What is your Operating System Philosophy?

Staiolz · Post by **Staiolz** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:28 am

Randomness

:

I'm just curious how we feel about the operating systems we use, as they are basically our gateway to information and creativity.

For me, Windows just isn't intuitive enough nor is it as stable just with normal usage. I've used Windows for 14 years now and have always felt compromised in certain ways. I've probably spent hours upon hours troubleshooting.

I use OSX now and love it! I don't feel that it is as polished as Windows, but OSX is the OS to use and it allows me to get what I need done without any headaches.

The perfect OS for me: One that allows me to translate my functions directly to my computer, in whatever way it can. The problems with os's today is the mice+keyboard functionality, we need like a three dimensional form of function, similar to how minority report viewed computers in the future.

I don't feel that a matrix-like computer system would be like.. the best.. As many of his have this idea of like Virtual Computing, I'd say try a hallucinogenic substance, withdrawing from reality could cause problems.

So my point: A computing system based on pure intuitiveness, allowing more senses to apply, but still keeping the computer+human relation as opposed to a virtual-like relationship. What if you had a virus while your brain was hooked into virtual windows?! or even worse a huge amount of popups, you'd have a seizure! hah.

What made me bring this up: I had a dream that I was using Live, but it was actually a machine. It had two turntables connect to it and allowed me to jam in crazy ways. (Weird I'm dreaming about live! hah) IT got me thinking about computers in general.

ishimaru · Post by **ishimaru** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 3:32 pm

I use OS X for the Apple and I find it to be very easy to use. I used windows practically my whole life. The problems that I had where spywares and virus' hitting up my computer hard. Seriously if my girlfriend/sister/mom/friends didn't want to get on the fastest computer in the house I would still be using my PC. I would go defrag reformat the shite .. then go out and come back in the morning .. wake up and there was some Bonzi Buddy BS or some Cursor Mania toolbar deal waiting for me in IE when I used the computer. So I said fuck this and got a mac. The flow is definately something to get used to but once everything is worked out (even after 9 months I am still working out a good workflow lol) its going to really kick ass.

Tarekith · Post by **Tarekith** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 3:39 pm

It doesn't really matter to me, after I turn on the computer, all I care about is clicking on the icon for whatever program I want to use that day. I use Windows cause that's what my first PC experiences were with, and Mac's are still comparatively more expensive now that I'm older. Doesn't take much to learn how to find your way around XP and keep it spyware/virus free IMO and then everything's peachy.

If I was using a Mac it'd be no different, I'd still spend the time to learn how to optimize what needs optimizing (or not) and then promptly just ignore it and get on with my work.

People like to hate Windows, and people like to hate Mac's for whatever reason, and all of them a recompletely missing the point IMO.

forge · Post by **forge** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 3:42 pm

Um...My operating system Phillosophy?

Uhh...Be excellent to one another?

ultrasource · Post by **ultrasource** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 3:45 pm

I'm partial to OS X. No philosophy, though. Each OS has its merit.
I work with Windows servers/workstations complete with boring point-of-sale and accounting software so I guess when I open my powerbook, I'm kind of like a monkey with a shiny quarter.

milfbait · Post by **milfbait** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 4:20 pm

I don't get it when people say Windows XP is unstable. I have 3 PCs here at home and they never crash. I think most problems with XP are either using crappy hardware or user error. Windows 98, now that was a complete piece of unstable shit, but XP is 100% stable for me, including on my DAW. IMO XP is more intuitive than OSX, but that's could be because I've been using it for years. I hate Unix/Linux, so I probably wouldn't like OSX, although it does look nice.

rikhyray · Post by **rikhyray** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 4:38 pm

I dont care for OS, pc or mac, absolutely secondary. Since Live is my main application I got what works best at the moment- Sonoma centrino. If the new macs work better i will get one.
XP can be as unstable as the brain of the user, no complains really but I hate using any other pc then mine, cause I dont need 80% of what Microsoft and notebook companies bundle. "Untweaked" XP is too messy and slow. I perfectly understand mac fanatics ( thanks to Sony the other pc thingy- uglyass look, is solved, OK they stolen the idea from Apple, I dont care as long as it look good) The best pc solution is Nlite OS- personalised XP, you can bring 1,5-2 G of XP to 200MB. It is time saver but what is most important, the useless shit does not get installed at all. My first,carefull attempt- internet partition is 800MB- using it right now, since it works fine I will do the no network no internet version when i have few spare hours.

atomic · Post by **atomic** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 4:50 pm

this is an interesting post.

For me a OS is for setting up hardware and running other apps. The best operating system would be one that i never had to look at beond a nice desktop and some startup icons. But that is not all that reolistic.

I have used Windows 3.1|98|2000|XP pro and home. as well as Redhat|Debian unstable|Xandros|Suse and last but not least OSX 10.3.9|and a little wile with 10.4 had to reverto though due to things not working.

To me it seems that in windows if things are not working out then you can open up the hood and get dirty. But from my limited time with OS X it seems that if your hardware is not working out then if there is not a patch then it is just not going to work so forget it.

in the end I use what operating system works best for the program I want too run. I use my mac for all my internet stuff and for protools LE. I use My Pc with XP for running Ableton Live5. And i dont run linux at the moment but that is not because i think it is not good for things. In fact for browsing the web linux is probibly the safest way to go. But I am not a IT guy.

well there is one more bit of blabiing for ya all to read.

mikemc · Post by **mikemc** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:01 pm

my philosophy is that the OS must run the applications you need, must be stable and make good use of the system's resources and be configurable towards a paritcular end.

the operating system and the layer that allows you to click and drag and drop and view filesystem contents are two different things. people talk about 'tweaking their OS' when the go into Windows control panel and that is silly-- you are adjusting some configurations, not 'tweaking the OS'.

if you use the words 'operating system' it is required you understand things like memory heap management, system resources vs. user resources and why disk swapping is bad. You must know the story of the Rainbow computer and CPM, the early multitasking OS that was eclipsed by DOS because the clever guy who came up with it thought it should be priced too high and didn't show up with the meeting that would give him the opportunity that Gates ultimately got. You must struggle with arcane documentation and the scorn of people with tape on their glasses. You must have tape on your glasses.

At which point you will arrive at the conclustion that all OS's are flawed.

So don't do that. Use whatever you like.

Angstrom · Post by **Angstrom** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:46 pm

forge wrote: Uhh...Be excellent to one another?

Dude!

*plays air guitar *

dCross · Post by **dCross** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:50 pm

I like gaming, and enjoy saving money by building my own machines. Windows is my only option, simple as that.

kettensaege · Post by **kettensaege** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 9:35 pm

milfbait, your post makes me all nostalgic about my old PC and makes me wanna defend Windows 98, which is a pretty strange feeling for a Mac user

Anyway, I built that PC myself years ago, Celeron 300 overclocked to 450MHz, used it heavily during the following years for gaming, graphics, music, programming and only put it away when it started playing up and refused to boot occasionally. When in a LAN, it was always behind a router, but I never bothered with firewalls and antivirus stuff. Before I put it away I ran some antivirus software just to see if anything was wrong, but couldn't find anything. And I also could never complain about its stability. That really makes me wonder what people do to their boxes or maybe I was just lucky with my setup back then

mosca · Post by **mosca** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 9:39 pm

i use both XP and OSX

they are both keys to unlock doors