Computer Systems

Which Computer Should I Buy?

In today's market there are a broad variety of computers. Computers are used everywhere in our society and it looks like they are here to stay. Some people may swear by one brand or type of a computer or another but ultimately it depends on each person's needs. It's important to pick the computer that is right for you're personal needs and there are many factors that go into picking a new computer. There are some generalizations that can be applied to the needs of specific users like Gamers, Business Users, Advanced Users, and Every Day Users.

Operating Systems

Microsoft - Traditionally the business market has been monopolized by computers running the operating systems sold by the Microsoft Corporation like MSDOS and their various Windows platforms. Microsoft platforms were originally designed as a replacement for a typewriter but have evolved to incorporate popular computer technologies throughout the years. There are a lot of business applications that run solely on the Microsoft platforms and if your company depends on these applications to run, then there is little other choice than to chose a computer with the capability to run these Microsoft platforms. Microsoft has also catered to one of the biggest computer industries, games. Most of the popular technologies are utilized by computer games and historically speaking Gamers and Gaming Companies have preferred using Microsoft platforms to launch their computer games.

Apple - Apple has traditionally catered to the individual home users and the artistic users. They had awesome graphics capabilities where other platforms lacked and were designed with simplicity in mind. Early on they were too simple for some computer users and created a stigma that was hard to overcome. Recently in the past 10 years this has changed and Apple has made drastic changes to incorporate more power for those who need a more flexible system while still keeping it simple for those who need it simple. In recent years Apple has provided a way for user to natively install the Windows operating systems (OS) onto their hardware using various tools like Apple's BootCamp or third-party "virtual machines" like Parallels or VMWare Fusion. Users who have previously been prohibited from buying the Apple hardware because of OS requirements are now able to use both Windows and Apple operating systems on the same hardware eliminating the need to buy separate machines for each.

Unix and Linux - These operating systems were intended for high-end secure servers where optimization and security were the main focus. Unix, like Microsoft and Apple, is sold and controlled by one company, however there are many different "flavors" of Linux packaged by various independent and company programmers. The one difference about Linux from all of the other operating systems is that it is truly free.

Hardware

Server? or Workstation? - When speaking hardware, most traditional or home computers are workstation computers that contain enough hardware to run programs, store information or otherwise access resources like printers, scanners, Internet, TV cards, etc. Typically if one component fails the computer will stop working until that component is fixed, eg a failed power supply. Servers on the other hand typically provide redundant or multiple components that provide the same resources, like multiple power supplies or "RAID" hard drives. If one power supply were to fail the other power supply would provide power to the computer keeping the computer running even though one component has failed. Businesses that need more dependable up-time on services like their website or data shares are more likely to purchase server hardware for those services (not necessarily the computers that an employee works at but a computer that is only used for providing or receiving information like a web server).

IBM Compatible - Commonly known as a PC (short for Personal Computer) the IBM Compatible computers are the industry standard machine with many different manufactures. Although the term IBM Compatible is not widely used any more they have been nick-named a "PC" and even though Apple machines are "Personal Computers" they aren't typically included in this category. The Intel and AMD processor product lines are the most popular processor brands in this category and computer companies like Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Gateway, Sony, Packard-Bell and many other computer distributors use these processors packaged with various peripherals to build their machines. When someone says they have a "PC" some people assume that it runs a Microsoft Windows operating system but in actuality can run any number of operating systems like DOS (Free, IBM & MS), Unix, Linux, OS2, etc. Many times when someone builds their own computer they will use parts that are "IBM / PC Compatible" from many different component manufacturers.

Apple (Power PC and Intel) - Apple or Macintosh computers have been segregated from the IBM Compatible computers because their architecture was considerably different from the "PC" and couldn't run DOS or Microsoft Windows. This most recent type of this architecture was called the Power PC and could run the Macintosh OS 9 and previous operating systems. However, recently they switched their architecture to an Intel (a subset of the IBM compatible) architecture which has provided a way to install other operating systems onto the Apple / Macintosh hardware the default operating system being the Macintosh OS X (OS 10) operating system.

Other - Historically, there have been other proprietary computers besides the ones mentioned above like SGI or TI Calculators but I will not go into any detail here about those.

Custom Systems

Upon request I can build custom IBM Compatible (PC) machines to meet your specific requirements. Just contact me and I can help you with your request.

Other Brands

Apple, Dell, HP, Sony, Lenovo

Grades of Computer

Is a laptop just a laptop? Are all laptops created equal? The answer, NO!