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Pastimes : Computer Learning -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Frederick Langford who wrote (12183)	9/30/2000 11:47:28 PM
From: Gottfried	Respond to of 110603

Fred, I just ordered a new laptop from Dell and specified Windows 98SE instead of Windows ME. Reason #1 is that all the programs on my desktop are sure to run on the laptop, too [desktop has Win98]. Reason # 2: I want to set up a wireless LAN between the two machines and it just HAS to work if both have Win98. And reason #3 is that there isn't much that's new in Win ME. MS is expected to come out with a different OS next year. I will consider upgrading both machines then. BTW, recent articles on Microsoft's pursuit of software pirates state you can legally install from the same copy of purchased software on ONE desktop and ONE laptop. That was news to me and some day I will actually have to read the legalese. :) Gottfried

To: Frederick Langford who wrote (12183)	10/1/2000 12:24:22 AM
From: mr.mark	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110603

hi fred, i'd actually vote to follow the advice that dell and your dsl company gave to you, which is to go with winme. i think they both are in a position to understand and know what is advisable. while many stories will abound regarding areas and instances of incompatibility, this is often the case when new operating systems are introduced. what i am reading from the experts is that, given the choice between older technology and newer technology (win98 or winme), you are always much better off down the road if you elect to go with the newer operating system. just so i'm being clear, if i was in your situation, i'd go with what the computer manufacturer is advising. best of luck to you :) mark

To: Frederick Langford who wrote (12183)	10/1/2000 1:07:37 AM
From: mr.mark	Respond to of 110603

fred, in a continuation of the win98 vs winme dilemma, i came across an interesting perspective from fred langa (about 9/7/00) which i had posted here on this thread. i'd forgotten about posting it, but just located it a little bit ago. langa, as you may know, is way closer to 'deep-geek' than he is to 'newbie'.... ******************** "My short take on WinME: It's Windows with training wheels. As such, it'll be great for utter newbies because they won't be able to get themselves into much trouble. Alas, while training wheels help beginners, they prevent experts from leaning into the turns, and I think any moderately experienced Windows user will feel stymied and hemmed in by WinME's deliberate limitations. (Yes, they can be gotten around, but it's a pain.) Because of that, I think Win98SE is still the best general-purpose OS on the market, with Windows 2000 the best business OS, and Linux the best deep-geek OS. I don't think WinME is a must-have upgrade for most anyone reading this newsletter, because if you're reading this, you're probably the kind of person who likes to lean into computing's figurative twists and turns. I know I do! <g>." ************************** :) mark

To: Frederick Langford who wrote (12183)	10/1/2000 1:25:16 AM
From: mr.mark	Respond to of 110603

hi again fred, as you can probably tell by now, i've taken your very good question to heart, as i think it is one of the most timely and pertinent questions one could ask on this thread right now. in my first response, i recommended that you follow the good advice of the people at dell and your dsl company. that continues to be my best rec for you. and here is winmag.com's scot finnie who spells it all out quite succinctly for us..... "On a new 'consumer' system, WinMe makes a lot of sense. You might as well start with the latest version and take advantage of features such as System File Protection and System Restore. The rosiest scenarios will be those that involve buying a new PC from a vendor who's done the testing and integration ahead of time to ensure that you won't have to hassle with hardware-compatibility issues." this was excerpted from a segment of finnie's Windows Me Special Report titled Final Verdict. winmag.com he says it better than i was able to. btw, finnie adds....... "If you've got a well-tuned Win98 setup on an existing system, we can think of no compelling reason to rock the boat." :) mark

To: Frederick Langford who wrote (12183)	10/1/2000 10:02:29 AM
From: PMS Witch	Respond to of 110603

Reading the last thousand posts or so on this, and a few other threads, I'm convinced that if I were to purchase a new machine today, I'd get the Windows 2000 Professional Workstation or whatever the OS based on NT code is officially called. The posters all seem to agree that it's stability far surpasses any and all Operating Systems based on the DOS-WIN code found in 31,95, and all flavours of 98s. The big downside, as I see it, is that the W2000 doesn't support all the possible hardware configurations possible in today's PC world. We all want, and need, drivers designed to extract the maximum performance and utility from our systems, as well as a seamless co-operation with our software applications. Since you're ordering from DELL, and they have a 30-day honeymoon policy, you could try your system in whatever configuration you wish without risk: If the thing doesn't meet your expectations, return it. Just my opinion, PW.

To: Frederick Langford who wrote (12183)	10/1/2000 11:56:16 AM
From: Tri Bui	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 110603

As a word of caution: Never get anything in its 1st year!!! I am not experienced with the WindowMe yet but my brother-in-law had when he installed the WindowMe. He tested the WinMe by installing it in his son's computer, nothing but kid's games and education programs...no problem! But when he had the WinMe in his trading computer with Dtinq, Fidelity software, Q charts he could not even started up the Windows...lots of problems!. He finally went back to Win98 SE and all is fine since then. I'd give Microsoft or other vendors some time to make the puzzle look perfect. Tri