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[dragdeler]

Depends on the shop really, the big names in the industry might, possibly, only sell laptops that come with windows prepackaged... But where I bought my last laptop, they  had it as an option in a form with multiple drop down menus along more ram etc. And last time I advised somebody on what laptop to buy(this year) I saw no shortage of systems that are sold with linux installed. (how silly to preinstall linux but whatever)

[LordBaal]

Not silly at all my good friend, see that allows people to inmerse themselves unto linux without the hassle of installing it. Not everyone has the skills or is willing to do it or try.

For as much streamlined the process of installing an OS has become, there will always be a lot of people unwilling to do it. Like changing oil on a ICE vehicle. It's really simple, put a large enough pan or recipient below the carter, open the carter valve and let it drain, change the oil filter of the engine, fill it in with new oil. Still billions of humans refuse to do it.

[wierd]

Linux really does not have an easy-mode.

You really do need a mittens-mode experience (such as offered by Apple, and more recently, Microsoft) for that.

The issue, is that most people do not want to learn something new, especially in the US, where our educational system quickly teaches children that there is no positive incentive to actually learning anything, and that you should instead just game the system using what you have been given, exactly what you have been given, in exactly the way it was given to you.


Linux dares to suggest that maybe, you can and should, take some initiative to understand what your computer is actually doing and why/how it is doing it, so that you can then actually manage it yourself, like a proper grown up.


There is a vast market out there that caters to people who for whatever reason, are unable or unwilling to make that investment.  (eg, unable or unwilling to learn, unable or unwilling to administer, unable or unwilling to do both.)

For those people, there is MacOS, and Windows. 



They deserve the mittens-- it is explicitly the reason they use the product.  ("curated user experience" is literally a cognate for having mittens put on your hands, and being told you cannot deviate from the policies of the experience you have been given, in exactly the way it was given to you. EG, wearing mittens, and told not to touch.)

[LordBaal]

I would not put it so harsh on people. Most people use computers as mere tools, not different from a phone, a car or a screwdriver. The vast majority of people have squat knowledge on how a combustion engine works, the frecuency of waves used by their cellphones or how an electric motor works on their screwdriver. Would it hurt them to know? Of course not. Would it be of use? Doubtfully. In most cases people at the end of the day will need a technician or replacement or whatever and will be fine with it.

[wierd]

internal combustion engine works on the principle of thermal expansion of a contained explosion to derive mechanical energy, via the motion of a piston.  Most people in the US do in fact learn about this in public school, in the mandatory simple machines unit in middle school-- since the internal combustion engine is a very fine example of a complex machine, comprised of simple ones, and is well recognized.

The frequency of the radio spectrum used by cellphones tends to be 600+800mhz and 900+1600mhz.  These frequencies are used, because of their low attenuation in atmosphere, and thus their reliability as carrier waves for information transfer over long distances. The frequencies used by WiFi, in comparison-- 2400 mhz and 5000 mhz respectively for B/G/N and A/AC, are selected for the opposite reason-- their high attenuation through atmosphere, limiting their effective range.

Electric motors work through mutual electromagnetic repulsion of the stater coils/magnets against the armature coils.  Various means of energizing the armature coils exist, which is where various classes of motor come into play, but they all operate on magnetic repulsion on a confined axis.


I happen to "just know" this.  However, I do admit that I am not normal.

[delphonso]

Talking to friends and colleagues who are 'impressed' when I disassemble a broken mouse and fix a loose wire, or show up with a computer that isn't sagging at the limbs with bloat and virus - I'd guess most people just have no idea where to start, and have decided that basic technical knowledge is the equivalent to a degree in the subject. It's too daunting for some folks, because they expect it to be.

You also have to admit that the barrier to entry does exist and tech guides are universally hard to understand. Especially linux which, has two modes: someone tells you a command line input to fix your problem and doesn't explain why that works or what it does, or someone offers you 8 solutions for particular use-cases, meticulously detailed with a few tossed in jokes.

This all, I think, can come back to MacOS and Windows - as you say, wierd, the mittens mode has made much of the functions of a computer obfuscated. I have to assume people would be more tech literate if we were all still on Commodore 64s.

[eerr]

I've been looking into getting a new computer. This computer I'm on has had various problems. One is that, it's three years old and I've had tons of trouble just running unity and visual studio at the same time, merely halfway through it's lifespan. I can't let that happen again.
With the chip shortage, I need a new computer better than the 350 dollar minimum. Eight GB of ram is just not sufficient! I need something that can run unity3d for at least three years. I also might think about upgrading stuff, which I usually haven't in the past.
Stretch goals: last six years

I'm thinking of looking at Dell.
If there is a standalone tower that isn't bundled I want that.

[eerr]

I need a computer that can run unity and visual studio, what do you think about between these two?
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/compare?ocs=na5400eytcs,na5400eytbs

[delphonso]

Uninformed opinion:
I believe CPUs are becoming the limiting factor once more - 4.7GHz should be solid to run most games, though I don't think it's very impressive either - probably good for the three year goal, but maybe not the 6.

[LordBaal]

Im going to build a "new" pc too. Well, more upgrading around an old mobo that is similar to my old pc, but what I calculated is getting into the 1000 dollars. Honestly I feel a little lost doing this. Lots of new options and new kind of hardware. Im looking to being able to play total warhammer 3 consistenly over 30 fps with high detail on 1080p.

As for GPU so far I've seen that the gt1050 migth be enough.

Im open for any suggestions guys. Also this is not something I would do this year but more something for the next year, around april for my birthday after saving up enough money.

[delphonso]

Im open for any suggestions guys. Also this is not something I would this year but more something for the next year, arounf april for my birthday after saving up enough money.

Actually completely in the same boat - I would also love a short guide on building a solid PC.

[LordBaal]

Im confident on being able to build it, I'm just very unfamiliar with new technologies, models and brands, and very unstrusting of reviews on the net. I working on the 1155 intel socket still worth it?

[eerr]

Someone guided me to reddit /r/buildapc with a link to a discord.
They recommended I upgrade my pc, The ram and an SSD.

but I think my brother helped me find something okay-ish.
https://deals.dell.com/en-us/productdetail/brw5
Yes, the graphics card is weak, but he says it should be upgradeable if I need to.

[wierd]

Uninformed opinion:
I believe CPUs are becoming the limiting factor once more - 4.7GHz should be solid to run most games, though I don't think it's very impressive either - probably good for the three year goal, but maybe not the 6.

Frequency is less important than cycle efficiency.  Modern CPUs are about the same freq as those from a decade ago, but do more, because they need fewer cycles to do the operations, have larger caches, etc...

Gains of this kind are not represented by a frequency number. Often, modern CPUs will up and down throttle dynamically anyway.

You want to look at single thread performance ratings, not ghz.

[LordBaal]

Any opinions on buliding a "modern" pc on top of a asus p8z68 mobo?