[thechat] Windows on a Mac

[Kevin Stevens]

> This makes no sense to me.  I concur with Bob that the compatibility,
> interface issues are *nothing* today what they were 2+ years ago.
> Here at Lewis & Clark there is a pretty healthy mix of Mac and PC
> users and I don't know anyone who has an issue with switching back
> and forth.
>
> If anything, I would think the switching between machines would in
> fact help the child get a more rounded education computer-wise.

OK, so I don't have any children so I have no idea what the current
curriculum is, all I'm going on is what my boss told me his son would be
doing. When I was doing computer studies at school (many, many years ago) we
worked on BBC computers, ZX Spectrums and computer punch cards that we had
to send off to the big main frame 20 miles away. I am of the understanding
that things are slightly different now ;)

> >>  because he knows nothing about how to fix them if they go wrong.
>
> and he knows how to "fix" OSX?  Does OSX ever go wrong?  Or are we
> talking about an older Mac?

My boss is a technophobe of the highest order. He was loathed to get a
computer in the first place, grudgingly learned enough to get one going and
can't be bothered to learn anything new. In the 3 years since he bought an
Imac I don't think he has even upgraded his browser. So it's really a lack
of interest I suppose. And things do go wrong on his machine, programs
freeze, the OS crashes, not as frequently as on a PC I admit, but it does
happen.

> >>  1. Would this work as a solution, i.e. could he do his Windows school
> >>  work on the Mac?
>
> wtf is he using to transfer files, a floppy disk???  I agree there is
> no Windows schoolwork.... unless the school has some deal worked out
> with MS like my former junior college: "According to our contract
> with Satan, we only teach J++ not Java" but I think those days are
> proabably over.

Honestly not sure, and his Imac doesn't have a floppy drive :)
I suppose if you had to work on a Word document at home you could always
e-mail the result to the school. As I said, I really have no idea what he
will be doing at school.

> >etc. and it all works the way one would expect a windows machine to
> >work (ok, damning with faint praise, I know).
> >
> >It's a fine solution.
> Not that it's really been established there is a problem...

Don't think I ever said there was a problem, I just said "here's the
situation, what are the options?"

Kevin Stevens
kjs at ratking.co.uk