From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

Good starting point <https://www.zdnet.com/article/7-most-windows-like-linux-distros-if-youre-ready-to-ditch-microsoft/>
for those looking for the best alternative when switching from
Windows. Did you know Bazzite isn’t just for gaming? Note also the immutability option, to give you a level of security that Microsoft
and Apple have yet to discover.

Also related: “5 ways to run Windows apps on macOS - and 2 are free” <https://www.zdnet.com/article/5-ways-to-run-windows-apps-on-macos-and-2-are-free/>.
Unfortunately, as seems all too typical with the Mac, the “free”
options are not so straightforward to set up.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On 9/9/2025 7:13 PM, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:

Good starting point <https://www.zdnet.com/article/7-most-windows-like-linux-distros-if-youre-ready-to-ditch-microsoft/>
for those looking for the best alternative when switching from
Windows. Did you know Bazzite isn’t just for gaming? Note also the immutability option, to give you a level of security that Microsoft
and Apple have yet to discover.

Also related: “5 ways to run Windows apps on macOS - and 2 are free” <https://www.zdnet.com/article/5-ways-to-run-windows-apps-on-macos-and-2-are-free/>.
Unfortunately, as seems all too typical with the Mac, the “free”
options are not so straightforward to set up.

I found CrossOver to be useful with macOS, then OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.
With Linux, though, typically using generic Wine is better.
--
Joel W. Crump
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On Sep 9, 2025 at 7:13:58 PM EDT, "Lawrence D´Oliveiro" <[email protected]d> wrote:

Also related: “5 ways to run Windows apps on macOS - and 2 are free” <https://www.zdnet.com/article/5-ways-to-run-windows-apps-on-macos-and-2-are-free/>.
Unfortunately, as seems all too typical with the Mac, the “free”
options are not so straightforward to set up.

Unfortunately, as seems all too typical with Linux users, Macs are deemed
"hard to use".

Add VMware Fusion to the list of free VM solutions for Macs. You install VMWare, create the VM (you decide the size of the drive, how much RAM to assign, how many CPUs, how to network or just accept the defaults), point it
to the Windows Arm ISO you downloaded from MS, and install Windows 11. All
very normal for VM solutions. So much for "not so straightforward to set up".


BTW a Windows 11 license can be bought for $15 - $20. Good for 2 installs.

64GB drive, 4 CPUs and 6GB RAM are plenty to install Windows. They can all be changed later. That's the beauty of VMs. "Upgrading the hardware" is just a matter of changing the settings.

Of course, this all assumes you have enough RAM (and drive space) in the Mac
to run Windows in a VM. 16GB RAM is the realistic minimum. If you don't have
at least 64GB free drive space then forget it. I have 32GB RAM on both my M2 MacBook Pro and my M4 Mac Mini (and 2TB SSDs), so I have no problems with any of this. I bought both knowing I was going to run VMs.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:34:53 +0000, Tyrone wrote:

Of course, this all assumes you have enough RAM (and drive space) in the
Mac to run Windows in a VM. 16GB RAM is the realistic minimum. If you
don't have at least 64GB free drive space then forget it.

If you don’t have enough space, it’s easy enough to upgrade, isn’t
it ... ?

... oh, wait.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:39:50 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro <[email protected]d> wrote in <109r2v6$1en64$[email protected]>:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:34:53 +0000, Tyrone wrote:

Of course, this all assumes you have enough RAM (and drive space) in
the Mac to run Windows in a VM. 16GB RAM is the realistic minimum. If
you don't have at least 64GB free drive space then forget it.

If you don’t have enough space, it’s easy enough to upgrade, isn’t it ... ?

... oh, wait.

With Thunderbolt, the drive additions can be external with
no penalty.
--
-v System76 Thelio Mega v1.1 x86_64 NVIDIA RTX 3090Ti 24G
OS: Linux 6.16.5 D: Mint 22.2 DE: Xfce 4.18
NVIDIA: 580.82.07 Mem: 258G
"Should I weed the lawn or say it's a garden?"
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On 9/10/2025 2:43 AM, vallor wrote:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:39:50 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro <[email protected]d> wrote in <109r2v6$1en64$[email protected]>:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:34:53 +0000, Tyrone wrote:

Of course, this all assumes you have enough RAM (and drive space) in
the Mac to run Windows in a VM. 16GB RAM is the realistic minimum. If
you don't have at least 64GB free drive space then forget it.

If you don’t have enough space, it’s easy enough to upgrade, isn’t it >> ... ?

... oh, wait.

With Thunderbolt, the drive additions can be external with
no penalty.

Yup, creating the illusion in MacTards' minds that their systems are
simply better, from the ground up. Heh. Windows 11 and Linux are both
light years beyond macOS.
--
Joel W. Crump
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On 9/10/2025 12:34 AM, Tyrone wrote:

On Sep 9, 2025 at 7:13:58 PM EDT, "Lawrence D´Oliveiro" <[email protected]d> wrote:

Also related: “5 ways to run Windows apps on macOS - and 2 are free”
<https://www.zdnet.com/article/5-ways-to-run-windows-apps-on-macos-and-2-are-free/>.
Unfortunately, as seems all too typical with the Mac, the “free”
options are not so straightforward to set up.

Unfortunately, as seems all too typical with Linux users, Macs are deemed "hard to use".

Lawrence is critiquing macOS for resembling Linux, in effect? Yeah, I
would dispute that, installing generic Wine on a Mac can't be that much
harder than on most Linux distros. They have competent instructions,
anyway.

Add VMware Fusion to the list of free VM solutions for Macs. You install VMWare, create the VM (you decide the size of the drive, how much RAM to assign, how many CPUs, how to network or just accept the defaults), point it to the Windows Arm ISO you downloaded from MS, and install Windows 11. All very normal for VM solutions. So much for "not so straightforward to set up".


BTW a Windows 11 license can be bought for $15 - $20. Good for 2 installs.

64GB drive, 4 CPUs and 6GB RAM are plenty to install Windows. They can all be changed later. That's the beauty of VMs. "Upgrading the hardware" is just a matter of changing the settings.

Of course, this all assumes you have enough RAM (and drive space) in the Mac to run Windows in a VM. 16GB RAM is the realistic minimum. If you don't have at least 64GB free drive space then forget it. I have 32GB RAM on both my M2 MacBook Pro and my M4 Mac Mini (and 2TB SSDs), so I have no problems with any of this. I bought both knowing I was going to run VMs.

What in God's name did you pay those bastards, to get those specs?
--
Joel W. Crump
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 03:52:45 -0400, "Joel W. Crump" <[email protected]>
wrote in <h7awQ.1489247$[email protected]>:

On 9/10/2025 2:43 AM, vallor wrote:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:39:50 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro
<[email protected]d> wrote in <109r2v6$1en64$[email protected]>:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:34:53 +0000, Tyrone wrote:

Of course, this all assumes you have enough RAM (and drive space) in
the Mac to run Windows in a VM. 16GB RAM is the realistic minimum. If
you don't have at least 64GB free drive space then forget it.

If you don’t have enough space, it’s easy enough to upgrade, isn’t it >>> ... ?

... oh, wait.

With Thunderbolt, the drive additions can be external with no penalty.

Yup, creating the illusion in MacTards' minds that their systems are
simply better, from the ground up. Heh. Windows 11 and Linux are both
light years beyond macOS.

Some people like chocolate ice cream, some people like strawberry.

Personally, I prefer Linux. YMMV.
--
-v System76 Thelio Mega v1.1 x86_64 NVIDIA RTX 3090Ti 24G
OS: Linux 6.16.5 D: Mint 22.2 DE: Xfce 4.18
NVIDIA: 580.82.07 Mem: 258G
"I have a rock garden. 3 of them died last week."
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On 9/10/2025 5:23 AM, vallor wrote:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 03:52:45 -0400, "Joel W. Crump" <[email protected]> wrote in <h7awQ.1489247$[email protected]>:

On 9/10/2025 2:43 AM, vallor wrote:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:39:50 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro
<[email protected]d> wrote in <109r2v6$1en64$[email protected]>:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:34:53 +0000, Tyrone wrote:

Of course, this all assumes you have enough RAM (and drive space) in >>>>> the Mac to run Windows in a VM. 16GB RAM is the realistic minimum. If >>>>> you don't have at least 64GB free drive space then forget it.

If you don’t have enough space, it’s easy enough to upgrade, isn’t it
... ?

... oh, wait.

With Thunderbolt, the drive additions can be external with no penalty.

Yup, creating the illusion in MacTards' minds that their systems are
simply better, from the ground up. Heh. Windows 11 and Linux are both
light years beyond macOS.

Some people like chocolate ice cream, some people like strawberry.

Personally, I prefer Linux. YMMV.

I prefer an ice cream that's competitively priced. Nothing Apple sells is.
--
Joel W. Crump
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:31:45 -0400, "Joel W. Crump" <[email protected]>
wrote in <5AbwQ.58675$[email protected]>:

On 9/10/2025 5:23 AM, vallor wrote:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 03:52:45 -0400, "Joel W. Crump"
<[email protected]>
wrote in <h7awQ.1489247$[email protected]>:

On 9/10/2025 2:43 AM, vallor wrote:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:39:50 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro
<[email protected]d> wrote in <109r2v6$1en64$[email protected]>:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:34:53 +0000, Tyrone wrote:

Of course, this all assumes you have enough RAM (and drive space)
in the Mac to run Windows in a VM. 16GB RAM is the realistic
minimum. If you don't have at least 64GB free drive space then
forget it.

If you don’t have enough space, it’s easy enough to upgrade, isn’t >>>>> it ... ?

... oh, wait.

With Thunderbolt, the drive additions can be external with no
penalty.

Yup, creating the illusion in MacTards' minds that their systems are
simply better, from the ground up. Heh. Windows 11 and Linux are
both light years beyond macOS.

Some people like chocolate ice cream, some people like strawberry.

Personally, I prefer Linux. YMMV.

I prefer an ice cream that's competitively priced. Nothing Apple sells
is.

Apple's workstation-class machines are competitively priced with
Linux workstations.

https://system76.com/workstations/

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/precision-7875-tower-workstation/spd/precision-t7875-workstation/xctopt7875mtusai_vp

https://www.apple.com/mac-pro/

Still, I'd rather have a Linux workstation.
--
-v System76 Thelio Mega v1.1 x86_64 NVIDIA RTX 3090Ti 24G
OS: Linux 6.16.5 D: Mint 22.2 DE: Xfce 4.18
NVIDIA: 580.82.07 Mem: 258G
"NUMBER CRUNCHING: Jumping on a Computer."
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On 9/10/25 05:31, Joel W. Crump wrote:

On 9/10/2025 5:23 AM, vallor wrote:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 03:52:45 -0400, "Joel W. Crump" <[email protected]>
wrote in <h7awQ.1489247$[email protected]>:

On 9/10/2025 2:43 AM, vallor wrote:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:39:50 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro
<[email protected]d> wrote in <109r2v6$1en64$[email protected]>:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:34:53 +0000, Tyrone wrote:

Of course, this all assumes you have enough RAM (and drive space) in >>>>>> the Mac to run Windows in a VM. 16GB RAM is the realistic minimum. If >>>>>> you don't have at least 64GB free drive space then forget it.

If you don’t have enough space, it’s easy enough to upgrade, isn’t it
... ?

... oh, wait.

With Thunderbolt, the drive additions can be external with no penalty.

Yup, creating the illusion in MacTards' minds that their systems are
simply better, from the ground up.  Heh.  Windows 11 and Linux are both >>> light years beyond macOS.

Some people like chocolate ice cream, some people like strawberry.

Personally, I prefer Linux.  YMMV.

I prefer an ice cream that's competitively priced.  Nothing Apple sells is.

Big talk from a PC user who's spent more trying to cobble together his
cheap system than it would have just cost him to buy a more capable Mac mini...

& that was before dropping even more coin for their fried motherboard.


-hh
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On 9/10/2025 7:53 AM, vallor wrote:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:31:45 -0400, "Joel W. Crump" <[email protected]> wrote in <5AbwQ.58675$[email protected]>:

On 9/10/2025 5:23 AM, vallor wrote:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 03:52:45 -0400, "Joel W. Crump"
<[email protected]>
wrote in <h7awQ.1489247$[email protected]>:

On 9/10/2025 2:43 AM, vallor wrote:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:39:50 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro
<[email protected]d> wrote in <109r2v6$1en64$[email protected]>:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:34:53 +0000, Tyrone wrote:

Of course, this all assumes you have enough RAM (and drive space) >>>>>>> in the Mac to run Windows in a VM. 16GB RAM is the realistic
minimum. If you don't have at least 64GB free drive space then
forget it.

If you don’t have enough space, it’s easy enough to upgrade, isn’t >>>>>> it ... ?

... oh, wait.

With Thunderbolt, the drive additions can be external with no
penalty.

Yup, creating the illusion in MacTards' minds that their systems are
simply better, from the ground up. Heh. Windows 11 and Linux are
both light years beyond macOS.

Some people like chocolate ice cream, some people like strawberry.

Personally, I prefer Linux. YMMV.

I prefer an ice cream that's competitively priced. Nothing Apple sells
is.

Apple's workstation-class machines are competitively priced with
Linux workstations.

https://system76.com/workstations/

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/precision-7875-tower-workstation/spd/precision-t7875-workstation/xctopt7875mtusai_vp

https://www.apple.com/mac-pro/

Still, I'd rather have a Linux workstation.

Plainly, Apple's offerings fall short.
--
Joel W. Crump
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On 9/10/2025 7:55 AM, -hh wrote:

I prefer an ice cream (computer system) that's competitively priced.  Nothing Apple
sells is.

Big talk from a PC user who's spent more trying to cobble together his
cheap system than it would have just cost him to buy a more capable Mac mini...

& that was before dropping even more coin for their fried motherboard.

My non-Apple mini PC, now, is great, Windows 11 24H2 is magic, my
disaster with my computer opened my eyes to this, it's pretty great,
elite even. I can switch to Linux on this device, if I want, but
Microsoft has pretty sold me on what might have been Windows 12.
--
Joel W. Crump
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On 9/10/2025 8:10 AM, Joel W. Crump wrote:

I can switch to Linux on this device, if I want, but
Microsoft has pretty sold me on what might have been Windows 12.

*pretty much sold me on
--
Joel W. Crump
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

Joel W. Crump wrote:

I prefer an ice cream that's competitively priced.

You prefer a cock up your ass, most men don't.

https://postimg.cc/7ChyqNL6
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On 9/10/2025 10:13 AM, Rudy Canoza wrote:

You prefer a cock up your ass, most men don't.

https://postimg.cc/7ChyqNL6

If I were worried about what "most men" do and don't, I'd be lamer than
your dumb ass.
--
Joel W. Crump
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

Joel W. Crump wrote:

Windows 11 24H2 is magic, my
disaster with my computer opened my eyes to this, it's pretty great,
elite even.  I can switch to Linux on this device, if I want, but
Microsoft has pretty sold me on what might have been Windows 12.

After all these years of you whining like a little bitch
about "Winblows", you pillow biting fruitcake hypocrite?

You have shit for brains.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

Joel W. Crump wrote:

On 9/10/2025 10:13 AM, Rudy Canoza wrote:

You prefer a cock up your ass, most men don't.

https://postimg.cc/7ChyqNL6

If I were worried about what "most men" do and don't, I'd be lamer than
your dumb ass.

You wouldn't have to take your daily AIDS meds either, sissy.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On 9/10/2025 10:17 AM, Rudy Canoza wrote:

Windows 11 24H2 is magic, my disaster with my computer opened my eyes
to this, it's pretty great, elite even.  I can switch to Linux on this
device, if I want, but Microsoft has pretty sold me on what might have
been Windows 12.

After all these years of you whining like a little bitch
about "Winblows", you pillow biting fruitcake hypocrite?

You have shit for brains.

Nope, 24H2 uses AI in a new way, it was an unknown unknown to me, until
I fell into using this mini PC. I'm a convert.
--
Joel W. Crump
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 07:55:50 -0400, -hh wrote:

Big talk from a PC user who's spent more trying to cobble together his
cheap system than it would have just cost him to buy a more capable Mac mini...

At least you *can* actually “cobble together” a Linux-running PC system from your choice of parts, instead of having to pick from the fixed set of choices that Apple offers.

And you can change your mind and upgrade bits afterwards, too, so it
becomes “more capable” over time, than it was when you first got it.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On Wed, 9/10/2025 10:42 AM, Joel W. Crump wrote:

On 9/10/2025 10:17 AM, Rudy Canoza wrote:

Windows 11 24H2 is magic, my disaster with my computer opened my eyes to this, it's pretty great, elite even. 
I can switch to Linux on this device, if I want, but Microsoft has pretty sold me on what might have been Windows 12.

After all these years of you whining like a little bitch
about "Winblows", you pillow biting fruitcake hypocrite?

You have shit for brains.

Nope, 24H2 uses AI in a new way, it was an unknown unknown to me, until I fell into using this mini PC.  I'm a convert.

I think I saw this happen on Star Trek.

They put Joel in the Transporter, and after a malfunction
two Joel are produced. A Linux Joel. And a Windows Joel.

*******

The AI even makes its own advertising copy, even though
if you ask the AI what its capabilities are, it doesn't
know the answer.

[Picture]

https://i.postimg.cc/4xykz7wy/Im-so-confused.gif

The AI has apparently doctored a photo for us, removing
two cars from the scene. But it doesn't say exactly, where
on the PC you are doing that.

After viewing the promo video on that web page, the
application being used is

Paint
CoPilot Icon
Image Creator (Create stunning images with just a few words)
Generative erase (Remove objects with background fill) <=== could be this one
Remove background (Remove the background from your image)

So it does appear there are AI functions (remote ones).

At one time, image creation was done by CoPilot Studio module
(part of the module set on the remote CoPilot). And I asked it to
produce a picture of two seals basking on a rock in the sun at the
beach. And the image produced, was photorealistic. A reasonably good
likeness of seals at the beach. Somehow, I fumbled the handling of the
image, so I gave the exact same instructions a second time. The image produced had a "ground fog" applied to the ocean surface, the seals were on
the rock alright, but the "sunning themselves" part of the request was
kinda botched by the fog the AI added. While there is an image
creation capability (and the "irritating noise effect" has been removed),
the images can be hit and miss, so you need time to burn to work with it.

Paul
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On 9/10/2025 7:38 PM, Paul wrote:

On Wed, 9/10/2025 10:42 AM, Joel W. Crump wrote:

On 9/10/2025 10:17 AM, Rudy Canoza wrote:

Windows 11 24H2 is magic, my disaster with my computer opened my eyes to this, it's pretty great, elite even.
I can switch to Linux on this device, if I want, but Microsoft has pretty sold me on what might have been Windows 12.

After all these years of you whining like a little bitch
about "Winblows", you pillow biting fruitcake hypocrite?

You have shit for brains.

Nope, 24H2 uses AI in a new way, it was an unknown unknown to me, until I fell into using this mini PC.  I'm a convert.

I think I saw this happen on Star Trek.

They put Joel in the Transporter, and after a malfunction
two Joel are produced. A Linux Joel. And a Windows Joel.

There's no doubt I'm bisexual not only in terms of having sex but in
OSes, I've had a connection to Microsoft going back a long time. But
yet I treasure Linux for being Linux. It's just that deleting Win11 off
this thing would be sacrificing something so sweet, that I want to hold
onto.
--
Joel W. Crump
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 19:38:28 -0400, Paul wrote:

[snip]

I think I saw this happen on Star Trek.

They put Joel in the Transporter, and after a malfunction two Joel are produced. A Linux Joel. And a Windows Joel.

There is an episode ("The Enemy Within") where a transporter malfunction
that splits Kirk into good and evil versions. They eventually discover
they need each other.

One of the early novels ("Spock Must Die") has the same thing happen to
Spock.

[snip]
--
105 days until the winter celebration (Thursday, December 25, 2025 12:00
AM for 1 day).

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"History has the relation to truth that theology has to religion -- i.e.
none to speak of." [Lazarus Long]
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On 9/10/25 15:36, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2025 07:55:50 -0400, -hh wrote:

Big talk from a PC user who's spent more trying to cobble together his
cheap system than it would have just cost him to buy a more capable Mac
mini...

At least you *can* actually “cobble together” a Linux-running PC system from your choice of parts, instead of having to pick from the fixed set of choices that Apple offers.

Sure, but as Joel's case study illustrates, it doesn't always cost tons
less ... in his case, it cost more even before he fried his motherboard.

And you can change your mind and upgrade bits afterwards, too, so it
becomes “more capable” over time, than it was when you first got it.

Sure, but this expansion argument is old and by today's standards very
much overblown: most people buy laptops over desktops because their capabilities are good enough, plus these users never have any particular
need or desire to upgrade like we did with desktops 30 years ago.

As we've discussed before it is because PC technology improved to be
"good enough" for mainstream: there no longer are big enough performance changes in new gear in each ~9 month new product release cycle for there
to be a positive ROI for upgrading hardware that rapidly.

With them now being more stable appliances, the market has changed to be
to buy "as is" and run them effectively unchanged until they complete
their tax depreciation life-cycles of 5+ years. Similarly, business IT department policies became that if one broke down out of warranty, it
was more cost effective to just replace the entire laptop, not repair...

...and this technology transition point was passed over a decade ago; we
all need to stop living in the past of our youth and accept that even if
we have not, the world has changed around us.

FYI, an implication of this is that if within a year of us buying new
gear that we discover that it isn't good enough such that we need better
gear, its not the fault of the product: it means that we failed in our
user capability requirements assessment prior to buying.


-hh



--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy

On Fri, 12 Sep 2025 09:26:21 -0400, -hh wrote:

On 9/10/25 15:36, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:

And you can change your mind and upgrade bits afterwards, too, so it
becomes “more capable” over time, than it was when you first got it.

Sure, but this expansion argument is old and by today's standards very
much overblown: most people buy laptops over desktops because their capabilities are good enough, plus these users never have any particular
need or desire to upgrade like we did with desktops 30 years ago.

Look at the success Framework has been having, with its upgradeable laptop concept.

As we've discussed before it is because PC technology improved to be
"good enough" for mainstream ...

But look at Apple’s range: if you want a reasonably-priced model, you have to settle for less persistent storage, for example. You have to decide up front how much of that you will need. That’s why upgrading the hard drive
or SSD is such a common aftermarket option.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2