story with Apple is different. In that case, you're paying for new hardware to be with the cool kids, on the cutting edge. I'm sure anyone who ran out of laptop battery on a cross-country flight at the exact wrong time is looking at the M1-based laptops. I have noticed that I rarely get any notices about "don't install this on Windows until you get an all-clear," but that's common with Mac OS changes. The irony, of course, is that you can reinstall a Mac OS without having to wipe your hard drive :)

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The irony, of course, is that you can reinstall a Mac OS without having to wipe your hard drive :)

 

Then there's that. I chose to update to Catalina, waited until it was well past the initial offering. At one point I went back to Mojave with all of my software fully intact and running. I'm on Catalina now and have been for quite a while. I lost some 32 bit plugins but nothing that made me twitch. I think they were mostly freebies.

 

I'm not big on "Mac vs Windows" wars, they get silly pretty quickly but there are clear advantages to both platforms depending on your perspective and probably (at least for me) what you started with.

 

I've had Windows machines at work all my life and since I've been in graphic design and printing often both Mac and PC running side by side. As graphics files became more cross compatible, that situation changed and more workplaces went to all PC. Not sure about now but I do remember back in Windows XP or 7 or something that updates were sequential and glacially slow since you had to run every single one of them right after each other until it was done. That took about 4 hours one day at work and I had to go find something else to do while it churned along. I don't know if they fixed that, I suspect they must have.

Even back then, all Mac updates were one single comprehensive update, which they kept current. It usually was done in about 10 minutes including restart. There is probably much less difference now.

 

At home, I"ve always bought Macs, except for last Christmas. I got a gift card from work for our local Kroger's store and I wanted a laptop just for surfing the interwebs. They were having an inventory clearance and had an HP laptop for 65% off at $170 so I got it.

 

It was so slow on the internet that I returned it 2 days later. That might very well be my lack of knowledge on setting up a Billy G Box but while I was consistently getting around 25 mb per second on my 2014 MacBook Pro for downloads, the fastest I got from the HP was about 2.3 mb per second or more then 10x slower. Drove me nuts, now it's gone. Too bad because I understand the built in virus detector in Windows 10 is really quite good.

 

Everybody should just use what they like and are used to using unless there is a compelling reason to switch. And 4 years from now, who knows what that might be? Maybe some form of Linux will just kick total ass on everything by then.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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I'm not into Mac vs. PC, as I have used both for years, except that I like a rivalry in which the opponents keep pushing each other to higher levels. Anyway, it seems that half of my Mac update notices are for iMovie and other built in Mac programs that I never use. So, I got to where I would just click and go. One day I clicked, the computer immediately restarted, and the new OS was installed. Yes Kuru, it really did happen whether you buy it or not. I didn't know it was easy to revert back to an old OS version. I also didn't know it was going to take NI so long to update all of their VSTi's. Luckily U-he was much more on the ball and that is the VSTi's I use most.

 

The updates that do really piss me off are the iPad updates that render older programs unusable. You don't get a warning beforehand of which programs will become disabled. So far I have found no way to revert to older OS versions unless you have hardware backups to restore from, which I don't. There are several purchased programs on iPad that I really like that are no longer usable. I'd like to find an old iPad with an old OS. One thing about Microsoft, they do consider backward compatibility important. I wish Apple did.

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My first computer was a cheap PC running... Windows 98, one of history's greatest software scourges. I was pleased to have a friend recommend Macs, which have had their bumps, but otherwise been astoundingly stable. The early Power Macs could get horsey at times, but the iMac line has made me almost suspicious at the lack of problems. Logic is what weaned me off of workstations, even newer ones with near-iPads for touchscreens. K makes the most important point: use what works for you.

 

I sniffed Ableton a bit a few years back, appreciating its style, but nixed it as being wrong for me. Ultimately, I prefer traditional linear sequencing. Its all a giant 96-track Otari tape deck to me. I like to set up a Strum track and play balls-out e-guitar to within the limits of my clunky hands and current amount of applicable ego. :popcorn:

 

If I was denied a Mac, I'd become a Linux user and then a serial killer.

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I'm not into Mac vs. PC, as I have used both for years, except that I like a rivalry in which the opponents keep pushing each other to higher levels. Anyway, it seems that half of my Mac update notices are for iMovie and other built in Mac programs that I never use. So, I got to where I would just click and go. One day I clicked, the computer immediately restarted, and the new OS was installed. Yes Kuru, it really did happen whether you buy it or not. I didn't know it was easy to revert back to an old OS version. I also didn't know it was going to take NI so long to update all of their VSTi's. Luckily U-he was much more on the ball and that is the VSTi's I use most.

 

The updates that do really piss me off are the iPad updates that render older programs unusable. You don't get a warning beforehand of which programs will become disabled. So far I have found no way to revert to older OS versions unless you have hardware backups to restore from, which I don't. There are several purchased programs on iPad that I really like that are no longer usable. I'd like to find an old iPad with an old OS. One thing about Microsoft, they do consider backward compatibility important. I wish Apple did.

 

Mac did used to have auto-install for their systems, it's been quite a few version ago. I don't dispute it at all, I've had my fun!!!

And, while we tend to forgive our friends and family their transgressions, we hold grudges against our computers for much longer.

I know Windows is much better now but my grudge against the many transgressions against logic committed in the past may never be forgiven.

Shit, I am typing this on a Billy G Box right now, it's a slowpoke HP laptop that they gave me for working remotely. It does have some version of 10 on it but Outlook/Word etc. are the 2016 versions.

I get my work done, I still am not a Windows guy and probably never will be. So it goes.

 

Others have done the deep dive in a different direction, getting results is what matters, not which computer system we use. It is amazing what can be done, even on an archaic, out of date system.

I know, I started on a Mac SE that had the "Superdrive", it could use 1.4mb floppy disks, which were larger than the hard drive!!!! Screen was probably about 8" diagonally.

Turn it on, go do something else for a while, come back, probably more or less mostly booted. No interwebz.

 

We do have it good these days but it doesn't stop us from complaining!!!!!

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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They're having to react to Apple M1, and subscription shenanigans.

 

 

They will have to have an answer for the M1 approach to systems, and they'll need the memory management/architecture in place to do it pronto. Without their own integrated system chip they're kind of screwed, and I'm sure they know it. So...

 

1) Get people locked into the MS platform now, "innoculate" them to Apple M1. How do you do that? Figure out how to make them spend $$$$$ so they won't want to spend $$ on an Apple machine.

2) Create an income stream where the spreadsheet shows a decline - legacy installs. How do you do that? Subscriptions. "Subscribe for the Premium Windows Experience". Don't have TPM 2? Well, for a small fee you can get the legacy edition W11. Want to run a server? Subscribe to Windows 11 360 Server.

 

Look at how they've forced 360 products into things. Look at how you've got to maintain a MS account to logon to your own machine.

 

Apple does Apple better than MS does. Apple has forced their hand. They *should* be reacting by zagging away, giving you a *less* Mac-like experience: a leaner OS, refining what's already there and allowing you to go under the hood to modify it to your liking. Take out the chaff and bloat.

 

Instead they appear headed in a more corporate Marketing Degree direction.

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/ "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien

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Things you expect to always be there, you can take for granted until... they're not.

 

For non-musicians, non-video, non-gamers, they only need a machine that will run a browser so they can get email. They'll run their word processor online, or the bespoke online software their work demands. At home, they just want a browser.

 

A $300 WalMart machine fulfils that just fine now. If MS screws this up as bad as I think they could, a year after introducing/forcing W11, IT departments are going to move towards Apple or Linux.

 

They're going to lose a lot of government systems trying to win the browser war by shelving IE.

Same for forcing security updates off to W11 in 2025.

Placing reliance on a MS account to run a machine - same.

Apple is going to start killing them with their SOIC approach.

 

3 years from now, *if* you can buy a Windows PC that can hang with a new gen SOIC Mac the question will be "why"? Gamers will still be in it, UNLESS Steam or a game consortium comes out with their own OS - then it will be a quick GAME OVER for MS.

 

IMO MS' *only* way out is to do what they won't do: give people a debloated, fast OS.

 

Otherwise their only path is towards their own SOIC with Intel (who must do this as well), and they're on the backfoot with Apple. So, Windows 11 will have a Hidden Agenda to not only lock the user into their ecosystem, but also to set you up for *having* to move to a new MicroIntelSoft system on a chip.

Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com

Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/

 

/ "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien

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As I get older (in a few months I will sign up for social security and Medicare) my attitudes are changing. A couple years ago I would not consider a gMail account and would frequently post that people are idiots for using email from a company that specializes on gathering information and selling it. Now I have a gMail account.

 

I absolutely don't trust Apple to give me a smooth running, problem free music computer that uses programs from other brands. I've seen them break too many programs with OS updates. Yet, my latest computer is a M1 MacBook Air, my phone is the top of the line iPhone which has become my go to camera, and my watch is an Apple watch. I even have a cloud package and subscribe to Apple One.

 

While I get the hype about Microsoft being evil and I know the story of how they basically stole Windows, I have several Windows laptops, desktops, and my main DAW computer is Windows. Not to mention the 3 Xbos' in the house. I also have a GoG account (Good Old Games) and play favorite games from 25+ years ago.

 

I've turned that corner and am more willing to accept things for what they are. I will use Apple, Microsoft and Google and not worry so much about the negatives.

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I didn't realize just how bad the supply chain is until today. One of my business clients buys HP refurbished business computers. When HP gets a complaint on their business line, up to 30 days, they FedEx a new computer with a return tag. Many of these have no real problem, some user issue. They might have a scratch or two. HP internally fixes any problem, does a complete software reload, and sells them through their Business Out web store. The buyer saves between about 10% and 50% (depending on whether the machine is current generation and how long they have been trying to move it). This has proven to be an excellent way to get my clients a high quality machine that will last and do the job. I make a small amount for the time, it is registered in their name, and I usually make more in setting it up for their internal use.

 

My largest client - one owner wants a new notebook compatible with Windows 11 for the other owner to replace their home notebook. (Both kept the older computer and use it at home, so they don't have to carry one in and out of the office every day). I had gotten her a 17" Zbook, which she absolutely loves. She wants a new 17" Zbook. Only one they make is the Zbook Fury. Store had 2 yesterday at opening (I get an email every day). She tried to order one, was gone. The other was gone also. So, I'm checking to see if another shows up. I thought I'd also check on a brand-new Fury. Got on website where one can configure and order new business computers. Price obviously higher, but that might be OK. If it was ordered TODAY, it would arrive 25 NOVEMBER, 2021. Usually a custom order arrives in several weeks.

 

Gonna be a while before the semiconductor shortage gets better. I'm satisfied with used at a decent price, will be ordering one in next few days (desktop workstation, not notebook - I'm still happy with my considerably older HP Zbook 17 generation 2. Best machine I've ever had (except if I have to carry it a long distance).

Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's

HP DAW|Epi Les Paul & LP 5-str bass|iPad mini2

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Jim

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I didn't realize just how bad the supply chain is until today. ...

 

Try buying a decent appliance with a computer chip in it. 3 months ago I bought the only decent refrigerator my local store had in stock. I wanted to buy a dish washer at the same time and they said it could be months. Luckily my sister had bought their last good dishwasher and had not taken deliver. She told them to send it to me and order her another. We stopped by last week. Still no word on when she will get hers.

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I absolutely don't trust Apple to give me a smooth running, problem free music computer that uses programs from other brands. I've seen them break too many programs with OS updates.

 

That's one way to look at it, fair enough.

Here is some perspective from a different viewpoint.

 

A friend gave me Adobe Elements Suite (Photoshop and Premiere) in 2014. I had it on my computer for a long time, worked well. In 2016 I got Corel Painter, it worked but I didn't use it much. And in 2018 I got a the 2018 version of Adobe Elements Suite, didn't need it but on sale and I thought it might be cool. It ran well and I used it quite a bit.

 

When I ported over to Catalina, all three of those softwares ran perfectly, no problems at all. Some other stuff got kicked to the curb because it was 32 bit, mostly free plugins.

At one point, I went back to Mojave, cleaned up my disk and I tossed Painter and Adobe 2014 when I ported back over to Catalina.

For fun, I tried to install them off the install disks. Mac told me the installers were not 64 bit and could not be used.

 

So, Adobe had running versions of 64 bit Photoshop in 2014. Yet when Catalina came out, they still had 32 bit installers for their Cloud software. One of their largest customer bases for their most expensive software and it can't be installed because of the installer. They got a rash of shit for it from the Mac graphic designers (there is a buttload of them too!!!) and they updated their installer.

 

So, is that Apple "breaking Adobe's programs" or is it Adobe dropping the ball and not being able to find it quickly because their head was plunged deeply into their rectal cavity?

 

What about NI? Are they not a software company? They got notice beforehand, I have quite a few of their plugins and they all ran fine on Catalina. It did take them a while to update Native Access but did Apple "break NI" or did NI hose it all themselves?

 

Another way of looking at it, just my experience with a similar situation. Everything works fine now, I do have way too many plugins but I am thinning the herd.

 

Speaking of plugins, how many did Windows include for you to use on your DAW?

My Apple system loaded 36 plugins, most of them very useful and a few of them are probably fine but maybe not for me. I could do everything I really needed to do with just he included Apple plugins.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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In my view, Apple broke them. Windows does try to insure backwards compatibility. Apple does not. It makes for nice, clean Apple code. It does not make for nice customer support. Music software is a tough, competitive business with ever decreasing profits. It is a drain for many companies to have to keep going back to older programs and update the programming to run under the most recent OS when they could be working on new products. The alternative is to let the programs doe. Consider them obsolete. Tell customers "sorry, we no longer support this program and it will no longer work on your new or newly updated computer." That would fit into Apple's planned obsolesce make them buy new every few years policy.

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In my view, Apple broke them. Windows does try to insure backwards compatibility. Apple does not. It makes for nice, clean Apple code. It does not make for nice customer support. Music software is a tough, competitive business with ever decreasing profits. It is a drain for many companies to have to keep going back to older programs and update the programming to run under the most recent OS when they could be working on new products. The alternative is to let the programs doe. Consider them obsolete. Tell customers "sorry, we no longer support this program and it will no longer work on your new or newly updated computer." That would fit into Apple's planned obsolesce make them buy new every few years policy.

 

 

As I said, a different perspective. The little guys, a one man company sitting at home coding, I can understand your perspective.

 

A HUGE company like Adobe? They are not oblivious to what is going on at Apple. They had 64 bit software in 2014 but hung onto 32 bit installers well past their time. That's 100% on them and it cost them business.

 

I didn't seem to have any problems with IK, maybe they read their memos or something. I have quite a bit of their software too.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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ISo, I got to where I would just click and go. One day I clicked, the computer immediately restarted, and the new OS was installed.

 

Too late now, but there is a check box for installing OS updates automatically that's different from installing other updates automatically. Not that it's easy to find...

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Most of this is of academic interest. The "consumer computer" train left the station a long time ago. Most consumers don't need more than a smartphone or tablet.

 

Computers have been the core of my business since the mid-70s (S-100 bus machines). So I've been through all the iterations...Amiga, Atari, Mac, Mac clones, Dells, custom-integrated Windows machines...you name it. I still think the Amiga should have won the war, but apparently, every morning at Commodore there was a sticky note on the employee's computers that said "Pick up gun. Shoot self in foot."

 

So I can basically use any computer I want. For now, a custom Windows machine is by far a better choice for doing heavy lifting with video and audio. If I didn't have to depend 100% on having a functioning machine 24/7, I would choose a Mac as my primary machine, if only because I'm embedded in the Mac ecosystem for my personal end of the computing spectrum.

 

But before someone says "My Mac is 100% reliable," I'm totally sure it is! But the amount of stress I put on my Windows computer is beyond the pale - I often have hardcore video production, multitrack audio projects loaded with CPU-heavy plug-ins, internet connections, Office, and more running simultaneously because they're all being devoted to completing the same project. I've never been able to push a Mac that hard and live to tell the tale :) I'm sure the new $10,000 PowerMac would do the job, but it makes no sense to do that when a $4,000 Windows machine will do what it does, and quite possibly more.

 

Regardless, things are always changing. At one point if you did page layout, you'd be an idiot to try and do it with a Windows machine. If you needed to take a laptop to Antarctica to do scientific measurements, if you took anything other than a Panasonic ToughBook you were nuts. At one point (late 80s-mid90s) if you wanted to do music software, the Mac was way ahead of Windows. Now if you want to do music software, they're both great because the market share in the music industry is more or less 50/50, so companies have to make sure both platforms are covered.

 

Which is one reason why they won't support older versions of operating systems - it's enough just keeping up with the latest versions of Mac and Windows.

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^^ great post ^^^

 

I'm not in that deep but I do remember things like the photo lab at college getting a room full of Macs, I think they were SE but not sure. Anyway, the head of the department was very proud of the fact that they had 12 megs of RAM each. Photoshop was Mac only at that point, version 1.07 was where I started. Quark was Mac only as well, I got into that whole graphics thing a bit later.

 

In 1997 I bought a U-Max Mac Clone just before Apple stopped the cloning. It had a whopping 160 megs of RAM and a 1.5 gig hard drive. Plus there were Zip disks now!!!! I was still all graphics, no audio at that point. In 2003 I bought a G4 Powerbook, don't remember the specs. I got a MOTU 896 and Digital Performer and started in trying to learn recording on computer. I hated DP and wasn't particularly impressed with the 896 but I had the 5" 2 way JBL studio monitors from that era so there are plenty of possible reasons why that wasn't such a great rig, starting with the Octava condenser mics that Guitar Center threw in the deal - the most microphonic microphones every made possibly.

 

Flipped into an iMac a few years later, got a Mackie Onyx rack mount interface with 4 mic preamps, started using Tracktion which I found very easy to get along with (the never ending battle between the Artist and the Engineer!!!!) picked up some better mics - I do wish I'd kept the Shure KSM44!!!! and a pair of Mackie HR824 speakers. Things were much better.

 

Even though my 2014 MacBook Pro is nothing compared to what's out there now, I'm glad to be where I am now. 16 gigs of RAM is pretty OK. But I am not done!!!!

 

I've noticed plugins have really improved in the last year or so, the sounds are just better. I recently picked up the Chandler GAV19T guitar amp plugin and it sounds great. I can almost smell the tubes and I know they are EL84s not because it says so, they sound like it. And the free Mesa Dual Rec clone recently given away by IK Multimedia sounds like 6L6s to me. I'm very familiar with those sounds, these "feel" right when I play.

 

I am a big fan of progress, stuff has come and gone and I have no real regrets (other than the KSM44) as far as studio gear and computers/software goes. I couldn't even use SampleTank 3 in my DAW and didn't care because it really didn't sound that good stand alone. When a sale came up on the least expensive version of Sampletank 4, I got it and eventually some more current sounds. It's fun, it works well and it sounds much better. Just a few years can make a huge difference.

 

I'll probably get a more robust computer in the next couple of years, everything else is lining up pretty well.

 

I do get that for you, the bang for the buck is in a Windows machine. I doubt I will put my computer up to that many tasks simultaneously!!!!

And I am happier with a system I now know pretty well. We've always had IT where I worked taking care of the Microsoft stuff so you don't learn much, just do the work and let IT know when it's boogered.

I've always had Mac at home and can usually prevent most problems from happening in the first place.

 

I am running Windows 10 at home now too but working part time means trying to get as much done as possible so I just contact our IT guy and he opens a remote session. It did take a while to get everything up and running properly, it's working well now and has been for a while.

 

I'm not really interested in the deep dive, I just want to do stuff!

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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I trust Apple more than Adobe in the "not screwing up" department.

 

Just purchased the one computer that will run Win 11: HP Z2 Generation 4 workstation, Intel i7, 8th. Gen. 32GB RAM (can hold 64), 240G M.2 NVME SSD, 2TB HD. Winning bid was $406.08, plus $40 shipping (reasonable for the tower), plus NC tax. Running Win 10 Pro already. That one is all I need at the moment (probably until mid 2025) to be able to keep up my knowledge base and properly support my clients.

 

As I think I mentioned previously, I currently am running Win 8.2, Win 10, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Mint Cinnamon 20.1 Linux; and am in the Windows Insider Beta Channel, so my Parallels VM with the Insider OS will run the more stable versions of Win 11 as they are introduced. I've copied the VM file to the second drive on the Mini, so I can go back if the updates break anything. Should be an interesting test going forward, since Apple does not support TPM 2.0 at all (Parallels has done some amazing things in the past, they may be able to fool the Win 11 OS into thinking it has TPM).

Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's

HP DAW|Epi Les Paul & LP 5-str bass|iPad mini2

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Jim

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One thing Microsoft did better than Apple is that 64-bit versions of the Windows operating system can still run 32-bit programs. I do not know why Apple did not do the same - this specific type of backwards compatibility has been supported in different operating systems provided by other vendors.
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One thing Microsoft did better than Apple is that 64-bit versions of the Windows operating system can still run 32-bit programs. I do not know why Apple did not do the same - this specific type of backwards compatibility has been supported in different operating systems provided by other vendors.

 

Windows transitioned to 64-bit operating systems a long time ago, but because of the huge installed base of ancient Windows machines running spreadsheets in cubicles, they probably had to make sure there was 32-bit compatibility. I think Windows has always been about compromise (in the sense of a more bloated OS) to maintain backward compatibility, while Apple has been about compromise in order to move forward (i.e., consumers have to compromise on their expectations of product lifespans, for both hardware and software).

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