Okay, Grandpa comes to me and says he wants a computer. I'm good with computers, BTY. Anyway, Grandpa happens to be made of money, so he can get whatever he wants. BUT, he doesn't want to get some super fancy computer with all the bells and whistles. He also wants something that is very user friendly. And most importantly, he doesn't want to use his computer for all that "useless crap" as he says. If he wants to play music, he'll turn on his radio:lildevil:. If he wants to chat with someone, he'll pick up the telephone:lildevil: No iPod for him... (Now you know his thought process)

Okay, So I am thinking about recommending either a Dell XPS 600 (standard model) or an Apple iMac G5 (20 inch version).

I think the Apple would be much easier to use (I use both Apples and Windows) and also, I don't want him to have to worry about virus protection/spyware blockers, etc. and since Mac OS X is pretty much immune to all of that stuff, and Mac's don't crash like Windows...

On the other hand, Apples are kind of hit and miss when it comes to hardware reliability...They're great, but I have some friends whose hard drives (on their apples) have gone out. On the same hand, My Dell Dimension's hard drive bit the dust too (cheap Asian parts), and my Logitech USB mouse (made for Dell) also wore out and I had to get it replaced.

He won't be playing computer games, and he won't be using any special programs, so he has no real need for windows. Mac OS X is by far a more secure system, and is much easier to use, and hardly ever crashes. Macs though, are more expensive. But, he is made of money...:lildevil:

What would you do?
BTY, here's what they look like:

iMac G5:
http://www.apple.com/imac/gallery/images/34wremote+key20051012

XPS 600:
http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/util_get_image/10/0,1425,sz=1&i=103854,00.gif

Definitely Apple for a first-time user.

I've never had one, but there's no comparison as a start-up system.

iMac

Early versions of the iMac G5 had serious hard drive and power supply reliability issues. The later versions are 200MHz faster, in case you wanted to tell the difference.

http://macintouch.com/reliability/index.html

Go with the Windows PC. It's the most common and easiest to get stuff for (accessories and software). If he's anything like my father-in-law (in his late 60's), he'll be online down-loading all kinds of crap, and that's easier with a standard PC. Besides, if you want a computer that's virtually immune to attacks and (from what I hear) the easiest to use, load him up with a Linux OS.

So if he doesn't want any of those things, what DOES he want to use it for?

Besides, if you want a computer that's virtually immune to attacks and (from what I hear) the easiest to use, load him up with a Linux OS.

Mac OS X is a UNIX-derived operating system:thumbsup:, as is Linux...


So if he doesn't want any of those things, what DOES he want to use it for?

I have NO idea. I think he isn't aware of what modern computers actually do and what people actually use them for. I've tried to explain why you would use E-mail rather than call someone on the phone, but he doesn't seem to get it...yet...I hope that once he sees that you can do everything with one machine, he will be more open to it...You know how old people are though, they usually don't want to learn new technology - If it ain't broke, don't fix it and you can't teach an old dog new tricks, etc.

I think that he will love to get on the internet though and look stuff up, because he likes to read alot, and he's a civil engineer, so I'm sure he will do something with it. But I'm positive he won't do anything related to music, and it will take some time getting him used to using his computer to play DVDs/CDs...

I think that he thinks that you still use computers for "computing":thepan:...

:rolleyes:

Hahaha...yea, understood. :D

But, of course, he likes to have all of the newest cool stuff (which is why he bought the STS when it came out in '93, the RAZR when it came out this year, etc.). I doubt he'll use it more than 1 hour per month, but he'll keep it as a conversation piece if nothing else...:lildevil:and show it off to the old farts that are his friends:sneaky:.

All of my grandparents have computers now, my grandmother has a dell that she NEVER uses. My other grandparents have a Dell that they use to send e-mail on, to keep in touch with their friends (my grandma loves to write letters, and when she found out she could send a letter in 10 seconds, she flipped, so we got her a computer...);)

Old people and Linux dont mix.

True, but Mac OS X is supposed to be one of the most user-friendly operating systems...Remember Jesda, this guy has never used a (modern) computer in his life. I think he's familiar with DOS, because way back when when computers first came out, he got DOS computers for his company for engineering purposes...but he's never dealt with an OS with GUI before...:helpless:

I want it to be as simple as possible for him to use. We all know that Windows computers are prone to getting viruses/spyware and they DO have the blue screen of death...while Mac computers just don't have to deal with those issues (at least not as much anyway.)